Possibility (TED Reflections)

Click on the image above to play the video (flip your phone to widescreen if you want image to be bigger)

POSSIBILITY (TED reflections)

Ok. So here we are again. Sitting on a plane flying back from yet another TED conference. My mind, soul, and body is aching with so many impressions and conversations all affected by nutritional disruptions to my regular microbiome, less sleep, and lack of proper movement. Oh well. TEDsters have a name for it. TED-ACHE.

This time was super special as Jessica and I were joined for the first time by one of our kids (Theo). While we spent most time apart connecting with different people it certainly added joy and happiness being together intermittently and experiencing TED together.
 
I am often asked why I go. What my objectives are? My answer is typically as simple as it is complex and boils down to the fact that the TED community offers a much-needed and rare opportunity for a collective deep breath. A much necessary pause. A mindful reflection. It’s like the annual pitstop for the curious and concerned. It’s a sanctuary where a few thousand people gather to learn, to exchange ideas, and to better understand how the significant forces of change around us can be converted to the kind of elevated and flourishing humanity we all like to see. Perhaps what I both love and appreciate the most these days is that TED gives space to a wide diversity of ideas and people that I'd never be exposed to otherwise. And they change me. And I hope makes me better. 
 
Lastly, the TED conference community also has a bias for action. It’s not just academic and intellectual but also impatient, pragmatic, and entrepreneurial. Magical moments happen every year at TED where powerful ideas meet powerful resources that can help those ideas get stronger legs and wider wings. The Audacious Project is probably the best manifestation of this in my mind. 
 
Trying to summarize a TED is impossible. At least a few hours after it ended. But if I don’t try now, I am not sure I will do much better as impressions risk fading and take a back seat to the thousands of emails and tasks that are begging for my attention.

So here we go. 2 things stood out for me.
 
TED as the Counternarrative
 
Chris Anderson, the head of TED, used this phrase himself to describe the collective sentiment during the week. I think it captures well how I felt. We clearly live in interesting and challenging times. We are living through disruption after disruption, and we are all mourning the loss of our predictable futures. Change is everywhere. And our institutions are clearly not managing these transitions well and neither are most of us. Change often doesn't bring out the best in our human behavior. Does it? 

But I felt a sense of alignment in the community that our dominant public narrative needs to change. We are exhausted by the constant back and forth. The dehumanizing and utterly unproductive blaming, naming, and shaming. We can do better than this. And we must. Humanity is facing powerful new technological shifts that require us to be at our best game. Not our worst. It was palpable this week that the TED community is eager, ready, and willing to embrace our future with a different posture than the one we are surrounded by in media and most other conversations. It's refreshing and it is hopeful. 
 
Artificial Intelligence Will Change Almost Everything
 
Many (if not all) sessions covered AI in one form or the other. It is impossible today to not be affected by AI. And the possibilities of this emerging technological landscape are incredible. But they are also frightening beyond our comprehension which makes them nightmarish. I felt that TED curated AI deliberations masterfully and completely. They hosted the most alarming critics as well as the most gung-ho optimists. My personal take, today, is that I am slightly more optimistic than I am fearful. I recognize that AI will change humanity in ways we can’t understand. So, humility and caution are needed in bigger doses than our leaders typically demonstrate. That's the concerning part for me. 
 
The more optimistic aspect is that AI will empower every human with its own teacher. If you believe that knowledge will set us free then we might see an era of human flourishing ahead that we could only dream of. Hey, it's possible.

In addition, I don’t see the alternatives given our geopolitical situation. We simply must be the best at these technologies in order to at least give us the option to have some level of influence over them (and us). If we don’t, I am sure we won’t like the results. So, like with most changes before us, we simply have to lean in, understand what is required of us, and make the most of it. 
 
