Short-sightedness may be the greatest threat to humanity, says conceptual artist Katie Paterson, whose work engages with deep time — an idea that describes the history of the Earth over a time span of millions of years. In this lively talk, she takes us through her art — a telephone line connected to a melting glacier, maps of dying stars – and presents her latest project: the Future Library, a forested room holding unread manuscripts from famous authors, not to be published or read until the year 2114.

American democracy cannot be great until it is good, says lawyer, Harvard professor and former governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick. A self-identified patriot, Patrick stands behind the fundamental values and civic ideals that he believes make the US unique — and outlines how the country has strayed from those same edicts. Calling for a collective patriotism free from cynicism and fatalism, Patrick underlines the urgency to reset national aspirations in order to save democracy.

With many women of color considering exiting the workforce due to unfair conditions, it’s time to reshape systems in order to put an end to this massive loss of talent. Exposing the harmful repercussions of racist, toxic organizational cultures, soul coach Rha Goddess and corporate inclusion visionary Deepa Purushothaman share four pathways to reimagine work so women of color are centered as leaders. Instead of aspiring to a “seat at the table”, they urge us to remake the whole table — and stop fighting for “one broke-ass chair.”

Picking an outfit? Take inspiration from this thrilling talk about digital fashion: the new, weird and wonderful world of fashion designed for our virtual worlds. Watch as Gala Marija Vrbanic, a leader in this emerging field, showcases what you could wear across your digital channels — be it TikTok, Instagram or in the metaverse — and shares how it could infinitely expand the creative possibilities of fashion, identity and self-expression.

What if we could use brain waves to treat Alzheimer’s? Professor and neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai details a promising new approach to artificially stimulate gamma brain waves using light and sound therapy, to increase connectivity and synchrony and delay the onset of this deadly disease. This non-invasive therapy has already been shown to work in mice — now it’s on to human clinical trials, with the potential to usher in a brighter future for everyone. (Followed by a Q&A with head of TED Chris Anderson)