ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NOW permeates daily life From the smartphone assistants many of us carry to credit scoring, healthcare imaging, and government services, technological high-end systems (pro-AI-driven) are becoming progressively foundational, invisible, and everywhere in our institutions and economy. 

AI is set to be deployed not just in consumer chatbots but in serious public services, such as predictive crop insurance models for farmers, citywide surveillance networks, service-enabled welfare delivery, and voice-based legal assistance in local languages. This technological ubiquity tends to inspire both wonder and anxiety. Yet many users and policymakers instinctively frame AI as a tool or assistant – a way to augment human capabilities – rather than as a competitor or replacement. 

We seek the benefit of AI’s speed or pattern-recognition while expecting humans to remain in the loop. This view – that AI should help us rather than supplant us – is a useful starting point when thinking about its impact. It suggests that as we build laws and policies, we treat AI as an enabler of human goals, not a separate “being” with rights.

Even so, we must confront a knotty question: what are “digital rights” in an age of AI? The term appears increasingly in policy debates, but its definition is not self-evident. At a minimum, it implies that citizens retain rights and protections in the digital realm – over their data, their devices, their online speech, and access. AI governance sits atop a vast array of “digital” issues: not just data privacy and security, but digital property, service rights, contract rights, infrastructure access, and more. In practice, “digital rights” often parallel our traditional civil liberties (privacy, expression, equality, etc.) but take on a new shape when technology is involved. 

India’s Supreme Court, for instance, has treated privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, and that has become the constitutional grounding for digital protections in privacy cases. We may even codify rights like data protection or internet access into constitutions for permanence. But, before debating AI ethics or rulemaking, we shall clarify what rights we mean. Should a “right to algorithmic fairness” be elevated to the same level as speech or equality? Do we expect new rights beyond the existing roster of liberties, or are our current rights simply being translated into code? 

WASHINGTON (TNND) — First Lady Melania Trump will join members of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education and private sector leaders for a meeting Thursday.

This is the second meeting of the task force, where the first lady, task force members, and others will speak about the over 135 pledges made to support AI education across the country.

“I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump Administration—and I won’t be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America. But, as leaders and parents we must manage AI’s growth responsibly. During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children—empowering, but with watchful guidance. We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America’s children,” said the first lady.

In August, the first lady launched a nationwide Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge, which invites students and educators to”unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation.”Students can sign up by visiting AI.Gov.

The actions follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April on “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.”

Melania Trump has long worked to protect children online through her BE BEST initiative and the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which received bipartisan support and was signed into law by the president in May.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act aims to combat the proliferation of artificial intelligence-generated explicit imagery, a growing concern in the digital age. The bill also seeks to protect children from deep fake exploitation.

“As first lady, my commitment to the Be Best initiative underscores the need for online safety,” the first lady said. “Ensuring their protection is not just a responsibility but a vital step in nurturing future leaders,” the first lady said in March.

On Thursday evening, President Trump will host major tech CEOs for a dinner at the White House.

The guest list includes Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a dozen other executives from the biggest artificial intelligence and tech firms, the White House says.

Some of the attendees at Trump’s dinner are expected to participate in the first lady’s task force meeting.