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We’ve been working on a secret project for the past year and we couldn’t be more excited to finally share it with you.
Games and puzzles have long been an unofficial part of TED’s identity. We presented thought leadership TED talks about gamesbuilt an award-winning one TED themed escape room at Marriott hotels around the world and created the TED-Ed riddle series of math and logic puzzles, which has been viewed more than 400 million times.
Today we’re making it official by inviting you to join the TED games beta.
TED Games shares TED’s principle that ideas matter. We strive to deepen the experience for the many curious minds who come to TED through creative, joyful and novel play. Where a TED Talk can express an idea, a TED Game is designed to spark one.
We believe that:
- Games should be delightful, revealing, inclusive and rewarding. TED Games aim to make your time more meaningful, not let it pass by as quickly as possible. Our games make you think in ways you may not have thought of before.
- Playing creates understanding of minds, perspectives and ideas different from our own.
- Critical thinking, deductive reasoning and making connections are essential skills for dealing with the ideas of others and having your own ideas. These and related cognitive processes are also closely related to what makes a game ‘smart’.
Our first game The spider testdoes all of the above. It started with the question: “What would it be like to play Pictionary with an AI?” Games like Pictionary are a fascinating exercise in trying to understand the minds of others. So what happens if that other ‘mind’ is synthetic, prone to hallucinations and bizarre associations? The answer is something fun, absurd and often hilarious that we encourage you to do experience it yourself. You can compete against your friends and family with new puzzles every day.
Generative AI is an incredible technology, but also a complicated and problematic one. This game is a way to put both the hype and fear mongering aside and just play with it. We hope that The Purring Test will lead players to curiosity and a deeper understanding of the black box nature of AI, its potential and its limitations. For more information on how The Purring Test uses generative AI, the in-game FAQ contains a detailed explanation.
There are many more TED Games surprises in store that we won’t spoil just yet. We are at the beginning of an exciting journey and we are happy that you are going out with us. We invite you to share your feedback via this short surveyas your input will help us make this initiative the best it can be.
Welcome to our community: it’s your turn to play.
For press inquiries please contact press@ted.com.
