The biggest questions in life rarely come with simple answers. Corner Piece, a brand-new TED podcast, starts smaller: with the ordinary questions that nag at you on the walk home, in the group chat or while staring at the ceiling at 2am.
What does it mean to be a good friend?
Does unconditional love actually exist?
Why do I feel lonely?
The new show will be hosted by Taha Khan, Melissa Fernandes and Sabrina Cruz, the trio behind Answer in Progress, the award-winning educational YouTube channel with more than a million subscribers. They follow seemingly unassuming questions down unexpected paths — helping their subscribers learn something new about themselves and the world around them. In close collaboration with TED, Taha, Melissa and Sabrina have approached Corner Piece with deep curiosity, truth-seeking humility and a healthy dose of optimism.
This show is made for curious listeners who want to explore real, emotional and thought-provoking questions about life with a little more optimism and a lot more warmth. Season one of Corner Piece features historian Fay Bound Alberti on if there really is a loneliness epidemic; psychologist Marisa G. Franco and journalist Anna Goldfarb on the nuance of friendship; and psychologists Margaret Rutherford and Paul Bloom on whether love can truly be unconditional. Each episode asks the same question: is this modern life, or just part of being human?
This podcast was made possible through the support of Grant 63685 from the John Templeton Foundation.
Corner Piece launches Thursday, September 10, with new episodes every other Thursday. Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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If you feel like the world is moving at an exponentially faster pace, you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve given TED2027 a pretty stark theme: Our terrifying, exhilarating future. This is a moment that demands we look at what’s coming with clear eyes and full hearts. So we’ll gather with those living at the edge of what’s next: the technologists rewriting the rules of what it means to be human, the scientists unlocking biology’s most closely guarded secrets, the builders and visionaries making sense of a world being remade in real time.
After more than a decade in Vancouver, TED is coming back to California on March 1-4, 2027.
Each day will bring thought-provoking talks and opportunities to connect more deeply through workshops, excursions and interactive experiences.
Join us for a TED like no other, in a new city with its own vibrant energy, as we discover what’s next and begin a whole new chapter.
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The TED Theater at TED2026 in Vancouver, BC, featuring interstitials across the stage’s three screens. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
The interstitial program of TED2026 was a mixed celebration of the acutely human and the purely robotic. We were brought back to basic tenets of human connection through the rhythmic dance piece “Nemesis”; an animated short where music is the thread tying neighbors together; and a montage of the Artemis II mission, reminding us of the power of teamwork. At the same time, AI humor entertained us and robots both enlightened and spooked us by showing what they may one day remember about humans. How do we balance a necessary return to our need for community while embracing the power of new technology?
The following shorts and photos were curated for TED2026 by TED producers CC Hutten and Grace Poppe in collaboration with Flux Festival creative director Jonathan Wells.
“The Audacious Project’s 2025 Grantees”
Produced by Hasiba Haq
TED2026 kicked off by welcoming the 2025 Audacious Project grantees, introducing 10 bold ideas and extraordinary teams taking on some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
“Artemis II”
Visuals courtesy of NASA; music by Nathan and Galen Tipton
“Artemis II” transforms archival visuals from NASA into a dreamlike cinematic experience. Combining music by Nathan and Galen Tipton with the astronauts’ reflections after landing, the score is a call for connection, reminding us here on Earth “We. Are. A. Crew.” (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
“TED’s Ripple Effect: Monica Lewinsky”
Monica Lewinsky reflects on her TED Talk, “The price of shame,” as part of a series of videos about TED’s ripple effect, where speakers share the life of their idea beyond the stage.
“Tape Pull-out Ensemble”
By Open Reel Ensemble
Japanese band Open Reel Ensemble transforms obsolete reel-to-reel tape machines into mesmerizing instruments, using stretched magnetic tape, handcrafted mechanics and live performance to create an audiovisual symphony that feels both nostalgic and futuristic.
“Scared of Loving Wild Again”
Directed by Dylan Friese-Greene; music by Lucy Rose
Through fleeting gestures of touch, care and human connection, Dylan Friese-Greene’s intimate 16mm film captures, in a series of of quietly poetic vignettes, how much we can say with just our hands.
“Beautiful Loop”
By Tala Schlossberg
Session 5 of TED2026 kicked off with the short film “Beautiful Loop” by Tala Schlossberg, as pictured above (photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED).
“Por Quelli che Volano”
Directed by Bleu Desert
“Por Quelli che Volano” (“For Those Who Fly”) invites viewers to reflect on the invisible forces that carry us forward, even in moments of uncertainty.
“Nemesis”
Directed by Zaslavskyi Yevhenii and Bazela Oteksii; choreographed by Bazela Oteksii; music by Nemesis; art by Benjamin Clementine
Produced by CC Hutten, created for TED2026
The dancers in this hypnotic visual short, choreographed by Bazela Oteksii, move as if they are possessed by an electric current. Appropriately, “Nemesis” was inspired by Manoush Zomorodi’s book Body Electric, investigating the relationship between our technology and our bodies.
“10k year clock”
31 years ago at TED in Monterey, speaker and computer scientist Danny Hillis proposed building a giant mechanical clock hidden safely inside a mountain. The clock would be designed to keep time reliably for 10,000 years. This video is an ode to his dream.
