TED Talks Daily

What 2025 Taught Us—And Where 2026 Is Taking Us

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, TED Radio Hour, TED Business, and TED Tech! Elise Hu, Manoush Zomorodi, Modupe Akinola and Sherrell Dorsey got together to share the biggest ideas dominating their industry and the lesser-known insights they wished garnered more attention. From pushing back against AI advances to sharing the TED Talks that inspired them, Elise, Manoush, Modupe, and Sherrell reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026. Conversations Mentioned TED Radio Hour 1. Ray Kurzweil, "Could AI extend your life indefinitely? Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks so [https://www.npr.org/2025/07/11/1255526955/ted-radio-hour-prophets-of-technology-part-1]"  2. Victor Riparbelli, “Will AI avatars eventually teach our kids? [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/29/nx-s1-5422341/will-ai-avatars-eventually-teach-our-kids]”  3. Philip Johns, “Singapore's otters are butting heads with their human neighbors. Can they coexist? [https://www.npr.org/2025/03/21/g-s1-54922/singapores-otters-are-butting-heads-with-their-human-neighbors-can-they-coexist]”  4. Restoring trust in government, "Move fast...and fix democracy? [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/31/nx-s1-5591221/move-fast-and-fix-democracy]"  TED Talks 1. Sitoyo Lopokoiyit in conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz "A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship [https://www.ted.com/talks/sitoyo_lopokoiyit_and_jacqueline_novogratz_a_story_of_moral_imagination_and_bold_entrepreneurship]"  2. Sarah Beery, "How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge [https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_beery_how_ai_is_unearthing_hidden_scientific_knowledge]"  3. Scott Loarie (of iNaturalist), "The surprising power of your nature photos [https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_loarie_the_surprising_power_of_your_nature_photos]"  4. Daniel Zavala-Araiza, "The best way to lower Earth’s temperature — fast [https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_zavala_araiza_the_best_way_to_lower_earth_s_temperature_fast]"  5. Jennifer Pahlka, "Coding a better government [https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_pahlka_coding_a_better_government]"  6. Pinky Cole (Slutty Vegan), "How I make vegan food sexy [https://www.ted.com/talks/pinky_cole_how_i_make_vegan_food_sexy]"  7. Jason Huang, "The high-wire act of unlocking clean energy [https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_huang_the_high_wire_act_of_unlocking_clean_energy]"  8. Jennifer Doudna, "CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think [https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_doudna_crispr_s_next_advance_is_bigger_than_you_think]" 9. Jonny Sun, "You are not alone in your loneliness [https://www.ted.com/talks/jonny_sun_you_are_not_alone_in_your_loneliness]"  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The case for spending more time with your friends | Rhaina Cohen

In a time when loneliness is becoming a public health crisis, author Rhaina Cohen says friendships aren't just nice to have — they’re essential to your health and happiness. She challenges the assumption that biological and romantic relationships matter most, exploring how close platonic bonds (when given real intention and commitment) can profoundly strengthen your life. (This conversation, hosted by TED's Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership [http://ted.com/membership]. [http://ted.com/membership.]) ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How to make AI a force for good in climate | Amen Ra Mashariki and Manoush Zomorodi

In a now-famous Go match against a human in 2016, AI made Move 37 — a seemingly nonsensical play that baffled every expert but ultimately won it the match. Amen Ra Mashariki, director of AI at the Bezos Earth Fund, thinks we need AI to make that same kind of creative leap for climate solutions. In conversation with TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi, he shares a vision for new AI solutions to environmental problems that human experts haven't yet dreamed up. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why are people starting to sound like ChatGPT? | Adam Aleksic

Algorithms and AI don't just show us reality — they warp it in ways that benefit platforms built to exploit people for profit, says etymologist Adam Aleksic. From ChatGPT influencing our word choices to Spotify turning a data cluster into a new musical genre, he reveals how new technology subconsciously shapes our language, trends and sense of identity. "These aren't neutral tools," he says, encouraging us to constantly ask ourselves: How am I being influenced? (After the talk, Aleksic sits down with Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily podcast, to discuss how he became interested in language and its evolution — from writing on leaves, clay and stone to AI models like ChatGPT.) ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This movie changes every time you watch it | Gary Hustwit

Film is generally a fixed medium: the scenes are shot, the edits are made, and the final version is the one and only movie you'll see. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit flips this convention on its head, introducing his project "Eno" — a documentary about the musician and composer Brian Eno that reinvents itself every time you watch it ... and never ends the same way twice. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.