Education Secretary Linda McMahon confuses AI with A1, sauce brand capitalizes on blunder [View all]

Source: USA Today

Published 1:48 p.m. ET April 12, 2025 | Updated 7:58 p.m. ET April 12, 2025


Secretary of Education Linda McMahon may have had a juicy steak in mind while speaking at a panel earlier this week because she confused artificial intelligence, also known as AI, with A1, the same name as the popular sauce brand.

McMahon, 76, made the mix-up on April 8 while speaking at the ASU+GSV Summit, an event focusing on educational innovation. The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) initially referred to the acronym for artificial intelligence correctly, saying, "You know, AI development – I mean, how can we educate at the speed of light if we don't have the best technology around to do that?"

Things got sticky as McMahon's speech continued: "A school system that's going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have A1 teaching in every year. That's a wonderful thing!" "Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything," she added. "It wasn't all that long ago that it was, 'We're going to have internet in our schools!' Now let's see A1 and how can that be helpful."

'Every school should have access to A.1.'

A.1. Sauce capitalized on McMahon's blunder by posting an Instagram post on their verified account saying, "You heard her. Every school should have access to A.1." "Agree, best to start them early," the picture attached to the post reads. Other Instagram users loved the response from the Kraft Heinz-owned brand. One user even commented, "I will be buying a bottle or two because of this post."


Bottles of A.1. sauce, made by food conglomerate Kraft Heinz, are seen on a supermarket shelf in Seattle, Washington, February 10, 2017, Chris Helgren, Reuters

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/12/linda-mcmahon-a1-instead-of-ai/83059797007/