Held annually on the West Coast of North America, the TED Conference is at the heart of TED. More than a thousand people attend this five-day conference about Technology, Entertainment and Design -- as well as science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. Over 70 speakers appear on the main stage to give talks and shorter p...

At TED2010, mathematics legend Benoit Mandelbrot develops a theme he first discussed at TED in 1984 -- the extreme complexity of roughness, and the way that fractal math can find order within patterns that seem unknowably complicated.

Satirist Tom Rielly delivers a wicked parody of the 2006 TED conference, taking down the $100 laptop, the plight of the polar bear, and people who mention, one too many times, that they work at Harvard. Watch for a special moment between Tom and Al Gore.

For six months, Suki Kim worked as an English teacher at an elite school for North Korea's future leaders -- while writing a book on one of the world's most repressive regimes. As she helped her students grapple with concepts like "truth" and "critical thinking," she came to wonder: Was teaching these students to seek the truth putting them in p...

Greg Lynn talks about the mathematical roots of architecture -- and how calculus and digital tools allow modern designers to move beyond the traditional building forms. A glorious church in Queens (and a titanium tea set) illustrate his theory.

Why is there something instead of nothing? In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? Philosopher and writer Jim Holt follows this question toward three possible answers. Or four. Or none.

Only individuals who have attended a qualifying TED conference in person may organize an event with more than 100 attendees. The primary license holder—the individual whose name is on the application form—must have attended a qualifying TED conference. These conferences are listed below.

On January 8, 2011, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head while meeting constituents in her home town of Tucson, Arizona. Her husband, the astronaut Mark Kelly, immediately flew to be by her side. In this emotional conversation with Pat Mitchell, the pair describe their lives both before and after the incident -- and describe their v...

Colin Robertson had 3 minutes on the TED stage to tell the world about his solar-powered crowdsourced health care solution. And then...

Sora, an unreleased AI model from OpenAI, generates realistic and imaginative video from text prompts. Acclaimed filmmaker Paul Trillo was granted early access just before the TED2024 conference. This year marks TED’s 40th anniversary — but instead of looking back, we asked Sora to show us what the next 40 years could look like. (Footage for thi...

The pressures of having to make an amazing film sent this deadpan, deep-voiced, award-winning filmmaker into a crippling spiral of self-doubt and comic indecision. (Credits: Music by Stillhead; Executive Producer, TED2018 Film Program: Sinéad McDevitt; Director of Production and Video Operations, TED: Mina Sabet)

Could visual illusions be a cure for polarization? (Credits: Director of Photography: William Atherton; Production Design: Adam Pruitt; Creative Partner: SpecialGuest; Production company: 1stAveMachine; Producers: Dave Kornfield, Andrew Geller, Matt Snetzko; Music: Bryn Bliska; Executive Producer, TED2018 Film Program: Sinéad McDevitt; Director ...

As light passes through defective glass, beams split into color spectra, causing "diffraction grating." For the first time ever in film, we get up close and personal with this visual phenomenon in a series of beautiful chromatic abstractions. (Credits: Music: Gavin Little; Special thanks to: Ed Bruce at Screenscene, Los York; Executive Producer,...

With grace and energy, musicians (and siblings) Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason perform a dazzling arrangement of "The Muse" by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov for cello and piano, followed by "Spring Song" by British composer Frank Bridge.

Musical artist and songwriter Rufus Wainwright performs two enchanting original songs: a gorgeous love song written for his husband and performed on acoustic guitar and a haunting performance on piano.

Legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock delivers a stunning performance alongside two old friends -- past drummer for the Headhunters, Harvey Mason, and bassist Marcus Miller. Listen to the end to hear them sweeten the classic "Watermelon Man."

Daniel Tammet has linguistic, numerical and visual synesthesia -- meaning that his perception of words, numbers and colors are woven together into a new way of perceiving and understanding the world. The author of "Born on a Blue Day," Tammet shares his art and his passion for languages in this glimpse into his beautiful mind.

Scaremongers play on the idea that robots will simply replace people on the job. In fact, they can become our essential collaborators, freeing us up to spend time on less mundane and mechanical challenges. Rodney Brooks points out how valuable this could be as the number of working-age adults drops and the number of retirees swells. He introduce...

David Kwong is a magician who makes crossword puzzles -- in other words, a pretty nerdy guy. And for his next trick ...

Luke Sital-Singh sings songs of love, longing and grief in this stirring performance of "Afterneath" and "Killing Me." "These are the songs I just never tire of hearing and I never tire of writing, because they make me feel less alone," Sital-Singh says.

Most of us want to do the right thing when it comes to the environment. But things aren’t as simple as opting for the paper bag, says sustainability strategist Leyla Acaroglu. A bold call for us to let go of tightly-held green myths and think bigger in order to create systems and products that ease strain on the planet.

Is there something you've always meant to do, wanted to do, but just ... haven't? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals.

Diane Benscoter spent five years as a "Moonie." She shares an insider's perspective on the mind of a cult member, and proposes a new way to think about today's most troubling conflicts and extremist movements.

Imagine an electric vehicle that can get you to work -- or anywhere in a six-mile radius -- quickly, without traffic frustrations or gasoline. Now imagine you can pick it up and carry it with you. Yes, this souped-up skateboard could change the face of morning commutes.

More than 8 million people are crowded together to live in New York City. What makes it possible? In part, it’s the city’s great public spaces — from tiny pocket parks to long waterfront promenades — where people can stroll and play. Amanda Burden helped plan some of the city’s newest public spaces, drawing on her experience as, surprisingly, an...

In a mesmerizing performance, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Richard Bona weaves beautiful vocal loops into a mesh of sound, powered by his "magic voodoo machine."

Joined by vocalist KAZU, drumming virtuoso Ian Chang thunders through two songs full of bubbling melodies, punctuated by synchronized lights.

Barcelona-based singer-songwriter Maria Arnal performs two songs blending her passions for technology and art with folk and techno-pop soundscapes. Using Holly+ (a digital twin of musician Holly Herndon's voice), alongside AI-generated voices and a portable organ controlled through her laptop, she sings a cover of a medieval apocalyptic chant fo...

Bluegrass artist Sierra Hull plays her mandolin and sings an original song, reminding us that even amid fear and anxiety, beauty can still be found.

From her home in New York City, pop-soul singer Emily King fingerpicks two gorgeous original songs, "Distance" and "Sides."