I will do what I have done for a few years. Below I have listed, in the order they appeared on stage, the talks that I want to share. I attended 90 different types of conversations/sessions. So I won’t be listing them all. Many of them are also artistic, musical and very hard to relay in this post. That doesn’t mean they weren’t good, but I am trying to give you my favorite ones and why. But as you can see below, it's a long list so there was a lot that affected me this year. 

Here we go.
 
Angus Hervey
Angus is a “good news reporter” and presented what news could look like. I think our media is a major contributor to the divisiveness in our public discourse. They are stuck in a negative mindset. I like what Angus and Futurecrunch are doing trying to present a more balanced and accurate portrayal of the state of affairs. 

Jennifer Doudna
Jennifer is a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry for her groundbreaking genome-engineering technology CRISPR. In her talk, she introduced (to me at least) the combination of CRISPR and metagenomics and how we now can look at entire populations of organisms (microbiome) vs just one single one. Precision Microbiome Editing offers enormous potential to find solutions to our most significant diseases. The Innovative Genomics Institute is also a 2023 Audacious Project Grantee. 

Golshifteh Farahani
She is an Iranian actor, musician, and activist. She gave a powerful talk about the oppression of women in Iran. “Death breaks the cage but doesn’t kill the bird”. You can watch this appearance with Coldplay which is quite powerful. 

Tom Graham
Tom is the founder of Metaphysic and he presented the state of deep fakes. It was impressive and incredibly disorienting. I need to think more about this, but I actually have a hard time seeing the accretive value in these types of technologies. I am sure I am wrong but this feels like a technology application that has more downside than upside to me. 

Benjamin Zander
This was special for us since we first met Ben 23 years ago and have learned so much from him. He led the audience in singing as a way to present the art of possibility. The feeling in the room was special and might be hard to capture on video. However, just listen to his distinction between positive thinking and having an attitude towards possibility. That alone is worth it. And also allow ourselves to be inspired by classical music, Beethoven, and the energy of an 84-year-old master! 
 
Greg Brockman
Greg is the co-founder of Open AI. He presented the next version of ChatGPT. It was fascinating. Chris led a very honest conversation afterward where he pushed back on some of the risks. This talk is already up as you can see by the hotlink above.
 
The AI Critics
There were three main critics, in order of their level of critique. Yejin Choi, Gary Marcus and Eliezer Yudkowsky. I am listing them here as one as it’s hard to single them out. If you want to understand the risks, you almost have to listen to them all as they offer different aspects of risks. Like how Yejin Choi believes AI can be "unbelievably intelligent but shockingly stupid" or Gary Marcus calls for a need for an UN-type agency for AI. I was encouraged to see them given space and time and it is clear that there is a lot we must and can do to mitigate the more extreme ‘bad box” scenarios.
 
Sal Khan
Really needs no introduction. The founder of KhanAcademy. I would say he represents my view on AI most closely. It will change education (for the better) in ways we can’t even imagine AND if the “other guy” has AI we have to have it too.
 
Jennifer Sciubba
I am glad Jennifer was invited. Demographics is destiny they say. Our global population is changing right underneath us. Birthrates are falling faster than anyone imagined and our global population will shrink in the decades to come. China is expected to halve its population by the turn of the century. Rapidly falling global populations will have enormous consequences for us all. How do we prepare and turn that into a better future?
 
Ian Bremmer
I thought Ian did a great job summarizing our geopolitics. And that’s not easy. He discussed where we find ourselves and he covered the orders of the past and how a third digital order is emerging (as opposed to prior security and economic orders) and what we might expect from this transition. Very insightful.
 
Ali Hajimiri
Wireless energy. I can’t evaluate how likely this is but Ali and his team are working on sending solar panels to space (where they can capture 8 times more energy) and then “beam” the energy back to Earth. If that works….well wow…
 
Nadya Tolokonnikova
A very powerful talk by the leader of the Pussy Riot (a Russian Punk group known for staging protests). It’s impossible to not admire anyone who risks their own life for what they believe in. Unapologetic, authentic, and powerful. 
 
