Well, folks, we just witnessed a truly surreal moment in American politics: a humanoid robot from Sunnyvale walked into the White House alongside Melania Trump, and honestly, the whole thing felt about as natural as a robot learning to feel emotions.

Figure AI, the Bay Area startup behind this technological flex, sent its Figure 03 humanoid robot to an education and technology summit called Fostering the Future Together on Wednesday. The robot made the rounds at the White House East Room in what the company is calling a historic moment for robotics. And yeah, the video of the robot awkwardly strolling down the hallway next to the First Lady is exactly as uncomfortable as it sounds.

During the event, Figure 03 delivered a scripted speech thanking Melania for the invitation and offered greetings in 11 different languages. The robot then slowly walked back out of the room while international First Ladies including Brigitte Macron of France, Sara Netanyahu of Israel, and Olena Zelenska of Ukraine watched from the panel. If you’re picturing that scene, you’re probably already cringing.

But here’s where things get wild: Melania used the occasion to promote the idea of AI “humanoid educators” replacing human teachers. In prepared remarks (which, let’s be real, she definitely didn’t write), the First Lady talked about the future of AI being “personified” and shaped like humans. She even painted a picture of a robot teacher named “Plato” that could deliver instant access to literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics, and history from your living room.

The education pitch comes conveniently as the Trump administration has been gutting the Department of Education, which has folks rightfully concerned about what this robot teacher thing actually means for public schools and actual educators in our communities.

Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock was thrilled about the whole thing, tweeting that he was “so proud” to see Figure 03 make history as the first humanoid robot in the White House, emphasizing that it was “fully autonomous”. The robot is currently available for purchase at around $25,000 if you want one handling your household chores, like taking out the trash.

Look, we’re not totally against robots or technology, this is the Bay Area, after all. But there’s something deeply unsettling about watching a robot pitch replacing human educators while an administration simultaneously defunds public education. It feels less like the future and more like a really expensive way to sidestep investing in actual teachers and students who need real support.