“ENERGYM”
By AI Candy
This AI mockumentary by Hans Buyse and Jan De Loore imagines a future where people find purpose by powering the very machines that replaced them — with “cameos” from some familiar faces, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman.
“The World’s First AI TED Talk”
By Ari Kuschnir
What kind of ancestors will we become? That was the question posed to attendees in Ari Kuschnir’s AI-generated TED Talk.
“Jill Sobule Tribute”
During Session 7 of TED2026, we paid homage to singer-songwriter and longtime TEDster Jill Sobule, with a clip of her performance of “Heroes” from 2006.
“Musica Quarantena”
Written and directed by Lilian T. Mehrel; animation by Danielle Rhoda; casting by Elisa del Genio
This is a picture of “Musica Quarantena,” a beautiful animated short that focuses not on isolation, but rather on the connections people created with the tools they had at hand: music, windows and wine. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“The Uncomfortable”
By Katerina Kamprani
Open-toed rainboots. Stairs that lead to nowhere. A door with no way to reach it. These baffling designs are the brainchild of architect Katerina Kamprani as part of her series “Uncomfortable,” a collection of deliberately inconvenient everyday objects. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“TED’s Ripple Effect: Jill Bolte Taylor”
“My life completely exploded,” says Jill Bolte Taylor of the release of her TED Talk, “My stroke of insight,” in 2008.
Elle Cordova
Elle Cordova once again graces the TED stage, this time as a “modern-day typographer” to remind us there is a time and place for every font (sans Comic Sans). (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“Le Voyage”
Directed by Jacob Holster
Think Night at the Museum — but for oil paintings. Director Jacob Holster brings sprawling landscapes and works of art to life in this visually stunning animated short that had TED attendees entranced.
]]>TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation bring you Play@TED, a partnership to drive a movement and change how people of all ages think about play. Together, we’ll highlight how creative play can be a game-changer in the world and lead to brighter minds, braver ideas and a more imaginative future for everyone. On Thursday, May 14 at 11am ET, join us on YouTube to experience the Play@TED event, LIVE from the TED Theater in New York City.
Curated by TED and aimed at parents, educators and policy makers, the event will feature inspiring TED Talks from leading experts on the role and impact of creative play. The day will be centered around three key pillars: the transformative power of play, play as a mindset for all and how imagination can take us anywhere. Confirmed speakers include Katina Bajaj, a creative health scientist and cofounder of Daydreamers; Randi Williams, AI and education researcher at Day of AI and MIT .RAISE; Maxwell “Hops” Pearce, a Harlem Globetrotter, athlete and artist; and Eric Zimmerman, game designer. For more, visit ted.com/play.
]]>TED2026 Photo Team: Ella De Gea Truelove, Jimmy Jeong, Ryan Lash, Jason Redmond, Callie Shields, Jasmina Tomic, Elizabeth Zeeuw
Watch TED2026 on TED Live, check out more photos from the event and learn more about attending a future TED conference.
The Loop at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
“1984: The first year of the future” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
The bookstore at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
An attendee at Mudlab Pottery Studio — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
“The great zucchini 500” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
The Restore Lounge at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
TED Fluent: AI dubbing experience at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
An attendee at Mudlab Pottery Studio — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
“The great zucchini 500” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
TED Fluent: AI dubbing experience at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
The TED Games exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
“The great zucchini 500” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“Starlings Murmuration 1” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“The great zucchini 500” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
An attendee at Mudlab Pottery Studio — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
“Starlings Murmuration 1” — an exhibit at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
Attendees in simulcast at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Snacks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
PwC AI Ideas Lounge at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
The TED Photo Booth at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
The Restore Lounge at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
TED Translators at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees (and a robot!) at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Staff at the TED Photo Booth at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
TED2026 Photo Team: Ella De Gea Truelove, Jimmy Jeong, Ryan Lash, Jason Redmond, Callie Shields, Jasmina Tomic, Elizabeth Zeeuw
Watch TED2026 on TED Live, check out more photos from the event and learn more about attending a future TED conference.
The entrance to TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Graphics around the Loop at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees in the theater during the opening of TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Mark Rober speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
Jacob Collier performs at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees in the TED Theater at at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
The Ignite Welcome Dinner at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Felicia Chang / TED)
TED Translators Welcome Dinner at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
The Audacious Project’s pr-conference nature walk at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
MAS Vocal performs at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Jonathan Haidt speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Wallis Bird performs at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Night of the Fellows at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Yiyun Kang speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Gardiner Brothers at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
YPO’s Grouse Mountain adventure at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
TED’s Ikey Ajavon (left) and Helen Walters at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Keke Palmer speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
The TED Theater during Session 10 of TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Lau Noah performs at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
Malala Yousafzai speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Jessica Irwin speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Reginald Dwayne Betts speaks at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Behind the scenes at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Behind the scenes at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Attendees at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED)
Bilawal Sidhu and a pair of dancing robots at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
TED’s Chris Anderson (left) and Helen Walters at TED2026: All of Us, April 13-17, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED)
Malala Yousafzai has spent her life advocating for girls’ education — surviving an assassination attempt at 15, meeting with world leaders and then watching hard-won progress collapse when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021. That moment of despair forced her to completely rethink what it means to create change, and what she discovered replaced her shattered optimism with something more powerful and more honest.
