Wonder: Notes from Session 1 of TEDNext 2024

For the opening session of the very first TEDNext conference, a poet, a comedian, an astrophysicist, one of the world’s most popular authors and other groundbreaking speakers explored a theme that keeps the world going: wonder and how it can transform our thinking.

What exactly is TEDNext? A vibrant, three-day exploration of what’s next, encouraging the ‘future you’ to drive change at every level, from personal to global. The first-ever TEDNext conference, held in Atlanta, kicks off an expansion of TED’s annual conference lineup and is designed to spark imagination, embrace possibility and dream about what the next version of you can be and do .

The event: Talks from Session 1 of TEDNext 2024, presented by Monique Ruff-Bell and Helen Walters of TED

When and where: Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia

Speakers and artists: Safiya Sinclair, Lisa Kaltenegger, Adam Munder, Malcolm Gladwell, Leo Villareal, Athena Kugblenu, Shu Takada

Watch TEDNext 2024 on TED Livecheck out more photos from the event and learn more about it attending a future TED conference

The conversations in short:

Nature is “the natural gateway to wonder,” says the poet Tomorrow Sinclair. With “Marigolds: A Letter to Wonder,” an original poem she created for TEDNext, she explores the fragility of life through images of youthful joy and floral beauty, reflecting on the enduring presence of those who have passed away.

Signs of life are written in the light of a planet, says an alien world explorer Lisa Kaltenegger. Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, which can collect light from small planets light-years away and illuminate the “chemical fingerprints” of their atmospheres, Kaltenegger explains how we are closer than ever to discovering whether or not we are alone in the universe.

When routine interactions like doctor’s appointments force deaf people to rely on improvised communication tools or even on their young children as interpreters, we lose the human connection that makes conversations meaningful, says communications advocate Adam Munder. That’s the driving force behind OmniBridge, an AI platform Munder is building with Intel to translate ASL in real time, turning previously frustrating encounters into natural conversations. Accompanied on stage by an ASL interpreter Christian Hansen and TEDs Hasiba HaqMunder demonstrates how the new translation platform works and shows how both deaf and hearing people can easily be themselves.

In his 2000 bestseller The turning point, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of how crime dropped in New York City in the 1990s, focusing his explanation on a criminological theory known as the “broken windows theory.” Now, 25 years after the publication of his groundbreaking book, he is here with a new message: “I was wrong.” He shares how his analysis contributed to the rise of the NYPD’s infamous stop-and-frisk policy—and shows why no journalist should adopt an attitude of certainty when trying to understand the world.

Artist Leo Villareal transformed the experience of getting lost at Burning Man (in the days before billionaires knew what it was) into a groundbreaking artistic practice, using custom-coded light patterns to create massive installations that turn urban infrastructure into communal gathering spaces. What started with a simple beacon of sixteen strobe lights to help him get home in the desert has grown into monumental works such as ‘The Bay Lights’ in San Francisco, an installation with 25,000 LEDs mounted on the suspender cables of the Bay Bridge, and London’s ‘Illuminate River’ project, which unites the bridges of the Thames into one luminous work of art, proves that public art can reshape the way we experience our cities.

Whether it’s pretending you’re okay or saying you’ll be there in five minutes when you haven’t left yet, we all tell little lies, explains comedian and writer. Athena Kugblenu. She humorously explains why lying is sometimes the right thing to do, and helps us all become “fib-literate.”

For six-time world yo-yo champion Shu Takadaa yo-yo is not just a toy; it is an art form. In an enchanting performance, he combines music, dance and acrobatics with his signature, incredible yo-yo movements, elevating this childhood pastime into a breathtaking spectacle.

Watch TEDNext 2024 on TED Livecheck out more photos from the event and learn more about it attending a future TED conference