TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Ideas worth spreading

Featured

How wireless energy from space could power everything

Electrical engineer Ali Hajimiri explains the principles behind wireless energy transfer and shares a far-out vision for launching solar panels into space in order to collect sunlight, convert it to electrical power and then beam it down to Earth.

The rise of the "trauma essay" in college applications

Tina Yong

The timeless, ancient language of art

Wangechi Mutu

Why AI is incredibly smart and shockingly stupid

Yejin Choi

The disappearing computer -- and a world where you can take AI everywhere

Imran Chaudhri

Does working hard really make you a good person?

Azim Shariff

Pussy Riot's powerful message to Vladimir Putin

Nadya Tolokonnikova

Newest talks

See all newest talks

The natural building blocks of sustainable architecture

Michael Green

The outlaws of the ocean -- and how we're reeling them in

Tony Long

Nature, art and magical blocks of flying concrete

Lonneke Gordijn

How wireless energy from space could power everything

Ali Hajimiri

Can we recreate the voice of a 3,000-year-old mummy?

David M. Howard

How to design a school for the future

Punya Mishra

The poetry of everyday language

Julián Delgado Lopera

5 steps to fix any problem at work

Anne Morriss

Your right to mental privacy in the age of brain-sensing tech

Nita Farahany

The dinosaur detectives of real-life Jurassic parks

Martin Lockley

Are life-saving medicines hiding in the world's coldest places?

Normand Voyer

A foster care system where every child has a loving home

Sixto Cancel

Is someone you love suffering in silence? Here's what to do

Gus Worland

The timeless, ancient language of art

Wangechi Mutu

The incredible creativity of deepfakes -- and the worrying future of AI

Tom Graham

What makes a "good college" -- and why it matters

Cecilia M. Orphan

Lessons from losing my mind

Andy Dunn

3 ways your money can fight climate change

Veronica Chau

Trending

The power of vulnerability

Brené Brown

Do we see reality as it is?

Donald Hoffman

What happens in your brain when you pay attention?

Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar

This is your brain on communication

Uri Hasson

Listening to shame

Brené Brown

What your breath could reveal about your health

Julian Burschka

How to calm your anxiety, from a neuroscientist

Wendy Suzuki

How language shapes the way we think

Lera Boroditsky

3 rules to spark learning

Ramsey Musallam

The price of shame

Monica Lewinsky

A fascinating time capsule of human feelings toward AI

Lucy Farey-Jones

How to build a resilient future using ancient wisdom

Julia Watson

Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

Ali Carr-Chellman

Keep your goals to yourself

Derek Sivers

How climate change affects your mental health

Britt Wray

The linguistic genius of babies

Patricia Kuhl

The sibling bond

Jeffrey Kluger

Empower our future changemakers

Did you know TED has a free program that helps students develop presentation skills and turn their big ideas into TED-style talks? Find out how TED-Ed Student Talks are creating an impact with schools around the world, and how YOU can get involved.

The boundless creativity of an open mind

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Destination Canada

How to find a sense of belonging -- wherever you are

Lori McCarthy

The unexpected story of one of the biggest coastal cleanups ever

Kevin Smith

The power of connecting with your identity

Matricia Bauer

Does AI actually understand us?

Alona Fyshe

What to do when there's a polar bear in your backyard

Alysa McCall

How to feng shui your fridge -- and other happy climate hacks

Jiaying Zhao

How AI is shaping the future

How AI could save (not destroy) education

Sal Khan

Why AI is incredibly smart and shockingly stupid

Yejin Choi

The inside story of ChatGPT's astonishing potential

Greg Brockman

The disappearing computer -- and a world where you can take AI everywhere

Imran Chaudhri

The urgent risks of runaway AI -- and what to do about them

Gary Marcus

The incredible creativity of deepfakes -- and the worrying future of AI

Tom Graham

How does artificial intelligence learn?

Briana Brownell

AI-generated creatures that stretch the boundaries of imagination

Sofia Crespo

What if you could sing in your favorite musician's voice?

Holly Herndon

How AI could empower any business

Andrew Ng

Is humanity smart enough to survive itself?

Jeanette Winterson

Are insect brains the secret to great AI?

Frances S. Chance

Can we learn to talk to sperm whales?