In the first talk released from TED2026: All of Us, hear how to keep fighting for the future you want, even when hope feels lost: go.ted.com/malalayousafzai26
]]>Molly Graham has spent nearly two decades inside fast-growing companies, helping them scale through messy, high-stakes moments of change. She led operations at organizations including Facebook, Quip and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and she’s known for coining the term “Give Away Your Legos,” which captures the identity shifts leaders face as organizations grow and roles evolve. In her TED Talk, Molly says excellent careers are not built by climbing — they’re built by leaps into the unknown.
We spend so much of our lives at work: doing it, thinking about it, worrying about it. And the full range of human experience shows up there, from ambition and failure to joy, burnout, confidence and self-doubt. Yet these realities often go unnamed, treated as distractions rather than what they truly are: part of the work itself.
On WorkLife, Molly starts from a different premise: that the messy inner life of work can be understood (and even harnessed) to help you build a more meaningful, more sustainable career. That idea echoes the themes of her TED Talk, where she describes how conventional ideas of success can trap people into believing that “self-worth is tied to your title, or your last performance rating, or your next promotion.”
In WorkLife’s new era, Molly will explore how to build a work life that actually fits you, rather than someone else’s definition of success.
Want to start listening? Our trailer is out now, and the first episode featuring a conversation between Molly and our past host, Adam Grant, will drop on Tuesday, April 28. Listen to WorkLife wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>Today at TED2026 in Vancouver, the nonprofit organizations TED, Khan Academy and ETS announced a joint plan to launch the Khan TED Institute, a new higher education collaboration designed for an AI‑driven era. The Khan TED Institute aims to prepare learners for the next generation of jobs while cultivating the uniquely human skills required to thrive in work, life and society amid rapid technological change.
Together, the three nonprofits bring complementary strengths — Khan Academy’s world-class learning platform, TED’s curated community of leading thinkers and transformative ideas and ETS’s trusted expertise in measuring skills — to pioneer a bold vision for the future of higher education.
The Khan TED Institute plans to offer learning built for a fast‑changing world, combining deep academic foundations, applied artificial intelligence, and development of the durable soft skills employers value most — skills that carry beyond the workplace into life. The intent of the program is to be as accessible as possible. Applications are expected to open in 12 to 18 months.
“We’re at a moment when education and the world are evolving quickly, and people need new ways to learn, build and demonstrate their capabilities,” said Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy and TED Vision Steward. “Khan Academy’s mission has always been to make world-class education accessible to all. The Khan TED Institute is an extension of that vision to higher education, creating new paths that help more people find meaningful ways to contribute to the world around them.”
Once enrolled, students will advance based on measures of real competency rather than seat time, enabling personalized pacing while ensuring every learner leaves with verified competencies. The inaugural program will be organized around three pillars:
- Core knowledge in mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, science, history, and writing.
- Applied AI skills, including AI‑assisted app development, financial modeling, building AI agents, and team‑based deployment projects.
- Communication and leadership, developed through structured collaboration, peer tutoring, dialogue sessions, and public speaking.
“What’s inspiring is learning that leads to real-world opportunity,” said Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS. “This collaboration helps open new pathways into the AI economy where skill‑based measurement becomes the critical link between learning and livelihood.”
To ensure deep relevance with the rapidly changing nature of work, corporate partnerships are vital to the Khan TED Institute’s design. Corporate thought partners including Google, Microsoft, Accenture, Bain & Company, McKinsey and Replit will help shape the program and competency signals — ensuring the program stays aligned with the skills employers value most.
The Khan TED Institute also aims to bring together a global community of peers — including the millions of students and educators who already engage with TED’s education initiative TED-Ed — with the broader TED network of thinkers and leaders. Through live talks, Q&A sessions, and community‑based learning, students will connect ideas to real‑world challenges and opportunities.
“For nearly 40 years, TED has been connecting people with powerful ideas — and in the process, quietly educating millions,” said Logan McClure Davda, CEO of TED. “At a time when learning is changing quickly, we now need new ways to help people engage with ideas, develop judgment, and apply what they learn. The Khan TED Institute is an effort to expand what education can look like in the age of AI.”
To learn more about the Khan TED Institute and express interest as a student, corporate partner, educator or philanthropist, please visit Khan TED Institute and join us in building something transformative.
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Can’t make it to Vancouver for TED2026 this week? No problem! You can stream the entire conference online with TED Live.
TED Live brings the TED conference experience to your home – or anywhere you want to watch. Get exclusive access to every talk. Share the minute-by-minute excitement of the conference with people around the world. Get exclusive access to every talk, including ones that may not go online, and revisit your favorite talks on-demand anytime year-round.
