By Day 3 at TED2024, our attendees are starting to have a clearer understanding of what’s ahead. Here we offer a glimpse into the ideas that have captivated our community. 

The day at a glance…

Session 5 delivered a punch with a series of “Provocateurs.” Astrophysicist Avi Loeb talked about the search for aliens. Bill Ackman and Alison Taylor discussed the impact of the Activist Investor on society. Andrew Yang explored how we can fix politics, and Scott Galloway discussed the theft of generational wealth.

The “Bridge-Builders” in Session 6 included the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and Israeli-Palestinian Musical Peacemakers, conversations about glass blowing and parkour to indigenous artistry and a sound bath. 

Session 7’s “Trailblazers” included Abdoulaye Diabaté’s talk about how to end malaria, Reggie Watts discussing improv as a way of life, and Fusion Physicist, Tammy Ma providing the future of fusion. 

Check out TED Live to watch the full program from wherever you are. 

4 Reasons to Be Excited About Our Emerging AI Future

TED is a space where innovative ideas invite you to dream about the future – and might just push you beyond your comfort zone. Ideas truly change everything – here are 4 of them about humanity's future that our community members want you to know about:

1. AI will transform how we communicate and care for each other

“Using AI is exciting, as we look at personifying virtual avatars and making them an even bigger source of comfort, connection and positive influence in people’s lives,” reflected Ania Wysocka after seeing TED2024 speaker Sara Giusto’s talk. 

Giusto’s talk – featuring Imma, a virtual human avatar – inspired Wysocka to think about her own work and how these kinds of avatars could help forge meaningful connections among humans and help them with their mental health.

2. AI is accelerating the speed of creativity

“We're in the early stages right now because we don't fully understand what generative AI is capable of yet,” said filmmaker, animator, composer and TED Fellow Usman Riaz. “But I'm optimistic about it and very excited to see what happens.”

This moment in time reminds him of a saying from the late Steve Jobs: “A computer is the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.” He went on to add: “I'm viewing this rapid expansion in artificial intelligence and generative AI as a tool to progress further.”

Usman understands the benefits of using AI to boost creativity, having just animated an entire movie with the help of generative AI. He’s quick to point out that generative AI can essentially level the playing field, especially for people who don’t have access to a studio or advanced recording equipment.

3. AI is bringing us together in brand new ways

“We're leveraging breakthroughs in hardware, software and AI to reimagine remote communication that better resembles what it's like to actually be together in person,” says Mohamed Abdelgany, who is working on Google’s Project Starline, which aims to change the way we make video calls. The demo on display at TED2024 is allowing our attendees to experience a 3D, hyper-realistic video of a person you’re on a call with.

“We use a combination of off-the-shelf cameras as well as a special display called the ‘light field display’ to capture each person from different angles and create realistic 3D models,” Abdelgany explains. “We then show you on these displays to create an illusion of being represented in three dimensions. In the same way that your right eye and your left eye have different views in real life, this allows your eyes to create the same three-dimensional effect.“

In the future, Abdelgany hopes this will help people better connect with each other – especially their remote colleagues –  and experience less meeting fatigue.

4. When it comes to AI, optimism is a choice

“There are these incredible AI tools that I can use in my work, and they are giving people a voice and bringing people together,” says TED attendee Morgane Danielou who witnessed first-hand the wonder of multidisciplinary artist and TED2024 speaker Cai Guo-Qiang, whose voice and native language of Mandarin was translated and communicated in English in real-time with the TED audience as he delivered his talk onstage. Now Danielou is reconsidering her reluctance about AI. She’s looking forward to seeing how future policies will develop to overcome the technology’s shortcomings, and embracing its potential.

From the groundbreaking talks (coming soon to TED.com!) to the unique interactive demos and exhibits, TED2024 has shown the forefront of an exciting future fueled by AI.