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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sep 28, 2026 · 15:48
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…
Sep 28, 2026 · 12:28
Would you swallow a micro-robot? In a gutsy demo, physician Vivek Kumbhari navigates Pillbot, a wireless, disposable robot swallowed onstage by engineer Alex Luebke, modeling how…
Sep 28, 2026 · 11:46
Would you tango with a robot? Inviting us into the fascinating world of dancing machines, robot choreographer Catie Cuan highlights why teaching robots to move with grace,…
Sep 28, 2026 · 17:32
More than a decade ago, roboticist Dennis Hong debuted a new generation of cutting-edge robots. Now he's back to reveal how his lab at UCLA has eclipsed its own achievements with…
Sep 28, 2026 · 10:59
What if robots could build and optimize themselves -- with little to no help from humans? Computer scientist Emma Hart is working on a new technology that could make "artificial…
Sep 25, 2026 · 48:44
What good is a vaccine people don't trust? Immunologist and TED Fellow Kizzmekia Corbett co-developed the first COVID-19 vaccine to enter clinical trials — but she'll tell you…
Sep 18, 2026 · 55:06
Trigger warning - this episode contains mention of suicide and severe depression. For years, the warning has been: smartphones are destroying a generation. But developmental…
Sep 11, 2026 · 47:19
Can a five-minute walk change how you feel all day? Exercise scientist Keith Diaz shows how your body is built for the kind of movement that modern life has quietly erased — and…
Sep 4, 2026 · 42:41
Manoush Zomorodi, host of TED Radio Hour, takes over as guest host ofTED Talks Daily this week to answer a timely question: What does it mean to be human right now, as technology…
Aug 31, 2026 · 34:06
Algorithms and AI don’t show us reality, but that doesn’t stop people from treating ChatGPT and online bots as our personalized therapists, travel planners, and editors. In this…
Aug 31, 2026 · 7:59
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…
Aug 31, 2026 · 14:15
Is space the “final frontier” — or the perfect place to revolutionize life on Earth? Space architect Ariel Ekblaw reveals how self-assembling structures could build orbiting real…
Aug 31, 2026 · 14:46
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…
Aug 31, 2026 · 21:12
The emergence of data-driven mass surveillance "is threatening to turn privacy into a relic of the 20th century," says the anonymous YouTube creator known as Ordinary Things.…
Aug 28, 2026 · 33:37
Deep tech entrepreneur D. Scott Phoenix spent years building AI — now, he believes we're on the cusp of a profound merger between humans and machines. Reframing the AI debate…
Aug 21, 2026 · 19:37
We see consciousness in AI the same way we see faces in clouds, says neuroscientist Anil Seth. He explores the all-too-human tendency to project inner life onto machines that are…
Aug 14, 2026 · 27:31
Outsourcing parenthood can feel like the ultimate life hack. Less noise. Fewer interruptions. But at what cost? In today’s episode, Sherrell shares two talks on parenting in the…
Aug 7, 2026 · 15:43
What if you stuck a camera onto a whale’s back before it dives underwater? What would you discover and what would you hear? In this episode, Sherrell shares a talk from an ocean…
Jul 31, 2026 · 28:18
Michael Snyder is a professor and genomicist who wears eight pieces of wearable technology every day: four smartwatches, two rings, and two hearing aids. These devices give him a…
Jul 24, 2026 · 11:53
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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 13:24
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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 23:41
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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 9:40
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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 17:08
Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist…
Jul 17, 2026 · 20:27
How much electricity does humanity use? And how can we ensure that the energy we need in the future is also clean? In this episode, Sherrell shares two talks on how one climate…
Jul 10, 2026 · 22:38
“Entry-level hiring has collapsed — because Agentic AI is now doing the work that used to train junior developers, researchers, and analysts,” says TED Tech host Sherrell Dorsey.…
Jul 3, 2026 · 46:53
The grid powering millions of homes and businesses on the East Coast was never built to handle the surging demand from data centers and the AI boom. So what happens when the…
Jun 26, 2026 · 34:22
With data centers popping up throughout the country, what does accountability look like for local governments? In this episode, Sherrell is in conversation with New York State…
Jun 19, 2026 · 39:11
Every time you run an AI query, a pump turns on somewhere. In Memphis, Tennessee, that pump draws from one of the purest aquifers in the world. That same water supply is already…