This week, hear from:
- Malala Yousafzai, Nobel laureate, education activist
- Mark Rober, Science education champion
- Jacob Collier, Kaleidoscopic music maker
- Keke Palmer, Multihyphenate entertainer
- Reed Hastings, Entrepreneur, philanthropist
- Steve Huffman, Cofounder and CEO of Reddit
- Jonathan Haidt, Social psychologist
- Van Jones, TV host, author, changemaker
- Sylvia A. Earle, Ocean scientist
- Maya Higa, Content creator for wildlife conservation
- Yinka Ilori, Designer of joy
- Azusa Murakami, Artist
- … and many more speakers illuminating the path forward in tech, culture, climate and what’s next
The future has never felt more volatile. Politically, technologically and culturally, the rules are being rewritten. At TED2026 we’re upping our level of ambition and conducting a global search to identify the most powerful speakers from every corner of planet Earth. They’ll share ideas that change everything in a program brimming with the world’s greatest innovators, dreamers, creators and doers — focused on building no less than a better future for all.
Join us in Vancouver, BC, Canada, April 13–17, for TED2026 and hear from:
- Keith Coleman, VP of product at X
- Sylvia A. Earle, Ocean scientist
- Jonathan Haidt, Social psychologist
- Maya Higa, Content creator for wildlife conservation
- Steve Huffman, Cofounder and CEO of Reddit
- Yinka Ilori, Designer of joy
- Van Jones, TV host, author, changemaker
- Azusa Murakami, Artist
- Keke Palmer, Multihyphenate entertainer
- Malala Yousafzai, Nobel laureate, education activist
- … and more than 70 other speakers illuminating the path forward in tech, culture, climate and what’s next
TED2026 is more than a conference; it’s the grand finale of an unforgettable chapter in Vancouver. This year, we’re pulling out all the stops. Get ready for a week of immersive experiences, powerful storytelling and a joyful send-off to the city that’s been our home for more than a decade. Over the course of a transformative week of ideas and connections, experience thought-provoking TED Talks each day and customize your schedule with hands-on workshops, Discovery Sessions and interactive spaces that ignite meaningful human connection. From the electric moments in our iconic theater to the magic of spontaneous connections that become lifelong friendships, every detail has been designed to inspire, uplift and celebrate.
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TED meets with New Channel International Education Group in New York City.
On March 16, 2026, TED and New Channel International Education Group held a formal signing ceremony in New York to celebrate their exclusive strategic partnership in China. The event brought together TED chair Chris Anderson, TED CEO Logan McClure Davda and New Channel Chairman Professor Hu Min.
Founded in 2004 by renowned language education leader Hu Min, New Channel International Education Group aims to open a “new channel” in education by offering innovative approaches to learning that complement traditional school systems. With a presence in more than 70 cities across China, as well as international hubs including Hong Kong, New York, and Tokyo, New Channel supports global youth development through language education, study abroad services, arts and music programs, cultural initiatives and academic research.
As TED’s exclusive strategic partner in China, New Channel is committed to nurturing global competence, cross-cultural understanding and lifelong learning. Its programs include international language training, academic preparation and cultural projects like the Stories of China Retold in English Challenge, engaging thousands of students worldwide each year.
By combining high-quality educational resources with opportunities for cultural exchange, New Channel empowers learners to explore new ideas, broaden their horizons and engage meaningfully with the world — values that align closely with TED’s mission of spreading ideas and inspiring learning globally.
The partnership marks a new phase of high-level collaboration in international education, idea-driven communication and cross-cultural exchange. Together, TED and New Channel will draw on premium content and innovative educational models to explore integrated pathways for global learning and international communication in a rapidly evolving era.
See more about the partnership here.
To learn more about Hu Min and New Channel, visit their website.
]]>Over the past year, TED has been traveling the world (literally!) in search of powerful ideas — and the people bold enough to share them.
The result? A 9-part series that pulls back the curtain on what it’s actually like to deliver a TED Talk.
In each episode, you’ll step into a new city and meet the speakers bringing their ideas to the red circle and competing for a spot on the main stage at TED2026 in Vancouver. You’ll go backstage with them into rehearsal rooms and witness the nerves, the breakthroughs and the moments when an idea finally comes into focus. From a rock balancer and a disability specialist to a whale scientist and a bad-breath researcher, see the people shaping the future in their own communities — and learn what it takes to bring those ideas to the TED stage.
Sydney: Inside a theatre tucked in a library, a whale scientist and an Olympian took center stage — a reminder that compelling ideas can come from anywhere (and anyone).
Mumbai: In this episode, speakers explore everything from rock balancing to healthcare innovation, reflecting the range of ideas that make it to the TED stage.
Athens: Athens has celebrated big ideas for millennia — and it’s still not done. From the science of bad breath to the factories of the future, this episode moves from the deeply personal to the forward-looking.
Lagos: With one of the most electric audiences of the series, Lagos delivered talks ranging from renewable energy to the art of tailoring that celebrates a small town’s craft.
London: From a civil engineer revealing the invisible infrastructure shaping our cities to a classical singer uncovering the erased history of women in music, the speakers in London prove that the most powerful ideas are both deeply personal and impossible to ignore.
Singapore: In Singapore, a diver-turned-ocean-restorer, a scientist growing building materials out of fungus, and a government insider reimagining public institutions make the case that the most transformative ideas are already taking root
Chicago: A chemist saving endangered species with precision medicine, a journalist building tools for hard conversations, a runner mapping every street of a divided city: these are the kinds of ideas 10 Chicagoans bring to the red circle.
