TED Tech

TED Tech

Host Sherrell Dorsey guides you through the latest ideas from TED Speakers, uncovering the riveting questions that sit at the intersection of technology, science, design, and innovation. Listen in every Friday.

  • 15 minutes 34 seconds
    Meet NEO, your robot butler in training | Bernt Børnich

    What if doing your chores were as easy as flipping a switch? In this talk and live demo, roboticist and founder of 1X Bernt Børnich introduces NEO, a humanoid robot designed to help you out around the house. Watch as NEO shows off its ability to vacuum, water plants and keep you company, while Børnich tells the story of its development — and shares a vision for robot helpers that could free up your time to focus on what truly matters.

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    13 March 2026, 4:00 am
  • 22 minutes 50 seconds
    Everything you need to know about AI agents | Swami Sivasubramanian

    What if you had an AI-powered assistant — that took initiative on its own? Technology leader Swami Sivasubramanian believes AI agents are the future of work, capable of sparking new levels of productivity and creativity. Demystifying the workings of autonomous software systems, he explains what they are (and aren’t) and advocates for a world in which AI handles the boring stuff, so you can focus on what matters.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    6 March 2026, 5:00 am
  • 17 minutes 16 seconds
    AI's next frontier isn't where you might expect | Hardy Pemhiwa

    With a billion mobile phone users and a median population age of 19, Africa isn't catching up to the AI revolution — it's writing an entirely different playbook, says business leader Hardy Pemhiwa. He shows how a generation of entrepreneurs is using AI to teach classes, triage patients and boost farm yields through the power of local compute, local data and local languages.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    27 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 10 minutes 39 seconds
    How we built Watch Duty, the lifesaving wildfire alert app | John Mills

    After finding himself alone in an unreported wildfire in the woodlands of California, John Mills decided to take matters into his own hands. Hear the incredible story of how he rallied fire survivors and retired first responders to create Watch Duty, the nonprofit emergency alert system that’s beating official government warnings and buying people precious minutes to escape danger.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    20 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 12 minutes 36 seconds
    How satellites are supporting farmers across Africa | Catherine Nakalembe

    More than 8,000 satellites orbit Earth, taking photos every day. Food security specialist and TED Fellow Catherine Nakalembe shows how she uses this imagery to help smallholder farmers across Africa prepare for floods, droughts and crop failures. Learn why real innovation isn’t always about shinier technology — it’s about making the tech truly fit the problem it’s solving.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    13 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 16 minutes 23 seconds
    The best thing that could happen to the energy industry | Matt Tilleard

    History has been written by whoever controls the dominant fuel of the era — until now, says renewables entrepreneur Matt Tilleard. He explains why, as the clean energy transition ramps up, we’re moving from a world where energy comes from burning fuels to one where it will come from using technology. Learn why this could change everything about global power dynamics — and why the future belongs not to those who control resources, but to those who build and share technology.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    6 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 15 minutes 55 seconds
    How to pull the emergency brake on global warming | Mohamed A. Sultan

    Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist Mohamed A. Sultan reveals how local communities are turning this crisis into opportunity, diverting hundreds of tons of waste from landfills and helping thousands of farmers adopt more sustainable techniques. Learn why cutting methane emissions is a win-win opportunity to drive down global temperatures while also creating more livable cities. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    30 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 12 minutes 11 seconds
    Inside India's astonishing solar revolution | Kanika Chawla

    In 2014, the world’s second largest coal consumer made a bold promise: to increase its solar capacity from three gigawatts to 100 gigawatts in just eight years. Many people called it overly ambitious, but energy expert Kanika Chawla saw the opportunity of a lifetime. She tells the story of how India became a solar powerhouse, turning an expensive dream into an economic reality — and creating a model for other countries to follow suit. After, Sherrell reflects on what drives the green economy and the growth strategy other companies can follow.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    23 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 6 minutes 44 seconds
    What Earth in 2125 could look like | Iseult Gillespie

    Faced with the realities of current crises, it’s easy to assume our world is headed in a bleak direction. But there’s good reason to be hopeful— with developments in science and technology, a positive future is more viable than ever before. So, what if the future was awesome? Iseult Gillespie explores what three cities could look like in 100 years if we harness the tools we have at our disposal. [Directed by Devin Clark, Augenblick Studios, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by Tom Kaericher].

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    16 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 15 minutes 12 seconds
    Want to make change? Let young people tell their stories | Anshul Tewari

    As a teenager, social entrepreneur Anshul Tewari didn’t see young voices represented in the conversations that mattered. His solution? A simple blog that has since transformed into Youth Ki Awaaz (Voice of the Youth): India’s largest citizen media platform, where more than 200,000 young people write about underrepresented issues every month. From stories of bringing electricity to forgotten villages to launching national climate campaigns, Tewari reveals how authentic storytelling can build individual and collective agency for change. After the talk, Sherrell reflects on how to design systems that encourages participation—not clicks.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

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    9 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 35 minutes 18 seconds
    What happens in your brain when you pay attention? w/ Dr. Sasha Hamdani | from TED Health

    Attention isn't just about what we focus on -- it's also about what our brains filter out. By investigating patterns in the brain as people try to focus, computational neuroscientist Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar hopes to build computer models that can be used to treat ADHD and help those who have lost the ability to communicate. Hear more about this exciting science in this brief, fascinating talk. After the talk, Shoshana speaks with psychiatrist and ADHD specialist Dr. Sasha Hamdani on transforming healthcare for patients and families with ADHD.

    Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 January 2026, 5:00 am
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