Relationships were never meant to be efficient, says sextech expert Bryony Cole, and yet AI companions are increasingly designed to be exactly that. As intimate relationships between humans and AI become more common, Cole challenges us to think more deliberately about how we shape our connections to machines — and with each other. (This conversation, hosted by TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.)Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the key to saving nature isn’t just about science or policy, but love? Love for the land, for the people who depend on it, for the world we leave behind. Artist Elsaphan Njora has journeyed across Kenya witnessing ecosystems vanish, from Indigenous forests to sacred lakes. But he’s also seen communities breathing life back into rivers, forests and coasts in creative, unexpected ways — showing that conservation can flourish alongside livelihoods, and that even the most threatened landscapes can be reborn.Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Storyteller Golriz Lucina recounts how the historic sacrifice of Iranian 19th-century poet and mystic Táhirih planted the seeds for the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests today, offering an inspiring lesson in the value of acting with conviction — even if we don’t live to see the results.(This talk was originally published on January 2024)Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are your workplace relationships quietly burning you out? Drawing on large-scale research across industries, organizational behavior researcher Eric Quintane reveals four hidden relational traps woven into the fabric of work — and explores how connection shapes resilience, vulnerability and burnout.Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a robot moving into your home. How would it change your daily life? Historian Emily Kate Genatowski shares five eye-opening lessons from a year living with her AI-powered robot roommate, from the quirky and chaotic to the surprisingly mundane. Her experiences show that the future of robots isn’t science fiction — it’s practical, messy and already here.Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.