Buenos Aires: In a warehouse full of opera sets, 10 speakers deliver ideas as bold Buenos Aires itself, from a reframing of “brain rot” as diplomacy to the future of robotic medicine.
Amman: Inside a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, a mountaineer who turned grief into motivation, a therapist rewriting the Arab world’s language around mental health and other incredible speakers make the case that the best ideas can come from anywhere.
Watch the full series of TED Idea Search on YouTube and TED.com.
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For TED Fellows, hope isn’t abstract — it’s built through action. Across research labs and rural farms, courtrooms and classrooms, more than 500 Fellows in 100+ countries are reimagining the systems that shape our lives — climate and health, justice and education, art and technology. Together, they are repairing and redesigning the world into one that is more just, imaginative and alive with possibility.
For more than 17 years, the TED Fellows program has served as a launchpad for builders and visionaries. Through hands-on communication training, access to a global network of peers and mentors, and amplification across TED’s platforms, Fellows gain the tools and visibility to transform their work into real-world impact.
We are thrilled to announce the 2026 class of TED Fellows, whose work spans four continents and nine countries. Among them: a philosopher challenging our growing reliance on AI prediction, a vaccine inventor preparing the world for future pandemics, a technologist preserving and verifying media that documents human rights abuses, and Japan’s youngest-ever mayor reshaping democracy.
Meet the new Fellows below, and join us in welcoming them to the TED community:
Carissa Véliz
Philosopher, AI ethicist | Mexico + Spain + UK
Carissa Véliz is a professor at Oxford University researching humanity’s overreliance on prediction — from AI algorithms to political polling. In her latest book, Prophecy, she argues that predictions undermine democracy, eroding privacy and replacing human judgment.
Fabiola Reyna
Activist, guitarist, composer | Mexico + US
Fabi Reyna is a cultural activist and composer working with music as a tool for communication, investigation and sociopolitical resilience. As the founder of She Shreds Media and the creative behind the band Reyna Tropical, they offer spaces where underrepresented and diasporic people can unify and thrive.
Researcher Felix Hol holds a mosquito cage, used to collect malaria-carrying mosquitoes from people’s homes near Kalongo, Northern Uganda. Working with local teams of “mosquito hunters,” he studies how the insects adapt their behavior — like shifting when they bite — to circumvent prevention tools such as bed nets.
Felix Hol
Mosquito biotechnologist | Netherlands
Felix Hol is an assistant professor at Radboud University Medical Center, investigating mosquito behavior — from what they taste on our skin to why they now bite earlier in the day. By turning these insights into simple, open-source tools, he helps communities prevent harmful diseases.
Greg Tietjen
Biomedical innovator | US
As cofounder and CEO of Revalia Bio, Greg Tietjen revives donated, transplantable human organs and tissues, transforming them into powerful tools for biomedical research. By integrating medicine, engineering and data science, his team uses these living organs as a foundation to accelerate new drug development while lowering costs.
Hadi Al Khatib
Digital evidence technologist | Syria
As founder and managing director of Mnemonic, Hadi Al Khatib develops systems that collect and preserve citizen-generated digital media documenting human rights abuses. By verifying this open-source material as credible evidence, his work enables communities in Syria, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond to pursue justice and protect democracy.
Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire
Immunologist, vaccine inventor | US
A key inventor of COVID-19 vaccine technology, Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire leads a research lab at Harvard University. She develops vaccines and therapeutics for emerging viruses and educates the public on vaccine science to ensure humanity is ready for the next pandemic.
Ryosuke Takashima
Japan’s youngest-ever mayor | Japan
At the age of 26, Ryosuke Takashima became the youngest person to win a mayoral seat in Japan, sparking a new wave of young leaders in government. He invites citizens to participate in reforming their communities, spearheading education and climate policy as well as strengthening technological infrastructure.
Manufacturing innovator Schendy Kernizan demonstrates his team’s mold-free, gel-suspension printing process by producing a sample of a Madame de Wailly sculpture.
Schendy Kernizan
Manufacturing innovator | Haiti + US
Cofounder and CEO of Rapid Liquid Print, Schendy Kernizan invented a mold-free, gel-suspension manufacturing process with his team at MIT, making products more affordable, accessible and sustainable. From medicine to transportation to space exploration, his innovation is transforming industries.
Trinity Tran
Economic justice advocate | US
As a leader in California’s public banking movement, Trinity Tran helps cities redirect funds from big banks into affordable housing, small businesses and critical infrastructure. By passing first-in-the-nation legislation in the United States, she is empowering communities to reclaim control of their own economies.
Dancer and choreographer Tushrik Fredericks performs his original work “til infiniti,” inspired by his South African heritage and rigorous contemporary choreography training. (New York, May 2025)
Tushrik Fredericks
Dancer, choreographer | South Africa
Tushrik Fredericks is an award-winning choreographer and dancer who uses social dance and movement to express human emotions and experiences. Inspired by his South African heritage and contemporary dance training, he creates visceral and rigorous original choreographic works.
To learn more about these TED Fellows and follow their journey, check out @tedfellow on Instagram or join our newsletter.