Doris Mitsch
Incredible images of stacking photos showing the flight patterns of birds. Just sheer beauty. No message. No politics. Just natural awe. 
 
Peter McIndoe
One of my favorite talks. Certainly, a top 10. I won’t ruin it for you since there is a plot involved! He shared lessons learned from his activism. And I couldn't agree more with this: “We need to direct our energy towards the crises of belonging instead of believing”. We are so obsessed with opinions and what people think. We need to care more about how people are and be more concerned about behaving and belonging than believing.

Hannah Ritchie
Really important talk. Particularly for our youth. Hannah is a data scientist committed to climate change. She presented the data around how much progress we have made which is a narrative worth hearing. She did NOT present it as a case for not doing more. On the contrary, she grounded it in the important insight that in order to get motivated to take action we must bolster our convictions of what is doable. I have always believed we can't present problems as a path to extinction. We must invoke desire for change. Not fear of it. If not, we will never build the coalitions necessary to affect systemic change. 
 
Garry Cooper
Go Chicago! Loved seeing Garry who is building a system that can enable a circular local economy. We have a lot of opportunities all over to waste less and be smarter about using our resources. For my fellow Chicagoans let’s join the movement.
 
Nicole Rycroft
This was a great example of how we can change entire supply chains. In this case the paper and pulp industry. I liked her pragmatic approach and the way partnerships have enabled rather impressive progress.

George Whitesides
Elegant talk on how to combat wildfires. It's a big problem. For people suffering from them as well as from a climate perspective. He presented an action-oriented and data-driven approach to what we can do about it. 
 
Shane Campbell-Staton
Evolutionary Biologist from Princeton made such a compelling case for the interdependence between human and animal kingdoms. A powerful example of Chernobyl Wolves!
 
Andy Dunn
Another Chicagoan. Bonobos Founder. A vulnerable personal story about bipolar disorder and how he overcame it and why mental illness is more common than we think, particularly in the entrepreneurial community. It was moving and inspiring.
 
Gus Worland
Wonderfully human Australian shared his regrets in losing his mentor to suicide and the importance for all of us to have the backs of the people we love the most. Loved his human spirit. A real hugger. And he truly lived it. Later when a speaker struggled, he jumped up on stage and gave her a warm hug. He truly lives his message. Always inspiring to see. Also founded a Gotcha4life Foundation. 

Maya Shankar
A cognitive scientist and the host of A slight change of plans podcast shared her own stories about how to deal with unexpected change when life throws you curveballs. Particularly inspiring to hear her own challenges that she so graciously shared and how she is trying to learn from them. 
 
Sixto Cancel
Moved by this talk. About Sixto’s experience in foster care and how to change our entire foster care system. His solution was surprisingly simple: Kinship. Inspiring story based on his personal experience all converted into a promising solution. Another Audacious Project Grantee. 
 
Richard Reeves
Important talk about the struggle of boys. I have read and followed Richard for a while, and find both his why, what, and how to deal with this irrefutable. Good podcast interview with him on Bari Weiss as one example if you want to learn more and can't wait for the release. 

Sarah Jones
Shared her personal experience with cancel culture in a most vulnerable and personal way. We all felt her pain. It just has to stop. 
 
Sheena Meade
I loved this simple and powerful idea. Automatically clear criminal records from people who are eligible. It was shocking to learn how many people can’t get their records cleared due to thick red tape even though they are eligible. And records are being cleared thanks to Sheena. Her Clean Slate Initiative is another Audacious Project 2023 grantee! 
 
Yat Siu
I am not a metaverse travelerer. Nor do I fully understand Crypto, Web3, DAO’s or DeFi. So I really appreciated his masterful explanation for why this is happening and why it most likely will be part of our future in more meaningful ways. Data is the new labor and it will help democratize economic participation. Elegant talk. 
 
Anna Greka
A curiosity-driven scientist who is at the forefront of genetics. She is studying the world's rarest diseases and in solving some of them has found clues to solve other much larger diseases plaguing much of humanity.  
 
