TED Talks Daily

What do the story of Oedipus and your insurance premiums have in common? They are both driven by self-fulfilling prophecies. Philosopher and TED Fellow Carissa Véliz traces the hidden power of prediction, from Roman emperors who banned prophets to the AI algorithms quietly making decisions about your life right now. We tend to associate predictions with knowledge, she says, but they're actually attempts to grab power. So the next time someone tells you a specific outcome is inevitable, remember: they aren't describing the future — they're selling it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kimiko Hirata, a Japanese climate advocate who helped challenge coal expansion, traces how Fukushima exposed a rush toward new coal plants. She talks about making hidden projects visible, linking climate to health and money, rallying experts and local communities, and using shareholder pressure to shake up the debate. The conversation also looks at city-level experiments and the push to build public confidence in renewables.

Kelly Corrigan, a memoirist and podcaster on family, loss and human connection, explores the quiet courage of loving people through grief, illness, aging and uncertainty. She reflects on ordinary parents facing impossible moments. She looks at curiosity, presence and staying when life gets messy. It is a moving look at brave love inside family life.

Randall Lane, Forbes chief content officer and journalist, dives into why billionaires spark backlash despite their economic influence. He explores the giving gap among the ultra-rich, how public rankings shape behavior, and his new True Net Worth measure that rewards philanthropy over hoarding. Expect sharp examples, big names, and a rethink of how wealth gets judged.

Brianna Roque, an animal scientist helping bring methane-cutting seaweed to market, dives into Asparagopsis and its surprising role in cattle feed. They explore dramatic methane tests, tiny doses with big effects, why feedlots and dairy are the easiest starting points, and the race to scale beyond just nine licensed growers. Regulation, safety checks, food-company backing and even premium climate-friendly burgers all come up.

Sister True Dedication, a Zen Buddhist nun and student of Thich Nhat Hanh, explores mindful walking as a path to resilience and inner peace. She introduces three powerful questions about identity, presence and purpose. The conversation touches on interbeing, caring for suffering, deep aspiration and finding strength for collective action.

Peter Steinberger, a programmer and entrepreneur behind the open-source AI agent platform OpenClaw, tells the wild story of unleashing an AI agent online. He dives into a WhatsApp bot that evolved in surprising ways. Then come viral growth, security scares, legal headaches, and bold visions of always-on agents and multiagent teamwork.

Gina Raimondo, former Rhode Island governor and US commerce secretary, lays out a bold plan for the AI era. She warns about mass job disruption, social unrest and the cost of repeating past outsourcing mistakes. The conversation explores employer-led training, lifelong learning, wage insurance, apprenticeships and incentives to retrain people instead of laying them off.

Scarlet Keys, a songwriter and Berklee professor, explores why certain songs stay with us. She unpacks how melody, chords, repetition and lyrics shape feeling and memory. There’s a look at why music can act like a time machine, how an Adele song builds heartbreak, and how writing and listening to music helped her through cancer.

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and girls’ education activist, reflects on how her view of change evolved after surviving the Taliban and watching Afghanistan unravel. She talks about losing faith in powerful leaders. She explores acting through despair, supporting secret schools, using film and football as resistance, and pushing for gender apartheid to be recognized in law.