What 2025 Taught Us—And Where 2026 Is Taking Us

What do foot massage parties, otters, and AI robot tutors have in common? To find out, tune into our special end-of-year conversation featuring the hosts from TED Talks Daily, TED Radio Hour, TED Business, and TED Tech!

Elise Hu of TED Talks Daily hosted a conversation with Manoush Zomorodi, Modupe Akinola and Sherrell Dorsey, where they discussed the biggest ideas dominating their industry and the lesser-known insights they wished garnered more attention. From pushing back against AI advances to sharing the TED Talks that inspired them, Elise, Manoush, Modupe, and Sherrell reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026.

Conversations Mentioned

TED Radio Hour

1. Ray Kurzweil, "Could AI extend your life indefinitely? Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks so"
2. Victor Riparbelli, “Will AI avatars eventually teach our kids?”
3. Philip Johns, “Singapore's otters are butting heads with their human neighbors. Can they coexist?”
4. Restoring trust in government, "Move fast...and fix democracy?"

TED Talks

1. Sitoyo Lopokoiyit in conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz "A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship"
2. Sarah Beery, "How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge"
3. Scott Loarie (of iNaturalist), "The surprising power of your nature photos"
4. Daniel Zavala-Araiza, "The best way to lower Earth’s temperature — fast"
5. Jennifer Pahlka, "Coding a better government"
6. Pinky Cole (Slutty Vegan), "How I make vegan food sexy"
7. Jason Huang, "The high-wire act of unlocking clean energy"
8. Jennifer Doudna, "CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think"
9. Jonny Sun, "You are not alone in your loneliness"

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