TED Tech

TED Tech

From the construction of virtual realities to the internet of things to the watches on our wrists—technology's influence is everywhere. Its role in our lives is evolving fast, and we're faced with riveting questions and tough challenges that sit at the intersection of technology and humanity. Listen in every Friday, with host, journalist Sherrell Dorsey, as TED speakers explore the way tech shapes how we think about society, science, design, business, and more.


Follow Sherrell on Instagram @sherrell_dorsey and on LinkedIn @sherrelldorsey


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How satellite imagery is helping stop deforestation with Tasso Azevedo and Anna Rothschild
TED TechApril 03, 202619:0017.41 MB

How satellite imagery is helping stop deforestation with Tasso Azevedo and Anna Rothschild

From local parks to the Amazon rainforest, trees provide shade and shelters for humans, animals, insects, and many other living creatures. They’re the lungs of our planets, but they’re being threatened by deforestation. In this episode, Sherrell is sharing two talks on what happens if the entire Ama...

How to stop doomscrolling — and what to do instead? (w/ Katherine Cross) | from How to Be a Better Human
TED TechMarch 27, 202640:0291.64 MB

How to stop doomscrolling — and what to do instead? (w/ Katherine Cross) | from How to Be a Better Human

Is it effective to engage with politics on social media — and what does it take to make actual change? Katherine Cross is a researcher on online harassment and the author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix. She shares why she believes social media is “anti-political” and how vir...

Is the AI bubble about to burst? | Henrik Zeberg
TED TechMarch 20, 202620:4719.04 MB

Is the AI bubble about to burst? | Henrik Zeberg

We are living through what may be the largest economic bubble in history, spanning AI, cryptocurrency and tech company stocks, says financial analyst Henrik Zeberg. He explores why the current AI-crypto bubble mirrors the great economic frenzies of the past, revealing the psychological forces behind...

Meet NEO, your robot butler in training | Bernt Børnich
TED TechMarch 13, 202615:3414.26 MB

Meet NEO, your robot butler in training | Bernt Børnich

What if doing your chores were as easy as flipping a switch? In this talk and live demo, roboticist and founder of 1X Bernt Børnich introduces NEO, a humanoid robot designed to help you out around the house. Watch as NEO shows off its ability to vacuum, water plants and keep you company, while Børni...

Everything you need to know about AI agents | Swami Sivasubramanian
TED TechMarch 06, 202622:5020.92 MB

Everything you need to know about AI agents | Swami Sivasubramanian

What if you had an AI-powered assistant — that took initiative on its own? Technology leader Swami Sivasubramanian believes AI agents are the future of work, capable of sparking new levels of productivity and creativity. Demystifying the workings of autonomous software systems, he explains what they...

AI's next frontier isn't where you might expect | Hardy Pemhiwa
TED TechFebruary 27, 202617:1615.82 MB

AI's next frontier isn't where you might expect | Hardy Pemhiwa

With a billion mobile phone users and a median population age of 19, Africa isn't catching up to the AI revolution — it's writing an entirely different playbook, says business leader Hardy Pemhiwa. He shows how a generation of entrepreneurs is using AI to teach classes, triage patients and boost far...

How we built Watch Duty, the lifesaving wildfire alert app | John Mills
TED TechFebruary 20, 202610:399.76 MB

How we built Watch Duty, the lifesaving wildfire alert app | John Mills

After finding himself alone in an unreported wildfire in the woodlands of California, John Mills decided to take matters into his own hands. Hear the incredible story of how he rallied fire survivors and retired first responders to create Watch Duty, the nonprofit emergency alert system that’s beati...

How satellites are supporting farmers across Africa | Catherine Nakalembe
TED TechFebruary 13, 202612:3611.54 MB

How satellites are supporting farmers across Africa | Catherine Nakalembe

More than 8,000 satellites orbit Earth, taking photos every day. Food security specialist and TED Fellow Catherine Nakalembe shows how she uses this imagery to help smallholder farmers across Africa prepare for floods, droughts and crop failures. Learn why real innovation isn’t always about shinier ...

The best thing that could happen to the energy industry | Matt Tilleard
TED TechFebruary 06, 202616:2315.02 MB

The best thing that could happen to the energy industry | Matt Tilleard

History has been written by whoever controls the dominant fuel of the era — until now, says renewables entrepreneur Matt Tilleard. He explains why, as the clean energy transition ramps up, we’re moving from a world where energy comes from burning fuels to one where it will come from using technology...