Jeff Chen
Simple idea. But powerful one. He has built a crowdsourced “validation” system for natural compounds that can replace synthetic (and expensive) pharma in some cases. The idea is centered on the fact that no one can own natural compounds and therefore there is no money investing in the evidence it takes to prove they work.
 
Dr. Amy Baxter
Funny and smart. About how pain works and how we can think differently about it. Pain is the learning system for survival. It’s a signal that something needs attention. We have also grown accustomed to instant gratification and getting rid of the pain immediately. Often ignoring the underlying reasons for it. Reframing and learning to see pain differently, therefore, has enormous opportunities for our broader health. Short-term pain for long-term gain you know! Please watch. On top of the importance of the topic she also was super funny. 
 
Liana Finck
Cartoonist for the New Yorker. Moved me. Wonderful talk. Self-deprecating in such a human way but with important lessons for us all. Her problem with God is that he is just too confident. Sounds familiar! So she wrote a book about Genesis with a more uncertain type of God (yes a woman). Funny and inspiring.
 
Angeline Murimirwa
Educate a girl and most problems are solved. What she is leading in Africa just deserves our awe. Real leadership there. Another 2023 Audacious Project Grantee. 
 
Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor
Another inspiring example of people doing incredible work through public-private partnerships. This one is in Peru where Carlos has led amazing work in schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. The world needs more leaders like Carlos. 
 
Mark Edwards
Really appreciated this talk. 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. 50% of those were on contraceptives. The solution that he has prototyped in Delaware reduced pregnancies, abortions, and child mortality rates significantly. He is now scaling to other states. Unwanted pregnancies are a root cause of structural poverty. Huge opportunity here. Another 2023 Audacious Project Grantee.
 
Alua Arthur
Another favorite. Both what she spoke about and how she spoke about it. Dying. She is a death doula. As you know I am a bit obsessed with the concept of living in reverse. About approaching and embracing our final days first. Then go on living. She was amazing. Reframing dying has a lot of potential for living. 
 
Shou Chew
Chris interviewed Tik Tok CEO. Judge for yourself. TikTok can (is) changing the world. Is it good? What can be done? Are you concerned that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company?
 
Sarah Kay
Always delighted to see Sarah at TED. Her spoken word poetry rocks my soul. Every single time. 
 
Vinu Daniel
Very creative Indian architect building houses from mud and other recycled products by taking an extremely local and circular approach to construction. Important for India and for the world.
 
Sheryl Lee Ralph
A very personal and powerful story around self-belief and what it is that we tell ourselves.
 
David McWilliams
An Irish economist making the slightly unusual case that we shouldn’t listen to economists in times of rapid change. Funny delivery with deep insights drawn from poetry. The gist was that "the best people lack all conviction and the less good have passionate intent" (William Butler Yeats).  

Krista Tippett
Waited the whole week for Krista. You know I love her. She is the voice of humanity for me. She is the explorer of our deepest yearnings. I Love OnBeing and how she always inspires audiences. She spoke about 3 things. Seeing the generative narrative. How we are living in the midst of emergence. How we are co-creators of our story. Embrace it. And secondly, living the questions. We are obsessed with answers. But there aren’t many in the midst of chaos. Just live with the questions and the answers will emerge. And finally, embrace our calling and wholeness. We all have a calling that is bigger than our "jobs" and our purpose must be to connect the dots and become active participants in shaping the world we'd like to see. 

Phew. I am sure I missed a few. But you can follow releases on TED.com and again, I will update this website with hotlinks as they are released. For the more ambitious of you, there is a blog at TED that covers all sessions here. And if you want to compare this year's list to my list from last year you can find it here!

And lastly, why don't you join us at TED next year in Vancouver on April 15-19. It would be so fun to share this with some of you. Let me know if you are interested. 

Please share if you found some of these ideas and talks interesting and valuable to your life. That's the whole idea! Ideas worth spreading.