What if AI could think and adapt like a real brain? TED Fellow and AI scientist Ramin Hasani shares how liquid neural networks — a new, more flexible AI technology inspired by physics and living brains — could transform how we solve complex problems.

“Georgia is not heard or seen in the world, and many don’t even know the location of the country,” says TED Fellow and photographer Daro Sulakauri. Through her striking photographs of life in the shadows of Russian occupation, she uses her camera to create a living archive of her home country and defend against the erasure of its borders, culture and history.

When wildfires rage in California, incarcerated people are often on the front lines fighting the flames. TED Fellow Royal Ramey was one of them. He shares the story of how doing public service in prison inspired him to cofound the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit helping formerly incarcerated people become wildland firefighters — and find purpose along the way.

TED Fellow and renewable energy expert Norah Magero envisions an Africa that pioneers its own technological future, shifting the narrative from dependence and consumption to self-reliance and innovation. She shares how she developed VacciBox — a solar-powered refrigeration system made in Kenya to keep vaccines cold in off-grid areas — and highlights the power of homegrown solutions to transform health care.

TED Fellow and composer Sahba Aminikia brings the healing power of dance, storytelling, music and performance to some of the most dangerous places on Earth. By celebrating children and their communities with beauty and joy, he shows how to cultivate hope, connection and love — even in conflict zones. “The ultimate power is in unity,” Aminikia says.