Embrace our wide-open shareable future -- where everything's hackable and the power of the crowd propels innovation.

How does cancer know it's cancer? At Jay Bradner's lab, they found a molecule that might hold the answer, JQ1. But instead of patenting it and reaping the profits (as many other labs have done) -- they published their findings and mailed samples to 40 other labs to work on. An inspiring look at the open-source future of medical research.

Open-source software is the darling of the tech world, but the open-source branding used by today's AI companies is inconsistent and confusing. Delving into the complexities of differentiating AI from conventional software, open-source expert Heather Meeker explains the importance of a collaborative approach to AI development, emphasizing its po...

Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization.

What can governments learn from the open-data revolution? In this stirring talk, Beth Noveck, the former deputy CTO at the White House, shares a vision of practical openness -- connecting bureaucracies to citizens, sharing data, creating a truly participatory democracy. Imagine the "writable society" ...

In 2006, open-learning visionary Richard Baraniuk explains the vision behind Connexions (now called OpenStax), an open-source, online education system. It cuts out the textbook, allowing teachers to share and modify course materials freely, anywhere in the world.

Accepting his 2006 TED Prize, Cameron Sinclair demonstrates how passionate designers and architects can respond to world housing crises. He unveils his TED Prize wish for a network to improve global living standards through collaborative design.

Imagine an extra brain that knows us better than we know ourselves, that exists "with us, beside us, experiencing our world with us ... always connected, always processing, always watching." Nivruti Rai believes that AI systems could become these kinds of guardian angels, if given the chance. In this future-forward talk, Rai explains how machin...

A physicist turned writer, Michael Nielsen believes online communication and collaboration tools are revolutionizing the way we make scientific discoveries.

Marcin Jakubowski is open-sourcing a set of blueprints for 50 farming tools that can be built cheaply from scratch. Call it a "civilization starter kit."

Here's what can happen when we bring education online ... and open it up to anyone.

Rodney Mullen is a legendary skateboarder who transformed the art of street skating.

Alastair Parvin believes in making architecture accessible to 100 percent of the population.

An exploration of what we can do to save the world with the massive amounts of data collected every day.

Using software to inspire public debate and enable voter engagement, Pia Mancini hopes to upgrade modern democracy in Argentina and beyond.

Richard Baraniuk founded Connexions -- now called OpenStax -- a free, open-source, global clearinghouse of course materials. Students and educators tap into its vast store of texts on everything from engineering to ornithology to music, adapting the content as they see fit.

A lawyer by training and a techie by inclination, Beth Noveck works to build data transparency into government.

William Noel is a curator who believes museums should make their collections free and available on the Internet.

Shubhendu Sharma creates afforestation methods that make it easy to plant maintenance-free, wild and biodiverse forests.

Inspired by open-source software models, Sage Bionetworks co-founder Stephen Friend builds tools that facilitate research sharing on a massive and revolutionary scale.

TED Senior Fellow Sonaar Luthra is measuring climate-related water risk and implementing solutions for organizations and communities facing 21st-century water security challenges.

Inventor Saul Griffith looks for elegant ways to make real things, from low-cost eyeglasses to a kite that tows boats. His latest projects include open-source inventions and elegant new ways to generate power.

2006 TED Prize winner Cameron Sinclair is co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that seeks architecture solutions to global crises -- and acts as a conduit between the design community and the world's humanitarian needs.

3D animation can bring scientific hypotheses to life. Molecular biologist (and TED Fellow) Janet Iwasa introduces a new open-source animation software designed just for scientists.

JP Rangaswami thinks deeply (and hilariously) about disruptive data.

There are more ways to be civically engaged besides voting. Tap into your inner activist with these talks about inspiring change in your community.

In his lab, Jay Bradner, a researcher at Harvard and Dana Farber in Boston, works on a breakthrough approach for subverting cancer .. and he’s giving the secret away.

Master architects share their vision for buildings that inflate, float, twist and glitter, while artfully addressing the challenges faced by their residents, their cities and the planet.

LEGO blocks: playtime mainstay for industrious kids, obsession for many (ahem!) mature adults. Hillel Cooperman takes us on a trip through the beloved bricks' colorful, sometimes oddball grownup subculture, featuring CAD, open-source robotics and a little adult behavior.

Pia Mancini and her colleagues want to upgrade democracy in Argentina and beyond. Through their open-source mobile platform they want to bring citizens inside the legislative process, and run candidates who will listen to what they say.