TED Talks Daily

What if a robot could find and deliver your lost phone? AI researcher Tara Boroushaki presents how she's using wireless signals and sensors to create AI-powered goggles with "X-ray vision," creating a dynamic new tool with applications from improving efficiency in commercial warehouses to aiding emergency rescues. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world relies on manufacturing, and manufacturing relies on heat — a massive contributor to global carbon emissions, responsible for a quarter of the world's fossil fuel use. Energy entrepreneur John O'Donnell has figured out a better, cleaner way to generate the heat we need to make the stuff we want. Learn how his team turned simple bricks and iron wire into a powerful, unconventional "heat battery" that could deliver industrial heat at scale without the emissions — and why he thinks electrified industrial heat is the next trillion-dollar industry. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Google's chief diversity officer Melonie D. Parker joins journalist and host of the "TED Tech" podcast Sherrell Dorsey for a conversation on fostering belonging and opportunity in the workplace. Learn more about how companies can sustainably promote diversity, equity and inclusion — and why you should aim to "add in," not "fit in." Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Democracy is more fun and inviting when you take it into your own hands," says creator and activist Sofia Ongele. Sharing how she's using coding and social media to defend democracy, Ongele invites us to identify our own creative superpowers — whether it's community organizing, making music or telling stories — and use them to cause a ruckus and bring movements to life. For more go to: audio.colllective.ted.com Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Biologist Kathleen McAuliffe dives into new research that suggests certain bacteria in your gut can influence major parts of who you are, from your personality to life-changing neurological disorders. Learn more about how this emerging science could change how we treat disease — and discover the impact of your internal microbial makeup on your mood, weight and more. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I think of my paintings as alarm clocks," says artist Isabella Kirkland. "They're reminders of what's at stake; the only problem is we keep pushing the snooze button." Investigating humanity's relationship to nature, she shares work that takes a creative stand against ecological despair — and quietly urges climate action through permanent images of vanishing wildlife. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"People told me this was an unadaptable book, so the only logical thing to do was to try to adapt it," says writer, producer and filmmaker Ava DuVernay of her work taking the award-winning title "Caste" from page to screen. In conversation with Pat Mitchell, DuVernay talks about the resulting film, "Origin," and discusses her process for turning ideas into pictures that pack a punch. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Storyteller Golriz Lucina recounts how the historic sacrifice of Iranian 19th-century poet and mystic Táhirih planted the seeds for the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests today, offering an inspiring lesson in the value of acting with conviction — even if we don't live to see the results. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After years of brand building, marketing veteran Sylvester Chauke realized that his industry had sold the world on overconsumption, with devastating consequences. He shares how marketers could instead promote sustainability with "honest ads" that do right by the planet and encourage people to think twice before buying. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The world's most important advanced technology is nearly all produced in a single facility," says AI expert Rob Toews. He describes how one company in Taiwan, TSMC, manufactures nearly all the most advanced semiconductor chips — a crucial technology that powers everything from phones to electric vehicles to next-generation artificial intelligence — and breaks down how geopolitical tensions in the region could paralyze the global field of AI. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.