TED Talks Daily

Exhausted from carrying water up a hill to keep her small farm in Kenya thriving, Josephine Waweru received an unexpected call that offered a nearly unbelievable solution. She shares how one simple device allowed her crops (and her dreams) to flourish — and offers a glimmer of hope in the face of growing climate uncertainty.

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In a moment that stunned the world in 2019, the famed Notre-Dame in Paris went up in flames, threatening the future of the centuries-old Gothic treasure. Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of the cathedral’s restoration, recounts the collective effort to bring the building back to life while honoring its history. Listen for a story of craftsmanship, devotion and innovation — and learn how more than 2,000 hands worked to retur...

Many people don’t use all their paid time off from work—and struggle to relax and recover on nights and weekends too. What does it take to make our breaks more restorative? Adam examines the evidence on recovery and burnout, explores how workplaces can reimagine vacation policies, and highlights what kinds of hobbies are best suited to different times of day.

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Paul Catchlove believes strongly in the power of reflection. Through every career he's held -- from priest to opera singer to senior management consultant -- he's benefitted from a habit of considering and analyzing his goals, needs and performance. Learn more about how a regular practice of reflection can improve your decision-making, career and relationships.

This episode originally aired January 5, 2023.

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From a boy setting off small explosions in his living room to the creator of world-famous pyrotechnic events, multidisciplinary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has always been drawn to gunpowder. He gives a stunning tour of his work — including his fireworks spectacle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, his "sky ladder" of fire reaching to the clouds and new work created with AI — and shows how his art probes the line between destruction and constr...

Imagine this: you walk into a room, and your dog is on a video call with their fellow canine friends. Computer scientist Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas thinks the notion of a social internet for animals is not far off. She explores what happens when animals control their own technology — from parrots making friends online to monkeys choosing their favorite audio tracks — and shows how this technology transforms our understanding of animal ...

“ How do you trust anything anymore? Who do you trust? Where do you trust?” asks technologist and digital forensic expert Hany Farid. Following his talk at TED2025, Farid sat down for a special conversation with Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, to discuss the erosion of trust in American society. From TikTok algorithms to AI deepfakes, Farid argues that critical thinking education is more important than ever and why it’s therapeu...

How do you know if that shocking photo in your feed is real, or just another AI fake? Digital forensics expert Hany Farid explains how he helps journalists, courts and governments find structural errors in AI-generated images, offering four practical tips everyday individuals can use when facing the internet’s war on reality.

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How does a city change when its art doesn’t hang on museum walls but instead roams the streets? Artist Frédette Lampre of the production company La Machine shares how their towering, handcrafted mechanical creations transform urban spaces into living theaters, creating unforgettable experiences that reconnect people with their cities and each other.

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In this urgent and hard-hitting talk, Nobel Laureate Al Gore thoroughly dismantles the fossil fuel industry’s narrative of "climate realism," contrasting their misleading claims with the remarkable advancements in renewable energy. Drawing on data showing clear signs of progress across the world, Gore makes a powerful case that we already have everything needed to solve the climate crisis — and reminds us of what the most valuable ...

Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet and the author of the new poetry collection "A Little Daylight Left." In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview with host Elise Hu, Kay reflects on her relationship with poetry — from reading the poems her parents left in her lunchbox to frequenting the local dive bar’s weekly poetry slam to becoming an “accidental ambassador” of spoken word. She also talks about how she uses different artistic med...

Don't second-guess what "distracts" you, says actor-producer Yara Shahidi; that's your curiosity coming through. The star of hit shows like "black-ish" and "grown-ish" tells how she learned to spot clues to her own future — and how you can, too.

This episode originally aired January 16, 2024.

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Artificial intelligence could cost many of us our careers — but that doesn’t mean we should stop its development, says journalist Megan J. McArdle. As she watches AI encroach on her own craft, she shares a fresh take on the 19th-century Luddites, who tried to destroy machines that would upend their trade. Looking back, McArdle reframes today’s fears with a poignant question: If we halt progress to protect the present, what might we...

Actress Chloé Hayden is best known for her role as Quinnie on the popular TV show "Heartbreak High" — one of the first-ever autistic characters to actually be played by an autistic person. Now, she's inviting us to imagine a world where seeing autistic people in any role isn't groundbreaking, it's simply expected.

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After a mysterious wave of tics and twitches swept through a small-town high school in New York, documentary podcaster Dan Taberski set out to investigate what was really happening. Drawing on extensive research and intimate interviews with the people involved, he explores the roots of mass hysteria — and what it reveals about the line between illness and belonging. What happens when the very thing that makes us sick ... is also wh...

"Too many people believe in something closer to freedom from speech rather than freedom of speech," says attorney Greg Lukianoff. In a timely talk, he warns against the rise of "mob censorship" — and reminds us why free speech is the best check on power ever invented.

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On June 21, the United States launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Political scientist Ian Bremmer explains why President Trump decided to bomb Iran, the risk of a broadening war and what to look for next at this uncertain moment. (This interview, hosted by TED’s Helen Walters, was recorded on June 22, 2025.)

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Tech journalist, opinion leader, and disruptor—Kara Swisher has hosted hundreds of newsmaking interviews tracking tech and media's changing power dynamics, often going head-to-head with the most prominent figures in the technology industry. She joins a live studio audience to talk about her inimitable career covering the ever-evolving world of technology.

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Video creator Jon Youshaei and workplace expert Michelle Weise team up to crack the code on how to thrive through career chaos. They discuss how technological change is upending traditional career paths, explore the art of making your skills stand out and offer essential advice for young people entering the workforce. (This conversation is part of "TED Intersections," a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between exper...