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The Audacious Project, the collaborative funding platform within TED, is thrilled to announce its newest cohort of grantee innovators. This new cohort extends the vital on-the-ground work of Audacious grantees on key global issues, including reducing the flow of plastics to rivers and oceans, improving reproductive care, preventing homelessness and investing in low-income and first-generation college students.
Since 2018, The Audacious Project has invited visionary social entrepreneurs to propose their boldest ideas to solve the world’s greatest challenges, and collaborated with them to transform their ambitions into achievable and audacious, multi-year plans.
Audacious has reached new heights — with more than $1 billion committed by the Audacious community at the end of 2025 to provide the flexible, long-term funding to launch and scale these bold ideas.
Audacious has also launched a reinvestment pilot program, providing a secondary funding round to previous grantees that demonstrated significant results after their initial five years of funding. The Audacious donor community has committed nearly $50 million in total follow-on funding to three selected organizations to scale their work and sustain their impact. This pilot demonstrates a commitment to flexible, long-term funding — and to the value of providing a longer runway for organizations creating transformational change.
The 2025 Audacious cohort includes:
- Arc Institute, led by Silvana Konermann: Creating the world’s first high-utility virtual cell, an AI model accelerating medical breakthroughs toward cures for intractable diseases
- Braven, led by Aimée Eubanks Davis: Closing the college-to-career gap for low-income and first-generation college students in the United States by partnering with higher education and employers to prepare students for the workforce
- Imagine Worldwide, led by Rapelang Rabana: Scaling solar-powered, offline edtech learning solutions to reach students across Malawi, Sierra Leone and Tanzania
- Ipas, led by Anu Kumar and Jean-Claude Mulunda: Preventing unsafe abortion in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia by removing systemic, legal and social barriers to care
- Plastic Solutions Fund, led by Nicky Davies: Reducing plastic production and fostering a reuse-based, circular economy in partnership with the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement.
- Pure Earth, led by Drew McCartor: Protecting children from lead poisoning by helping 22 low- and middle-income countries implement proven approaches to prevent exposure and reduce health risks
- Destination: Home’s “Right at Home,” led by Jennifer Loving: Stopping homelessness before it starts by scaling a proven prevention model across the country, redefining how the United States responds to the housing affordability crisis
- Solutions for Our Climate, led by Joojin Kim: Transforming maritime trade into an industry that drives global decarbonization
- The Ocean Cleanup, led by Boyan Slat: Stopping plastic from flowing into our oceans by intercepting and removing the waste accumulating in rivers
- Tiko, led by Serah Malaba: Empowering and protecting girls across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Burkina Faso from HIV, unintended pregnancy and sexual violence by connecting them to free care and services
The Audacious Project reinvestment organizations include:
- Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), led by Rebecca Firth: Establishing an Open Mapping Marketplace that connects trained and certified local mappers with decision-makers needing high-quality geospatial data to strengthen livelihoods and planning
- Last Mile Health, led by Lisha McCormick: Saving the lives of women and children across the African continent by partnering with governments to train community health workers to deliver cost-effective primary care and transform health financing
- Thorn, led by Julie Cordua: Hardwiring child safety into the fabric of the internet by equipping technology companies and law enforcement with AI-driven tools to combat child sexual abuse, protect children at scale and outpace emerging threats
“This year’s cohort represents what happens when humanity’s toughest problems are met with courage. It is also a declaration of what they imagine is still entirely possible. Whether they are charting paths to plastic‑free oceans, unlocking access to life-saving health services for women and girls globally or harnessing AI to prevent disease, the breadth and depth of these interventions is awe-inducing,” said Anna Verghese, executive director of The Audacious Project. “We’re humbled yet again by what the Audacious community makes possible.”
“Daring ideas matter most when they become achievable,” said Chris Anderson, founder of The Audacious Project and TED chairman. “These grantees prove what’s possible when we come together to dream big, take risks and build a more hopeful future.”
Through its unique model, The Audacious Project brings together dedicated philanthropists to give in community with one another, allowing funders to connect with groundbreaking projects that aim to solve humanity’s biggest challenges.
“The world’s problems are huge — they require audacious thinking and people willing to work together to solve them. I feel a real responsibility to give back and to support some of these immense issues through philanthropy. The Audacious Project helps me do that by connecting me with organizations that have big, bold plans and the vision to actually pull them off,” said Reed Hastings, founder and chairman of the board of Netflix and CEO of Powder. “What makes it unique is how it brings together diverse partners with serious, flexible capital to back the most visionary leaders out there. It’s an honor to be part of this community driving real systemic change.”
“Audacious brings together a community of grantees and funders who are optimistic, hopeful and believe that change is possible. As funders, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of philanthropic dollars, and to back grantee-led solutions to the problems that communities are facing. Amazing leaders deserve to be supported — and it’s our job to support them as future leaders of the world,” said Tegan Acton, founder and principal of Wildcard Giving.
Over the past eight years, the Audacious donor community has committed $4.6 billion in support of 70 bold projects spanning health, climate and community-led innovation, each one grounded in real-world work and designed to turn urgency into action. Audacious grantees have subsequently leveraged an additional $3 billion from other funders, catalyzing $7.6 billion in total funding. These figures point to the distinct power of collaborative philanthropy, when bold ideas and possibility are matched with a committed community that acts with purpose.
