Science & Technology

How Satellites and AI Can Protect the Planet | Robbie Schingler | TED

Published

16 hours ago

August 20, 2026

Space technologist Robbie Schingler cofounded a satellite company that images the whole planet every day, making visible changes on Earth. He shows how pairing that data with AI creates a “planetary intelligence” we can use to spot emerging threats we might not have seen otherwise. Now he asks: Can we close the gap between seeing a crisis coming and actually stopping it? (Followed by a note from TED guest curators Divya Siddarth and Audrey Tang) (Recorded at TED2026 on April 14, 2026)

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29 Comments

@Indie_Pixels

August 20, 2026 at 11:07 am

How fires can save trees

Reply
@AdvantestInc

August 20, 2026 at 11:08 am

The detail worth dwelling on is the gap between detection and response, because better sensors keep sharpening the warning while acting on it stays a stubbornly human problem.

Reply
@금금-s9p

August 20, 2026 at 11:10 am

Thank you for the good information.

Reply
- @RusticRaver
  
  August 20, 2026 at 12:00 pm
  
  you dont think that is AI lobby speaking? all these data centres killing the planet and this guy just turns up to say AI is good for planet, sounds like bullshat to me, Ted talks are famous for this kind of green washing. After all all these missiles are piloted with help of satellites, very detrimental to environment.
  
  Reply
@thierryvankerm8474

August 20, 2026 at 11:24 am

But, AI will have destroyed the planet and humanity before. Don’t bother…

Reply
- @rikachiu
  
  August 20, 2026 at 12:30 pm
  
  Humans using AI maliciously is what will kill the planet and the rest of us. AI is just a tool that have cured cancers and solved incredibly difficult problems that you likely didn’t even bother looking up.
  
  Reply
- @PhilosophicAI
  
  August 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
  
  Not with that attitude. We will destroy the planet with negativity before AI has a chance to develop enough to help or hurt.
  
  Reply
- @oooooooo347
  
  August 20, 2026 at 3:20 pm
  
  I went on another browser just to read the comments for this video because normally I have comments completely blocked. Lo and behold, this is the sort of lazy negative thinking that is very popular now relating to anything to do with technology or AI. Change is coming. It can’t be stopped, but it can be steered, and it could be steered by people trying to think: what if things go right? What’s the positive vision of the future that’s worth campaigning for?
  
  Reply
- @romantwai9674
  
  August 20, 2026 at 3:35 pm
  
  @rikachiunope. AI is by nature untrustworthy and is a black hole that drain all energy. Each time AI is used, there us a better tool that use less energy and that produce better results. AI is pure madness and deeply, is just a way for cloud computing industry to survive by draining economy.
  
  Reply
- @rikachiu
  
  August 20, 2026 at 3:44 pm
  
  @romantwai9674 You clearly do not use AI on my level then.
  
  Reply
@IrfanShaikhVlogs10

August 20, 2026 at 11:35 am

Good

Reply
@bren1210

August 20, 2026 at 11:40 am

@6:26 please save the illicit crops. Nothing is illicit in nature

Reply
- @rikachiu
  
  August 20, 2026 at 12:27 pm
  
  Sure nothing is “illicit” however don’t ignore that nature also tries to kill you at every turn and why regulation is important.
  
  Reply
@soulplumber1506

August 20, 2026 at 12:10 pm

I’m still waiting for non-photoshopped / non-CGI images of these ‘satellites in orbit’. None exist.

Reply
- @rikachiu
  
  August 20, 2026 at 12:29 pm
  
  Plenty of photos taken by astronauts on Artemis II using their iphones you can easily look up.
  
  Reply
@ayubaidakwo5103

August 20, 2026 at 12:33 pm

Why are you focused on war. Teach us something else.

Reply
@bengodfrey6954

August 20, 2026 at 1:04 pm

how AI can hallucinate a crisis

Reply
@RuneVeil

August 20, 2026 at 1:32 pm

The opposite of good.

Reply
@user-kq2tc5hy5g

August 20, 2026 at 3:06 pm

10:48 skynet?

