“A1 in schools”: The curious slip of Trump’s Secretary of Education in the middle of a speech about AI
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is presented as the key tool to transform education, it is no small thing that the Secretary of Education herself confused the term with a popular steak sauce. The episode took place during a conference on the future of teaching and quickly went viral. But beyond the anecdote, there are deeper implications at play.
### A Awkward Moment at the Heart of Educational Innovation
During her intervention at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, the U.S. Secretary of Education, , puzzled the audience by repeatedly referring to artificial intelligence as “A1”. Yes, like the steak sauce.
The confusion was captured on video and can be heard in the official event livestream on YouTube. At one point in her speech, McMahon stated:
“There will be a school system that ensures that from pre-kindergarten, children receive A1 education every year.”
Far from being a simple slip of the tongue, she repeated the incorrect reference more than once in a context that clearly aimed to address the role of AI in education. She spoke of “A1” as a tool for personalized instruction and support for students with different learning paces.
### Just a Slip of the Tongue… or Something More?
The mistake would be minor —almost endearing— if it weren’t for the fact that McMahon, 76 years old and with a fortune of $3.2 billion, has taken on the controversial mission of . As she has explained on multiple occasions, she believes that the U.S. “didn’t always have one” and that states should take full responsibility for their educational systems.
The problem is that, while advocating for a supposed , her ignorance of basic terms leaves much to be desired. For a public figure at the center of debates on the use of AI in classrooms, these types of errors are not only embarrassing but symptomatic of a deeper disconnect with the technological tools she claims to want to promote.
### The Political Background: Beyond the Linguistic Slip
McMahon is not alone in her crusade. With the backing of President , she has set out to drastically reduce the size of the Department of Education, despite the fact that . Currently, a group of Republican senators has introduced a bill to make it a reality, but its legislative future is still uncertain.
In this context, the scene of a secretary confusing AI with A1 is not just material for memes. It is a reflection of how certain public figures approach educational transformation with a rhetoric of modernity that, in practice, may be empty of real content.
### A More Suitable Sauce for Another Occasion?
McMahon’s errors have fueled growing skepticism about her suitability to lead educational changes in a rapidly evolving world. Although in other parts of her speech she did manage to refer correctly to artificial intelligence, the repeated “A1” suggests a lack of preparedness that is difficult to justify at an innovation summit.