How to pull the emergency brake on global warming | Mohamed A. Sultan
TED TechJanuary 30, 202615:5514.58 MB

How to pull the emergency brake on global warming | Mohamed A. Sultan

Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist Mohamed A. Sultan reveals how local communities are turning this crisis into opportunity, diverting hundreds of tons of waste f...

Inside India's astonishing solar revolution | Kanika Chawla
TED TechJanuary 23, 202612:1111.16 MB

Inside India's astonishing solar revolution | Kanika Chawla

In 2014, the world’s second largest coal consumer made a bold promise: to increase its solar capacity from three gigawatts to 100 gigawatts in just eight years. Many people called it overly ambitious, but energy expert Kanika Chawla saw the opportunity of a lifetime. She tells the story of how India...

What Earth in 2125 could look like | Iseult Gillespie
TED TechJanuary 16, 20266:446.17 MB

What Earth in 2125 could look like | Iseult Gillespie

Faced with the realities of current crises, it’s easy to assume our world is headed in a bleak direction. But there’s good reason to be hopeful— with developments in science and technology, a positive future is more viable than ever before. So, what if the future was awesome? Iseult Gillespie explor...

Want to make change? Let young people tell their stories | Anshul Tewari
TED TechJanuary 09, 202615:1213.92 MB

Want to make change? Let young people tell their stories | Anshul Tewari

As a teenager, social entrepreneur Anshul Tewari didn’t see young voices represented in the conversations that mattered. His solution? A simple blog that has since transformed into Youth Ki Awaaz (Voice of the Youth): India’s largest citizen media platform, where more than 200,000 young people write...

What happens in your brain when you pay attention? w/ Dr. Sasha Hamdani | from TED Health
TED TechJanuary 02, 202635:1849 MB

What happens in your brain when you pay attention? w/ Dr. Sasha Hamdani | from TED Health

Attention isn't just about what we focus on -- it's also about what our brains filter out. By investigating patterns in the brain as people try to focus, computational neuroscientist Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar hopes to build computer models that can be used to treat ADHD and help those who have lost t...

What 2025 Taught Us—And Where 2026 Is Taking Us
TED TechDecember 26, 202555:3450.89 MB

What 2025 Taught Us—And Where 2026 Is Taking Us

What do foot massage parties, otters, and AI robot tutors have in common? To find out, tune into our special end-of-year conversation featuring the hosts from TED Talks Daily, TED Radio Hour, TED Business, and TED Tech! Elise Hu, Manoush Zomorodi, Modupe Akinola and Sherrell Dorsey got together to s...

Dr. Joy Buolamwini | from Design Matters
TED TechDecember 19, 20251:03:2987.68 MB

Dr. Joy Buolamwini | from Design Matters

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She joins to discuss her career as the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, her best-selling book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What i...

The multidimensional magic of modern maps | Peter Wilczynski
TED TechDecember 12, 20258:267.74 MB

The multidimensional magic of modern maps | Peter Wilczynski

Maps have long helped us understand the world — now, they can help us shape it. Digital cartographer Peter Wilczynski introduces the Living Globe: a real-time, data-rich digital twin of Earth that fuses satellite imagery, sensor data and AI. Watch for a glimpse of the future of maps — and learn how ...

Is AI ruining music? | Dustin Ballard
TED TechDecember 05, 202513:0818.55 MB

Is AI ruining music? | Dustin Ballard

What makes music “real” — is it the instruments, the voice, the creator’s intention or something else entirely? Dustin Ballard, the creative force behind the viral channel “There I Ruined It,” explores the weird, wonderful and sometimes unsettling ways AI is reshaping music. With fiddle solos and AI...

Tech Solutions (#4): How organizations can grow in a post-aid world (with Jacqueline Novogratz)
TED TechNovember 28, 202529:1626.8 MB

Tech Solutions (#4): How organizations can grow in a post-aid world (with Jacqueline Novogratz)

When the Trump administration dismantled USAID, it was the beginning of a post-aid era, says philanthropist and social entrepreneur Jacqueline Novogratz. Aid may not be coming back but in its place Jacqueline hopes creative solutions will emerge to provide independence and dignity at the community l...

Tech Solutions (#3): How one of China’s biggest tech companies is tackling carbon removal (with Xu Hao)
TED TechNovember 21, 202522:2820.57 MB

Tech Solutions (#3): How one of China’s biggest tech companies is tackling carbon removal (with Xu Hao)

Tencent is one of China’s biggest tech companies, running the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and the world’s largest video game vendor. Now, it’s also an up-and-coming force in the field of carbon removal. Xu Hao, the vice president of Sustainable Social Value at Tencent, oversees two of those...