David Gruber

A fascinating time capsule of human feelings toward AI

Lucy Farey-Jones

Explore playlists

See all playlists

The most popular TED Talks of all time

The pursuit of curiosity and understanding

Talks to support a healthy debate

Fighting impostor syndrome

The most popular TED Talks of all time

The pursuit of curiosity and understanding

Talks to support a healthy debate

Fighting impostor syndrome

Celebrate Pride Month

A queer vision of love and marriage

Tiq Milan and Kim Katrin Milan

Language around gender and identity evolves (and always has)

Archie Crowley

This is what LGBT life is like around the world

Jenni Chang and Lisa Dazols

Embrace your raw, strange magic

Casey Gerald

How I help transgender teens become who they want to be

Norman Spack

What the gay rights movement learned from the civil rights movement

Yoruba Richen

A queer journey from shame to self-love

Crystal Rasmussen

Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality

Lindsay Amer

A short history of trans people's long fight for equality

Samy Nour Younes

A message to gay teens: It gets better

Joel Burns

The myth of the gay agenda

LZ Granderson

The story of Marvel's first queer Latina superhero

Gabby Rivera

Countdown: Take action on climate

What a living whale is worth -- and why the economy should protect nature

Ralph Chami

Nuclear power is our best hope to ditch fossil fuels

Isabelle Boemeke

The actual cost of preventing climate breakdown

Yuval Noah Harari

How to harness the ancient partnership between forests and fungi

Colin Averill

Climate action's hidden opportunities for women

Zineb Sqalli

Are ad agencies, PR firms and lobbyists destroying the climate?

Solitaire Townsend

How biochar removes CO2 from the air -- and helps farmers thrive

Axel Reinaud

Climate action needs new frontline leadership

Ozawa Bineshi Albert

The unexpected, underwater plant fighting climate change

Carlos M. Duarte

How green hydrogen could end the fossil fuel era

Vaitea Cowan

TED-Ed animations: Feed your curiosity

Which type of milk is best for you?

Jonathan J. O'Sullivan and Grace E. Cunningham

Whatever happened to acid rain?

Joseph Goffman

The big-beaked, rock-munching fish that protect coral reefs

Mike Gil

What if there were 1 trillion more trees?

Jean-François Bastin

Can we create the "perfect" farm?

Brent Loken

The "myth" of the boiling frog

TED-Ed

Are we running out of clean water?

Balsher Singh Sidhu

How do wind turbines work?

Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor

Talks from TED2023: Possibility

A foster care system where every child has a loving home

Sixto Cancel

"Woman, Life, Freedom" in Iran -- and what it means for the rest of the world

Golshifteh Farahani

5 steps to fix any problem at work

Anne Morriss

Lessons from losing my mind

Andy Dunn

How wireless energy from space could power everything

Ali Hajimiri

Pussy Riot's powerful message to Vladimir Putin

Nadya Tolokonnikova

The inside story of ChatGPT's astonishing potential

Greg Brockman

How "second chance" laws could transform the US justice system

Sheena Meade

Is someone you love suffering in silence? Here's what to do

Gus Worland

The timeless, ancient language of art

Wangechi Mutu

What the world can learn from China's innovation playbook

Keyu Jin

Why AI is incredibly smart and shockingly stupid

Yejin Choi

How AI could save (not destroy) education

Sal Khan

The disappearing computer -- and a world where you can take AI everywhere

Imran Chaudhri

TikTok's CEO on its future -- and what makes its algorithm different

Shou Chew

The urgent risks of runaway AI -- and what to do about them

Gary Marcus

The incredible creativity of deepfakes -- and the worrying future of AI

Tom Graham

Your right to mental privacy in the age of brain-sensing tech

Nita Farahany

TEDx: The importance of mental healthcare

What to expect from a therapy session

Alexis Powell-Howard

How to declutter when you feel like a failure

Monica Fay

Why we need to decolonize psychology

Thema Bryant

How to cope with loneliness

Olivia Remes

How grief helped me become a better caregiver

Hui-wen Sato

How I live with high-functioning anxiety

Jordan Raskopoulos

Depression, the secret we share

Andrew Solomon

How to connect with depressed friends

Bill Bernat

Heard on TED Radio Hour

What kids can teach adults about asking for help

YeYoon Kim

Meet the microscopic life in your home -- and on your face

Anne Madden

How language shapes the way we think

Lera Boroditsky

How I taught rats to sniff out land mines

Bart Weetjens

The Power of Spaces

TED Radio Hour

Meet the TED Audio Collective

Far Flung

Michael Tubbs on politics as a force for good

The TED Interview

How to Rethink a Bad Decision

WorkLife with Adam Grant

Introducing Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter

TED Audio Collective

How to challenge conventional wisdom -- and change any industry

How to Be a Better Human

Introducing: Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi

TED Audio Collective

About TED

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.