TED Salons

We should all have the right to dream. To imagine and pursue a better, richer, and fuller life according to our own ability and unique ambition. In fact, this ideal is often referred to as the “American Dream.” And yet, the criminal justice system denies many Americans the freedom to truly dream – even those who are technically ‘free’ from incarceration.

Changing this system will not be easy. It will require challenging the status quo, closing equity gaps, and reimagining “normal.” It will require building stronger communities. Fundamentally, it will require challenging our definition of the word ‘freedom’. Recognizing that we are not truly “free” until we are all free to dream.

The future looms more ominous and at the same time boundless than ever — threats of pandemics and poverty, the realities of climate change alongside expanding ideals and expressions of human rights intermingled with the promise of new technology and innovation. In this urgent moment, we need to listen to youth voices now more than ever. Young people are reimagining the future for every child tomorrow and leading the concrete changes we desperately need today.

Our bodies are where we live, where we dream, how we move and how we survive. They are in so many ways the essence of our existence, but also the map for our future — the challenges and possibilities of our bodies today shaping our tomorrow. How do we understand our bodies, health, wellbeing, enlightenment and obesity in a changing world? These talks will explore the nexus between our health and wellbeing — through the singular, miraculous lens of our bodies.

No matter who you are, or what you’re trying to build, your personal and professional impact is always front of mind, a driving force. Where do you want to make an impact and why? What do you want it to be? How do you want to do it? These questions, and the answers to them, are key to what shapes actions and drives women's entrepreneurship forward.

How do we ensure that tomorrow is better than today, not just for ourselves but for others, future generations and the entire planet? Fairness is ultimately the central challenge of sustainable development — envisioning development that doesn’t come at the expense of some, but that benefits us all. And it presents an ongoing paradox, that as the world has “developed” by many clear measures, inequality and injustice and a core unfair, uneven experience of development has festered. Together we will dwell in the intersection of development and fairness and ask us all to imagine truly shared prosperity and possibility for the future.

The world is in a state of flux. Humanity is undertaking aggressive climate action, communities are taking new shapes, technology is evolving more rapidly, and the very nature of human connectedness is constantly being redefined. At every corner of the globe, people are shaking up the old and plotting a big, bold transformation unlike anything ever before. Are you ready to lead change into the future?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning, robots and automation, synthetic biology and designing life, 5G and instantaneous connectivity…how will these technological advancements have real world impact and enable scalable solutions to some of humanity’s biggest challenges? In a time that feels environmentally, socially, politically and economically uncertain, technology (and those who create it) will be a crucial driver of inclusive productivity, progress and prosperity for all. Let’s take a look at what's possible.

To crossover is to fully embrace what complements us, finding insight and illumination from a style or field adjacent to our own. When fully achieved, it allows us to become greater than the sum of our parts, collaborating, sharing and working together to not only learn from each other but also apply our unique strengths to a common goal. Bringing together speakers from multiple domains, they’ll tell of reaching a crossroads and then taking it a step further: crossing over to achieve a heightened level of success only possible by stretching, bridging and ultimately uniting.

If we want to do things differently, where do we begin? So many systems and hierarchies have not changed for generations, but almost everything in our world could use a fresh look. From everyday practices to our biggest challenges, let's take some time to Rethink.

We all face difficult decisions in our lives -- often without a clear answer. These moments can come to define us. They compel us to pivot, take a new direction, seize an opportunity -- often with unexpected consequences. While risky, taking a chance is ultimately how we make a difference in the world. Those moments of truth, when we make a bold call, shape our legacy and our stories.

Imagination is a superpower. Individually and collectively, it allows us to push beyond our perceived limits. It gives us the freedom to think beyond the ordinary, to dream new dreams, and ultimately, to discover a new world of possibilities. When our imagination is engaged, we dare to break barriers, build bridges and create a world we all want to live in. Let’s imagine...

The world is more interconnected than ever before—so why aren't we communicating? The need to bridge political and ideological divides and find common ground for respectful but still passionate discourse feels more urgent than ever. What is the role of data and facts? How do we cope in a world where agenda trumps reason, and where the answer to divergent opinions is to yell FAKE NEWS? Now is the time to examine the rules of genuine human engagement, and to celebrate civility.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing a tsunami of change that will dramatically affect how we interact with and adapt to technology. The ways we choose to ride this wave will determine the shape of our future. Will we use this as an opportunity to solve our most pressing issues, or allow it to become a calamity that divides us?

Today’s volatile world demands that we do things differently — that we pay attention to things most people don’t see. At TEDSalon: Unconventional, presented by TED and the Brightline Initiative and hosted by TED’s Cloe Shasha and Alex Moura, six leaders and visionaries shared novel ideas that are driving the world’s most impactful organizations.

We live in an interconnected world where boundaries between physical and digital spaces are blurring. We can no longer think about innovation in isolation, but must consider how emerging technologies — like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, 5G networks, robotics, and the decentralized web — will combine to create (we hope!) a super-smart society.

At TEDSalon: Society 5.0, presented by TED and Samsung, leaders and visionaries explored the new era of interconnectivity and how it will reshape our world.

There are moments when the world begins to shift beneath our feet. Sometimes slowly, sometimes dramatically. Now more than ever we are living and working in an era of exponential technological advancement. How we address rapid change, what collaborative relationships we create, how we find our humanity — all this will determine the future we step into. In a night of talks at the TED World Theater in New York City TED partnered with Verizon for a salon focused on building that future.

For the first time, TED partnered with Optum, a health services and innovation company, for a salon focused on what happens when we trust our ideas to change health and health care for the better. At the ARIA Las Vegas, TED brought together speakers to share fresh thinking on how we can make a health system that works better for everyone.

At the intersections where we meet and collaborate, we can harness our collective wisdom to seek solutions to the world's greatest problems. This evening event at TED, in partnership with Brightline Initiative, brought together new perspectives to galvanize transformation and build our collective future.

Innovation and technology can be the driving forces of society, helping people to realize their most ambitious dreams. This evening event at TED celebrated the beating heart of smart people changing the world while doing business as usual.