Jun 12, 2026 · 27:00
Imagine if one day, your quiet neighborhood came alive with a steady hum… and it never went away? All throughout the United States, data centers are popping up next door and in…
Jun 5, 2026 · 28:49
Wildlife conservationist Maya Higa did something extraordinary – and surprising. In only 21 hours, Maya reached over a million people and raised more than half a million dollars…
May 29, 2026 · 39:58
If you’ve tried AI and felt underwhelmed — or if the constant pressure to “just play around with it” makes you want to throw your laptop across the room — you’re not alone. But…
May 22, 2026 · 23:53
Electric vehicles have a surprisingly long history. Battery-powered cars have existed since 1881. So why did the world choose to spend over a century investing in fossil fuels?…
May 15, 2026 · 24:00
Did you know every time you fill up your gas tank, you’re paying two prices? In this episode, Sherrell shares two talks about what Big Oil has built, what it buried, and what…
May 8, 2026 · 14:57
Will progress in artificial intelligence continue to accelerate, or have we already hit a plateau? Computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck interrogates some of the most high-profile…
May 1, 2026 · 20:28
“In climate tech, we don’t like talking about money,” says TED Tech host Sherrell Dorsey, but what if avoiding money talk is hurting the planet more than we realize? In this…
Apr 24, 2026 · 20:06
What if we live in a world where infrastructure maintenance is regenerative? Roads, bridges, and buildings won’t have to rely on taxes or tolls to finance repair, but are…
Apr 17, 2026 · 14:51
From its life-sustaining energy to its explosive geomagnetic storms, the Sun has many mysteries, says astrophysicist Nour E. Rawafi. He sheds light on NASA's latest endeavor to…
Apr 10, 2026 · 32:50
Algorithms and AI don’t show us reality, but that doesn’t stop people from treating ChatGPT and online bots as our personalized therapists, travel planners, and editors. In this…
Apr 3, 2026 · 19:00
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…
Mar 27, 2026 · 40:02
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…
Mar 20, 2026 · 20:47
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…
Mar 13, 2026 · 15:34
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…
Mar 6, 2026 · 22:50
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…
Feb 27, 2026 · 17:16
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…
Feb 20, 2026 · 10:39
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…
Feb 13, 2026 · 12:36
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…
Feb 6, 2026 · 16:23
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…
Jan 30, 2026 · 15:55
Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist…
Jan 23, 2026 · 12:11
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…
Jan 16, 2026 · 6:44
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…
Jan 9, 2026 · 15:12
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…
Jan 2, 2026 · 35:18
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…
Dec 26, 2025 · 55:34
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,…
Dec 19, 2025 · 1:03:29
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…
Dec 12, 2025 · 8:26
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…
Dec 5, 2025 · 13:08
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…
Nov 28, 2025 · 29:16
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…
Nov 21, 2025 · 22:28
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…
Nov 14, 2025 · 18:55
The environmental impact of AI is a growing concern. In this episode, Sherrell sits down with Juan M. Lavista Ferres, the Chief Scientist and Lab Director of Microsoft’s AI for…
Nov 7, 2025 · 23:42
When entrepreneur Samir Ibrahim asked farmers in Kenya what problem they most needed solved, the answer was simple: reliable access to water to irrigate their farms year-round.…
Oct 31, 2025 · 14:12
Today, we’re featuring an episode from NPR’s science podcast Short Wave. In it, host Regina G. Barber talks to computer scientist Ilia Shumailov about maybe the buzziest topic…
Oct 24, 2025 · 15:02
In a moment that stunned the world in 2019, the famed Notre-Dame in Paris went up in flames, threatening the future of the centuries-old Gothic treasure. Philippe Villeneuve, the…
Oct 17, 2025 · 14:11
Artificial intelligence could cost many of us our careers — but that doesn’t mean we should stop its development, says journalist Megan J. McArdle. As she watches AI encroach on…
Oct 10, 2025 · 26:59
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood,…
Oct 3, 2025 · 16:25
Who pays for an assassin on the internet? Dark web researcher Carl Miller spent years tracking down the answer to this question. In this chilling talk, he shares how he uncovered…
Sep 26, 2025 · 20:51
