TED 2026 Part Two: Technological Frontiers — AI, Innovation, and Planetary Systems
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Welcome back! Part two of my experience at TED 2026 is focused on the most exciting and scary talks that highlighted the excitement and potential risk of the world we are building with technology.
In part one, I explored the individuals dedicated to social reform, moral leadership, and the preservation of human empathy.
The AI Dilemma
Are we humans going to continue our biological lives with AI as a support or friend, or will AI become a threat, forcing us to submit to it or merge with it as our only way to survive as a species?
D. Scott Phoenix's talk is one I cannot put out of my mind, as he delivered a chilling warning: humans must use neuro implants to merge with AI, or AI will become a rival and eventually a replacement.
Anil Seth countered this approach, arguing that consciousness requires biological life and billions of chemical reactions, meaning AI only "simulates" consciousness. View his talk here.
Jennifer Cearns noted that 100 million people already engage with AI as friends or therapists, which paradoxically makes our unique humanity harder to ignore and challenges us to better define what friendship and relationships as humans may be
Carissa Veliz urged a rebellion against "tyrannical predictions," stating that AI-driven predictions are often power plays rather than facts and that we, as humans, have a chance to decide the world we want to live in. View her talk here.
Peter Steinberger explained how he created and launched OpenClaw, a tool allowing non-programmers to become builders. He claims not to worry or feel any responsibility for launching it, despite the high risk posed by a powerful and insecure tool. View his talk here.
Garrett Langley, founder of Flock, argued that AI-driven surveillance through cameras and drones has decreased crime by 25% in San Francisco. This may be true, but he avoided fully addressing the risks related to freedom, such as the use of cameras and drones.
Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, presented autonomous rides as a potential life-saving alternative to car ownership. While she emphasizes that the rides are safer and envisions them becoming the alternative to cars for everyone, she did not address the financial criterion of ride affordability.
Innovation in Education and Media
Sal Khan and Reed Hastings (who is on the board of both the Khan Academy and Anthropic) discussed how the Khan Academy may be a great solution for customizing learning at scale, allowing teachers to focus on emotional support. Hastings also suggested an "Alaska fund" model to share AI productivity rewards with the public, as our ability to work may decrease. View the talk here.
Rapelang Rabana shared how offline educational tablets in Africa have tripled literacy rates in 4 years, helping children in large, multilevel classrooms get personalized support that cannot be offered in a continent that will have ½ the world's youth by 2030.
Mark Rober, a former NASA scientist, is launching a free, video-based science curriculum for teachers to make learning more experiential for children, thereby supporting their love of science.
Steve Huffman, cofounder of Reddit, discussed how up- and down-voting in online communities help maintain human values in digital spaces.
Jay Baxter and Keith Coleman explained how using Community Notes on X helps build distributed consensus to identify AI-generated fakes.
Systems Thinking for the Planet
Vincent Egoro highlighted a flaw in solar energy in Africa: those installing the hardware often ignore the local repair ecosystem, so the solar panel becomes less efficient over time or stops working altogether, while entire villages depend on them as their only way to get electricity. He advocates for standardized systems that local electricians can maintain.
Bill McKibben updated the audience on the solar revolution, noting that it provides 90% of new electricity, and urged for using solar energy particularly with small scale power system that can be installed easily by “freeing the rooftop” so our “energy (will come) from heaven not from hell”.
Joojin Kim of Solutions for Our Climate is working to eliminate 2.2 Gigatons of emissions by 2032 by transitioning the South Korean shipping industry to clean steel and fossil-fuel-free vessels.
Felix Brooks Church and his organization, Sanku, have spent 10 years prototyping a system to fortify flour with nutrients in African mills as an easy way to deal with malnutrition. His installation in 1500 flour mills in small African villages has already impacted 75 million people.
Maya Higa is revolutionizing conservation funding by using 24/7 livestreams from an animal sanctuary to raise $7.5 million for endangered species, without the need to build a zoo with visitors, which is both expensive and potentially traumatic for the animals. View her talk here.
Health and Safety Breakthroughs
Dr. Siddiqui's excitement for being able to prevent serious diseases in embryos through genome sequencing also brought to me the chilling potential of genome sequencing embryos to select for superior traits like stronger bones or lungs, and creating two categories of humans: those with wealthy parents who would use IVF to create the ideal baby, and the rest of the world, who cannot afford it.
Michael Snyder, Director at Stanford, explained how genomic testing can identify individual-specific glucose spikes to personalize diabetic diets.
Drew McCartor of Pure Earth outlined a three-step plan to address lead poisoning, which currently affects 1 in 3 children globally: identify sources of lead, then regulate and remove them, which often varies by country.
Tim Cernak explained how chemists can act as "first responders" by identifying the right medications to treat diseases in endangered species (for example, cancer treatments for endangered sea turtles).
Keith Diaz emphasized the importance of movement for health, noting that a 5-minute walk every 30 minutes can significantly reduce blood sugar spikes.
Where are we going? A better or a worse world. I would think a little of both: more concentrated power, better health, a risk for less freedom and the ability to decide, and a risk to our human connections that may be weakened by AI.
I just hope the human race will remain without having to merge or become a subspecies in an AI-dominant world.
What do you think?
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