First Lady Melania Trump launched her 2027 Presidential Super Intelligence (SI) Challenge and established a new First Lady Seal of AI Readiness, inviting K-12 students, educators, and schools across the country to take part in the nationwide initiative, the White House announced.
The launch follows what the White House described as the success of the inaugural Challenge earlier this year, which engaged more than 20,000 students from all 50 states and U.S. schools around the world. The 2027 Presidential SI Challenge will continue to give students the opportunity to use SI to dream, build, and develop solutions to real-world challenges.
"America's future security, prosperity, and global leadership depend on our next generation. Building on last year's success, the 2027 Presidential Super Intelligence Challenge will empower our children to lead the world," the First Lady said.
A New Seal for Schools
New this year, all participating schools will have the opportunity to earn the First Lady Seal of SI Readiness by completing and submitting evidence of a rigorous set of milestones focused on SI readiness. According to the White House, the Seal recognizes schools that are taking meaningful steps to prepare students and educators to understand, use, and responsibly engage with super intelligence.
The Presidential SI Challenge will continue its project-based competition, encouraging students to explore super intelligence through creative and innovative projects that address challenges in their schools, communities, and beyond. Those interested in watching the First Lady's launch video, learning more, or signing up for the Challenge were directed to SI.Gov.
The White House account said that since day one of this Administration, the First Lady "has led a series of impactful initiatives that are making a huge difference around the world."
Ukraine's Missing Children
Separately, a report published this week described the First Lady as a quiet force in one of the war in Ukraine's most difficult humanitarian missions: reuniting children with their families.
As the war enters its fifth year, the First Lady has facilitated at least 34 reunifications involving children and families, according to the White House. Lawyers and officials interviewed for the report called her work "extraordinary," saying it "greatly aids" efforts to bring children home.
Her initiative became public in August 2025, when President Donald Trump presented a letter from her to President Vladimir Putin at a summit between the two leaders in Alaska. While the letter did not mention Ukraine or Ukrainian children specifically, the report described the language as personal, reaching beyond the usual diplomatic vocabulary.
In October, the First Lady announced that Putin had responded and that she maintained an "open channel of communication" with him concerning the welfare of missing Ukrainian children.
President Trump praised his wife's work during his speech before the United Nations last month. "I also want to recognize the extraordinary work of our great First Lady, who has secured the safe return of many displaced Ukrainian and Russian children to their families," he said.
Discussions with European Union government officials and Christian church leaders highlighted the scale and sensitivity of the mission, with each step requiring vigilance and discretion to protect vulnerable children. Officials credited her with handling cases "deftly," encouraging cooperation from Russian counterparts and building "trust that extends beyond the negotiating table." In their assessment, her personal approach and her husband's relationship with the Russian leader have created an opening that conventional diplomacy alone could not provide, the report said.
The White House's announcement of the SI Challenge and its statement on the First Lady's broader initiatives came on the same day the account highlighted her global work, a dual focus on American students at home and humanitarian efforts abroad.