If food waste were a country, it’d be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions after China and the US, says Apeel Senior VP of Operations Jenny Du. Following her…
Sep 19, 2025 · 13:01
Is space the “final frontier” — or the perfect place to revolutionize life on Earth? Space architect Ariel Ekblaw reveals how self-assembling structures could build orbiting real…
Sep 12, 2025 · 29:51
The arrival of non-human intelligence is a very big deal, says former Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt. In a wide-ranging interview with technologist Bilawal Sidhu, Schmidt…
Sep 5, 2025 · 36:29
What will dating look like in the age of AI? Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder and CEO of Bumble, the popular dating app that has helped millions of people meet their match. In…
Aug 29, 2025 · 10:43
Cement is one of the most-consumed materials on Earth — second only to water — and it accounts for a whopping eight percent of the world's carbon pollution. What if we could turn…
Aug 22, 2025 · 15:36
Artificial intelligence can write a song in seconds, but does that mean human songwriters will become obsolete? Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. doesn’t think so. A…
Aug 15, 2025 · 9:47
Almost all batteries, even single-use batteries, are theoretically rechargeable. That's because the metals and other chemicals are still there in the battery. So chemically…
Aug 8, 2025 · 15:42
Yoshua Bengio — the world's most-cited computer scientist and a "godfather" of artificial intelligence — is deadly concerned about the current trajectory of the technology. As AI…
Aug 1, 2025 · 30:45
What do you do when there’s too much work but not enough people to do it? Bring in some support! This week, Anne and Frances talk to a listener whose expert sales team can no…
Jul 25, 2025 · 18:40
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…
Jul 18, 2025 · 16:18
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…
Jul 11, 2025 · 13:04
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…
Jul 4, 2025 · 24:43
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…
Jun 27, 2025 · 14:48
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…
Jun 20, 2025 · 8:35
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…
Jun 18, 2025 · 45:01
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…
Jun 13, 2025 · 22:37
“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…
Jun 6, 2025 · 6:48
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…
May 30, 2025 · 20:05
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…
May 23, 2025 · 22:36
“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,”…
May 16, 2025 · 39:36
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…
May 9, 2025 · 13:32
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…
May 2, 2025 · 11:03
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…
Apr 25, 2025 · 17:58
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…
Apr 18, 2025 · 20:33
“The AI revolution is here. Can we build a Good Robot?” asks Vox’s newest miniseries, Good Robot. Join host Julia Longoria in conversation with Sherrell to discuss the…
Apr 11, 2025 · 46:00
This episode is part of a feed swap from our friend at Vox’s Unexplainable podcast. Good Robot is a miniseries hosted by Julia Longoria. Today’s episode, “The magic intelligence…
Apr 4, 2025 · 9:45
Moore’s Law states that every 1 to 2 years the number of transistors that can fit on a given size computer chip will double. Thanks to this law, chips have gotten smaller,…
Mar 28, 2025 · 6:44
Software engineer Adam Munder is on a mission to break down communication barriers between the Deaf and hearing worlds. In a live demo, he introduces OmniBridge — an AI platform…
Mar 21, 2025 · 16:43
Why are we using tech from 100 years ago to deliver the world's electricity? Materials scientist Jason Huang shows how we could massively upgrade the global power grid by…
Mar 14, 2025 · 21:39
GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke discusses Europe's readiness to lead the next era of AI innovation, examining how the continent's tech ecosystems stack up against those in the US. In…
Mar 7, 2025 · 19:15
Can AI compress the years long research time of a PhD into seconds? Research scientist Max Jaderberg explores how “AI analogs” simulate real-world lab work with staggering speed…
Feb 21, 2025 · 34:01
Humans have always been captivated by beauty, and for almost as long, we’ve been marketed products and new technologies to help us achieve certain beauty standards. Elise Hu is a…
Feb 14, 2025 · 13:40
Can artificial intelligence be funny, or is comedy a uniquely human trait? In this witty and insightful talk, cartoonist Bob Mankoff explores the art of humor, the evolution of…
Feb 7, 2025 · 22:21
Does AI pose a threat to democracy? Law professor Lawrence Lessig dissects how this emerging technology could influence democratic institutions, warning that we’ve already passed…
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