Technologist Tristan Harris has an urgent question: What if the way we’re deploying the world’s most powerful technology — artificial intelligence — isn’t inevitable, but a choice? In this eye-opening talk, he calls on us to learn from the mistakes of social media’s catastrophic rollout and confront the predictable dangers of reckless AI development, offering a “narrow path” where power is matched with responsibility, foresight and wisdom. After the talk, Sherrell reflects on why it's wise to slow down AI's development and discuss about the organizations working to safeguard AI's impact. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Gen Z slang is rife with new words like "unalive," "skibidi" and "rizz." Where do these words come from — and how do they get popular so fast? Linguist Adam Aleksic explores how the forces of social media algorithms are reshaping the way people talk and view their very own identities. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

There's an invisible super-pollutant heating up the planet — but it's surprisingly easy to reduce, if we try. Revealing how methane contributes (way) more in the short term to global warming than carbon dioxide, chemical engineer Daniel Zavala-Araiza highlights the emerging technologies and bold new policies that are part of a worldwide effort to hold oil and gas companies accountable for polluting our skies with this harmful gas. It's an optimistic glimpse into a future where global cooperation and cutting-edge monitoring could rapidly slow climate change. After the talk, Sherrell more methane-oriented solutions around the world to help slow climate change For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

AI is transforming the way we work — could it also reshape what makes us human? In this quick and insightful talk, evolutionary anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy explores how the human brain was shaped by millions of years of shared childcare and mutually supportive communities, asking a provocative question: If robots help raise the next generation, will we lose the empathy that defines us? For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

AI companions could either be the cure to our loneliness epidemic … or humanity’s final downfall, says Eugenia Kuyda, creator of Replika — an app that allows you to create AI friends. She explores the potential of this technology to either exacerbate isolation or encourage connection, advocating for an AI whose success is driven not by clicks and screen time but by human happiness and flourishing. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The world is heading toward a massive copper shortage that could derail the clean energy transition, says mining expert Jeff More. He shows how advanced sensing technology could get us back on the right track, drastically cutting down on the wasted materials from traditional mining and helping meet the growing demand for essential metals. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth. After the talk, Shoshana interviews Dr. Jennifer Reich, a sociologist, and asks the question, “Where has vaccine mistrust come from?” -- and how transparency in clinical trials and federal advisory boards are key in gaining community trust. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

“Everybody likes nature, even though we’re watching it slowly degrade away. And that’s the big challenge of our time,” says linguist software engineer Jeffrey T. Reed, a research affiliate with the Cry Wolf Project. Following his talk at TED2025, Reed sits down for a conversation with host Sherrell Dorsey on how listening to sounds like bird chirps and a wolf’s howl connects us with the world around us — and how AI technology can help us further understand these natural phenomena. To watch Jeffrey's 2025 TED Talk, click here ! For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Industrial manufacturers spend a huge amount of energy generating heat to make everyday materials and objects, like cement, steel, and paper. And since most companies use fossil fuels to reach these high temperatures, industrial heat accounts for 20% of our annual global carbon pollution. Thankfully, this is where a century-old technology comes in. Rachel Yang explores how heat batteries work. [Directed by Sofia Pashaei, narrated by Pen-Pen Chen, music by Cem Misirlioglu, WORKPLAYWORK]. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Generative AI is built on three key resources: people, compute and data. While companies invest heavily in the first two, they often use unlicensed creative work as training data without permission or payment — a practice that pits AI against the very creators it relies on. AI expert Ed Newton-Rex has a solution: licensing. He unpacks the dark side of today's AI models and outlines a plan to ensure that both AI companies and creators can thrive together. After the talk, Sherrell reflects on the issue of copyright and how to ensure creators are fairly compensated. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

“The whole Substack ecosystem is about more power because it’s based on those relationships between the publisher and their subscribers, or the video maker and their viewers,” says journalist and Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie. Following his talk at TED2025, McKenzie is in conversation with Sherrell Dorsey to discuss how the media landscape has changed, and how new platforms like Substack allows independent creators to challenge traditional broadcast media – and build trust with their following. To listen to McKenzie's TED2025 talk, click here: Apple , Spotify , Amazon Music , Castbox . For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This episode is part of a feed swap with our friend podcast There Are No Girls On The Internet, hosted by Bridget Todd. She is an expert on tech culture, and on her show she has fun, thought provoking conversations about the ways technology shapes our lives. If you enjoy this episode, you can listen to There Are No Girls On The Internet wherever you get your podcasts. A hologram of the late Whitney Houston is doing a residency in Las Vegas. Host Bridget Todd talks with spirituality writer Brooke Obie asks what this means about celebrity, grief, and technology. Read Brooke's piece The Zombification of Whitney Houston: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/11/10725817/whitney-houston-hologram-tour Read The Face's Deepfakes, dead relatives and digital resurrection: https://theface.com/society/deepfakes-dead-relatives-deep-nostalgia-ai-digital-resurrection-kim-kardashian-rob-kardashian-grief-privacy See Al Sharpton's boycott flyer: https://preview.redd.it/a8fqafdn1yw31.jpg?auto=webp&s=372160136dda8598d3d621dbee936e5b3d31602c Drop Bridget and team a line at hello@tangoti.com For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Could the key to a sustainable food system already be growing in the world’s farms? Plant scientist Giles E.D. Oldroyd explores how a special quirk of soybean plants allows them to naturally partner with networks of fungi and bacteria to access essential nutrients in the air and soil — eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. He shows how harnessing these microscopic powerhouses could help scientists rewire crops to make their own fertilizer, reducing pollution, increasing yields and improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers. After the talk, Sherrell discuss the ways three companies are developing alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and how their efforts contribute to sustainable agriculture. Learn more about TED Membership here ! For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

As AI chatbots become more personal and proactive, the line between tool and companion is beginning to blur, with some users even professing love for their digital aides, says business consultant Amaryllis Liampoti. She presents three foundational principles for how brands can harness AI to build deeper emotional connections with consumers while prioritizing well-being, transparency and autonomy — ensuring AI enhances lives without undermining human agency. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Technology is changing our world — and how we communicate — at an astonishing rate. So much so that entrepreneur Victor Riparbelli predicts that artificial intelligence will drive audio and video to replace text as our primary form of communication by the end of this decade. He imagines a world where anyone can create a Hollywood film, receive personalized education or communicate via hyper-realistic avatars — all in the time it takes to read a book. For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch . Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links: TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…