Ted Talks Daily

Cartoonist Liana Finck's drawings hold our hands through life's predicaments, big and small: dating, breakups, what to make for dinner, how to leave a party without being rude, how to think about our relationship with God. In a funny, moving talk, she shares some of her drawings and shows how she uses creativity to navigate false starts and cluelessness in the search for belonging.

From "elite" pickles to "premium" baby diapers, marketers are constantly telling us to seek superiority — but "by the simple law of averages, most of us have to live a life more ordinary," says sociolinguist Crispin Thurlow. He invites us to embrace mediocrity for a change, offering a different path to contentedness without comparison.

The phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" might be the kind of cliché that makes you roll your eyes — and yet, it's an idea that is, scientifically, pretty accurate. In today's episode, psychologist Laurie Santos — a Yale professor and host of "The Happiness Lab" podcast — discusses some of the surprising evidence behind what does and doesn't make us humans happy. Laurie also shares strategies on how to improve our well-being, discusses the irony behind "self-care" and explains why happiness is often a journey not just within, but beyond, ourselves. This is an episode of How to Be a Better Human, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. Listen to How to Be a Better Human wherever you get your podcasts.

For millennia, we have debated the mind, body, spirit connection. But today, it sounds trite, #selfcare. In this special series on the TED Radio Hour, we explore fresh ideas on how we think, move and feel. Up first: the mind. In this segment, neurotech entrepreneur Tom Oxley joins host Manoush Zomorodi to talk about an implantable brain-computer interface that can change the way we think. To listen to the whole episode, find TED Radio Hour wherever you're listening to this. And explore the world of the TED Audio Collective at audiocollective.ted.com.

Exploring Rick Rubin's production discography is like taking a tour through the commanding heights of American music over the past few decades. The record producer joins Debbie Millman to talk about his legendary career making classic songs with the best musicians in the world, from Run-DMC to Jay-Z to Adele. This is an episode of Design Matters with Debbie Millman, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. You can find more Design Matters wherever you get your podcasts.

ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot capable of generating human-like text, seems to be everywhere. But how trustworthy are these tools — and what do they mean for the future of writing and work? Adam brings AI entrepreneur Allie Miller and innovation and entrepreneurship professor Ethan Mollick to discuss the capabilities of ChatGPT, debate its merits and downfalls and ponder what we should — and shouldn't — leave to AI. This is an episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. For more, check out ReThinking wherever you get your podcasts.

At work, the dreamers often get credit for the big ideas, but they can also sometimes seem untethered to reality to the doers, who are trying to ... get things done. It's when these two types of humans work in harmony that business magic happens, says culture strategist Beth Viner. She lays out a practical blueprint for harnessing the dreamer's out-of-the-box thinking and the doer's practicality, showing why it's the key to building, growing and innovating in any relationship or organization.

We're fast approaching a world where widespread, hyper-realistic deepfakes lead us to dismiss reality, says technologist and human rights advocate Sam Gregory. What happens to democracy when we can't trust what we see? Learn three key steps to protecting our ability to distinguish human from synthetic — and why fortifying our perception of truth is crucial to our AI-infused future.

Legendary actor and mental health advocate Glenn Close is on a quest to change how we think about mental health, starting with her decision to speak out about her own family's struggles — a brave choice considering the stigma that pervades the topic. In a sweeping conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Close shares the inspiration behind the advocacy group she founded to combat the crisis, underscoring the transformative power of community and the critical need for comprehensive mental health care systems.

Investor Cathie Wood explores this unique moment in technology, which she sees as being marked by the simultaneous evolution of five pivotal innovation platforms — a scenario unparalleled in history. Exploring the role of AI in reshaping economic paradigms, she predicts a surge in global GDP growth and productivity, underscoring the need for businesses and investors to adapt in order to keep up.

Have we lost the practical wisdom of what happens as people die? With lessons from a career witnessing thousands of people's final breaths, palliative care expert Kathryn Mannix urges us to demystify the experience of death, sharing how a better understanding of what actually happens can reduce fear in the final days, for you and your loved ones.

"Democracy is the most compelling vision we have for self-governance," says freedom advocate Yordanos Eyoel. Taking a stand against predatory and opportunist authoritarian forces, she shares how to reimagine, accelerate and protect the pro-democracy movement — to build societies that are both functional and inclusive.

"We underestimate the power of our own generous actions," says Asha Curran, CEO of the global generosity movement GivingTuesday. Sharing stories of people making a difference through simple acts of kindness, she shows how generosity, even in its simplest forms, can be a transformative force — and explains why we all benefit from a world grounded in giving.

The metaverse could be our key to making real progress in the fight against climate change, says engineer Cedrik Neike. Examining how AI-powered modeling eliminates the trial and error of wasteful industries, he explores how this emerging technology is already improving everything from the gigafactories that churn out electric car batteries to the fuel efficiency of your home. Learn more about how these "digital twins" are transforming the world — and not a moment too soon.

As the cofounder of Google DeepMind, Shane Legg is driving one of the greatest transformations in history: the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). He envisions a system with human-like intelligence that would be exponentially smarter than today's AI, with limitless possibilities and applications. In conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Legg explores the evolution of AGI, what the world might look like when it arrives — and how to ensure it's built safely and ethically.

Legendary conductor Benjamin Zander explains his view on the difference between "positive thinking" and "possibility" (one's a fraud; the other's the real thing, he says) and intersperses delightful stories from a lifetime in music with a sing-along to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Do you ever feel extra forgetful? Stress could be the culprit. In a fascinating talk about how your memory works, neuropsychologist Nicole Byers shares the science behind how stress drains your brain's resources, making it harder to remember things and easier to make mistakes. But fear not: she also shares a simple solution to recharge your brain and get your memory back on track.

Competition is a core part of human nature, and it can drive us to extraordinary feats. But when it goes wrong, the results can be devastating. Poker champion and science communicator Liv Boeree introduces us to "Moloch's trap" — the dark force of game theory driving many of humanity's biggest social problems, which is now threatening to derail the AI industry.

Generative AI is poised to transform the workplace, but we still need human brains for new ideas, says marketing expert Jessica Apotheker. She explores how marketers can find their niche in the world of AI based on their preference for data or creativity, offering a pragmatic and hopeful look at the future of business.

With levity and profound insight, artist Maira Kalman reflects on life, death, dinner parties, not knowing the right answers, the joys of eating a hot dog from a street vendor and more. This talk, interwoven with her delightful paintings, is itself an artwork that seems to hold the entirety of life in all its absurd glory.