Melania Trump tells soldiers they will be replaced by AI robots in bizarre speech
The First Lady made the remarks while addressing Marines and their families in North Carolina
First Lady Melania Trump has bizarrely told serving US troops that they will be replaced by robots during a speech on Wednesday.
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Mrs Trump made the remark while speaking to military personnel and their amassed families at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
She said that artificial intelligence (AI) would prove to be the most profound change to war since nuclear weapons were created.
Mrs Trump also warned that the AI arms race was one that America could not afford to lose.
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"Artificial intelligence is propelling America's military into a new era. We are moving from human operators to human overseers - fast," the First Lady said.
"The shift from soldiers to machines is already underway. Autonomous helicopters, swarming drones, and recon aircraft are here now. Fighter-less jets and autonomous bombers are on the way."
The speech unsettled many, with some suggesting online that the First Lady should not be telling serving troops that they are going to be replaced to their faces.
One commenter even called the speech "dystopian" in scathing review posted to social media.
Melania has put herself in the heart of her husband's drive towards AI.
She lead the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in September and has highlighted the technology's benefits, including driverless taxis, robot-assisted surgeries, and drones.
"To win the AI war, we must train our next generation, for it's America's students who will lead the Marine Corps in the future," Melania said.
The First Lady continued: "Technology is changing the art of war ... AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons.
"The most significant change will be speed. Speed in weaponry, decision-making, detection, attack, and defense. Artificial intelligence will take center stage in the theater of war, it already plays a meaningful role on the battlefield.
"Of course, it is the Marine who will always play the most critical role in realizing mission success."