Audacious grantees have transformed educational systems worldwide, enrolling millions of girls in school, and have helped millions of people lift themselves out of ultra-poverty. They have driven medical breakthroughs — developing the world’s first computer-generated protein medicine, revolutionizing COVID-19 response systems and repurposing medicines to cure rare diseases. From developing the first whale language model to transforming how we track methane emissions, year after year, these projects redefine what is achievable in our world.
What these leaders imagine is possible. And we feel so lucky, together, to see a better future with them.
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The LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation today announced Play@TED, a partnership with TED to drive a movement and change how people of all ages think about play. Together they want to highlight how creative play can be a game-changer in the world and lead to brighter minds, braver ideas and a more imaginative future for everyone.
This collaboration, which has been funded by a grant from the LEGO Foundation in support of the UN adopted International Day of Play, seeks to spark a global conversation about the importance of play in nurturing children’s growth, fuelling innovation and inspiring cultural creativity.
Last month TED-Ed, in partnership with the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation, hosted a Connect Week, where more than 300 students aged 8-18 from 27 countries gathered virtually to discuss and reflect on playful experiences that helped them build real-world skills like confidence, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. Students shared how playful learning shows up in their lives via short video response.
The partnership will culminate at an in-person Play@TED event to be held at the TED Theater in New York City on May 14, 2026. Curated by TED and aimed at parents, educators and policy-makers, the event will feature inspiring TED Talks from leading experts on the role and impact of creative play. The day, which will be centred around three key pillars: the transformative power of play, play as a mindset for all and how imagination can take us anywhere – and will be livestreamed to the public.
Confirmed speakers so far include Katina Bajaj, a Creative Health Scientist and co-founder & Chief Science Officer of Daydreamers; Randi Williams, AI and Education Researcher at Day of AI and MIT RAISE; and Maxwell “Hops” Pearce, a player on the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and an accomplished artist.
Following the Play@TED event, an Action Hub on TED-Ed’s award-winning education platform will be available to help parents, policy-makers and communities turn ideas into action. A Learning Lab, packed with resources, discussion points, quizzes and curriculums, will help educators make play a priority in schools around the world.
TED-Ed’s YouTube channel, enjoyed by 22 million subscribers, will also feature five new TED-Ed animations, exploring topics from brain science to history, demonstrating how play fuels creativity, resilience and curiosity – driving progress towards bringing more play to society. Additionally, TED’s celebrated TEDx organizers worldwide will host play-themed events, throughout the year, bringing Play@TED ideas to local communities. These events will blend Play@TED talks with local speakers and activities, inviting communities to explore the power of play together.
For over 90 years the LEGO Group has championed the transformative role of play in the lives of children, helping them reach their full potential and develop lifelong skills such as creativity, communication, problem-solving skills and confidence. Inspiring fun, playful learning remains the LEGO Group’s purpose today.
For more information, visit ted.com/play
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This January, TED is introducing TEDLaw, a new training experience designed to help lawyers step back from constant urgency and reconnect with the judgment, values and human insight that define meaningful legal practice.
Legal work has always required rigor, discipline and technical skill. But the context in which lawyers operate has changed — rapidly and irreversibly.
Over the past several months, in conversations with lawyers across sectors, we’ve heard the same thing: today’s most complex challenges are no longer solved by technical expertise alone. They require ethical judgment, collaboration across differences, cultural awareness and the ability to navigate emerging technologies like AI with care and responsibility.
At TED, we start with a simple belief: ideas change how people see the world — and how they act within it. That belief has shaped how TED engages educators, scientists, artists, technologists and global leaders. With TEDLaw, we’re applying that same learning philosophy to the legal profession.
TEDLaw is not a traditional training program; it doesn’t begin with rules, slides or checklists. Instead, it creates space for lawyers to step back, encounter powerful ideas and reflect on how those ideas shape judgment, leadership and professional identity. From there, participants engage in facilitated dialogue and real-world simulations that mirror the complexity of modern legal practice.
This approach reflects something we see across TED’s work: sustainable change doesn’t come from information alone. It comes from perspective shifts, shared reflection and the opportunity to test new ways of thinking in real-world contexts.
The TEDLaw experience is organized around five interconnected areas that consistently emerged from our conversations with legal professionals:
- Navigating Legal Identity and Values
- Critical Thinking for Legal Solutions
- Intuitive Collaboration in Law
- Cultural Competence in Legal Practice
- Practicing Law in the AI Age
Together, these pillars reflect a broader truth that the future of legal practice depends not only on what lawyers know but also on how they reason, relate and lead.
To bring this work to legal leaders at scale, TED is collaborating with organizations deeply embedded in the profession. Through a partnership with the ACC Foundation, TEDLaw will initially reach in-house legal leaders, creating space for reflection, peer learning and candid conversation about what it means to practice law well in a changing world.
Looking ahead, TEDLaw will also expand to law firms and other legal communities, extending TED’s learning model across the broader legal ecosystem.
At its core, TEDLaw is a fresh approach to legal education, one that’s rooted in listening, curiosity and a belief that even in a rule-bound profession, ideas still have the power to change everything.
Beginning in 2026, law firms will also have the opportunity to host TEDLaw training in partnership with TED and the ACC Foundation, extending this learning experience across the broader legal ecosystem. Learn more about TEDLaw.
]]>Last year, we launched something new — a fusion of traditional TED Talks paired with short-form documentary. You didn’t just watch; you showed up in force. So we’re back. Season 2 of the TED Fellows Film Series has officially arrived!
We’re thrilled to share a brand-new collection of films spotlighting our 2025 TED Fellows. Meet the pilot training young African women to fly — and rewriting who gets to navigate the skies. Follow the biotechnologist turning organic waste into biodegradable plastics that could reshape our supply chains. Learn from a scientist using satellites to protect crops and fight food insecurity. Step inside a rural American community where another Fellow is rebuilding local economies from the ground up, creating jobs where they vanished decades ago. And that’s only the beginning.
These innovators are part of a global network of 500+ TED Fellows across 100+ countries, pushing the boundaries of science, health care, business, journalism, conservation, art, technology and more — whose work touches more than 200 million lives every year.
Season 2 invites you deeper into the Fellows universe: 10 films, 10 powerful stories of people making change possible. The result is electric, human and unmistakably hopeful.
If you want a window into what the future could look like — and who’s already building it — start here. Watch all 10 films now at go.ted.com/fellows25 and listen to the extended interviews on the TED Talks Daily podcast here.
]]>Here are the talks everyone obsessed over in 2025 — from deepfakes and AI to breakthroughs shaping our future:
Dive into the conversations that lit up 2025, sparking global debate on AI, geopolitics, parenting and more:
Check out this year’s TED-Ed hits — fascinating lessons on science, myths, health and the mysteries of everyday life:
Tune into the podcast episodes that defined the year, bringing fresh insight to creativity, climate, culture and well-being:
Explore 10 standout talks that left a mark on 2025 — brilliant ideas on art, space and civic engagement:
Start the year strong with talks on movement, immunity and the small habits that help you thrive:
Uncove talks that unlock clarity, creativity and calm — so you can think sharper and feel more grounded in 2026:
Here’s your comprehensive guide to the AI shifts transforming work, creativity and daily life:
Meet the thinkers turning bold ideas into real change across climate, health, public safety and economic justice:
The future of ideas has a new address. (Photo: San Diego Tourism Authority)
In 1984, TED emerged in California with a radical proposition: that technology, entertainment and design were converging in ways that could change how we see the world. That idea became a global movement, and four decades later, we’re returning to our roots to begin a new chapter. Beginning in 2027, the annual flagship TED conference will make its home in San Diego, California.
This decision follows a rigorous, two-year process centered on infrastructure, community and the ability to scale TED’s mission in meaningful ways. San Diego positions us at the literal and cultural crossroads of innovation: a city where biotech breakthroughs happen alongside innovations in entertainment and media, where the Pacific Rim meets Latin America, and where some of the world’s most urgent challenges are already being tackled. For TED, the choice is as symbolic as it is strategic.
A bigger stage for bolder ideas
Anchored in San Diego’s waterfront district, the conference will center around the San Diego Convention Center, alongside other iconic venues across the city. This expanded footprint creates new opportunities for community engagement, allowing TED to grow its programming while preserving the intimacy and curation that define the TED experience.
San Diego’s venue capacity opens space for fresh programming formats and new participation models that serve TED’s global community. We’re finalizing these details now, with specifics on 2027 programming, pass structures and pricing to be announced following the 2026 conference — our final year in Vancouver.
“TED has always been about bringing unlikely voices together,” says Monique Ruff-Bell, TED’s chief program and strategy officer. “San Diego represents where we’re heading next — a community built on collaboration, a city tackling the challenges that matter most, and a place where the future is already being imagined. This is where global meets local, where innovation meets impact.”
At the heart of this region is a powerful idea — that borders don’t define innovation; people do. The Tijuana–San Diego corridor embodies a binational identity where ideas, talent and cultures move freely. For TED, an organization built on the belief that ideas transcend boundaries, the choice is as symbolic as it is strategic.
TED’s presence also represents a meaningful investment in San Diego’s innovation ecosystem. Our experience in Vancouver demonstrated how hosting the flagship TED conference strengthens a city’s cultural and economic fabric — supporting local suppliers, creating job opportunities and amplifying the region’s voice on the global stage. Over the last two years, TED’s Vancouver operations produced a total regional economic impact of over $16 million annually. In San Diego, we’re committed to deepening connections and contributing to a community already shaping tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
Our unwavering commitment to global community
The return to California marks our homecoming, but TED’s mission remains borderless. With more than 13,000 TEDx events held to date across 150 countries spanning Europe and Africa to Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, TED intentionally curates spaces around the globe where ideas are examined deeply, shared openly and met with genuine curiosity.
After 12 remarkable years in Vancouver, we are profoundly grateful for the partnership and warmth that made TED thrive in Canada. That city will always hold a special place in TED’s story, and we look forward to celebrating that legacy this spring at TED2026.
Stay tuned for more updates and register for TED2026: All of Us in Vancouver — where we’ll celebrate a city that helped define a generation of TED moments and look forward to our next chapter, together.
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