Reply
@romantwai9674

August 20, 2026 at 3:28 pm

Cloud LLM, aka AI, is a serious disease that injury deeply the environment and economy. And due to its statistical nature every AI production are untrustworthy. Using AI to predict and manage crisis is pure madness. In 1972 MIT designed a predictive model named earth 3, it was not AI, it was used by the Meadows team to predict the disaster of economic model. It was right. Read the book “The Limit to growth” and shutdown AI.

Reply
@Jasonxbr

August 20, 2026 at 4:30 pm

Not unless the machines turn evil with Makaveli Triad personified 😢😢😢😢😢😢 humanity is doomed 😢😢😢😢😢

Reply
@stitman

August 20, 2026 at 4:35 pm

Great Talk Mr. Shingler I recall learning about your company about 5 years ago.

Keep IT up 😊

Reply
@HispanoScot

August 20, 2026 at 7:05 pm

“Then the kings of the earth, the great ones, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” Revelation 6:15

Reply
@flamevix

August 20, 2026 at 7:52 pm

No.

Reply
@Boomerangbone

August 20, 2026 at 8:53 pm

How can Ted sleep at night knowing he still has the disgusting lecture from Sue the mother of one of the Columbine killers AND the audacity to turn the comments off

Reply

Science & Technology

Learn What VCs Actually Want, From a Founder Who’s Raised $1B l Build Mode

Investors want founders who understand the financial reality of their business. Messy data, misunderstood metrics, or waiting until you’re nearly out of cash to start fundraising can cost founders leverage, valuation, and even a term sheet. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Sasha Orloff, founder and CEO of Puzzle…

Published

15 hours ago

August 20, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Sasha Orloff, founder and CEO of Puzzle and Startup Battlefield alum, to talk about what he’s learned from building companies that have raised more than $1 billion collectively.

Sasha breaks down what investors look for during fundraising, which financial metrics founders should know by heart, and why VCs don’t expect your startup to be perfect—they expect you to understand its reality. He also shares how he nearly lost a term sheet because his data room wasn’t ready, how fundraising diligence changes as a startup grows, and why getting your financial house in order can help founders raise with more confidence and leverage.

They get into:
– What raising more than $1 billion across multiple companies taught Sasha about fundraising
– Why investors value founders who have a strong grasp of their company’s financial reality
– The financial metrics founders should know before pitching VCs
How investor expectations change from pre-seed and seed through Series A, B, and beyond
– Why revenue growth and the quality of that revenue are critical fundraising metrics
– How runway, margins, sales efficiency, and profitability factor into investor decisions
– Why waiting until you’re running out of cash can hurt your fundraising leverage
– How Sasha nearly lost a term sheet because his data room wasn’t ready
– Why financial organization and compliance can influence investor confidence and startup valuations
– What founders should have prepared for the due diligence process
– Why VCs don’t expect perfection—and why being honest about what isn’t working can make for a stronger pitch
– How Sasha’s own fundraising and finance frustrations ultimately led him to build Puzzle
– How AI could change the way startups manage accounting and understand their financial health

Chapters:
00:00 – Why VCs Want Founders Who Understand Reality
01:26 – Sasha Orloff’s Journey to Building Puzzle
05:05 – Why Puzzle Started With Startup Founders
08:38 – What Founders Should Know Before Fundraising
11:08 – What Investors Look for During Due Diligence
14:37 – Understanding the Financial Health of Your Startup
17:52 – The Financial Mistakes Founders Make
20:19 – When Startups Need Accountants and Finance Teams
24:04 – How Sasha Almost Lost a Term Sheet
26:10 – The Financial Metrics Founders Should Know Cold
28:20 – Lessons From Raising $1B+ Across Multiple Companies
31:45 – Why Financial Readiness Matters to Investors
33:49 – How AI Is Changing Startup Accounting
37:17 – Inside Puzzle’s Series A With General Catalyst
38:52 – Launching Puzzle at Startup Battlefield
40:38 – Sasha’s Advice for Early-Stage Founders

Subscribe to Build Mode:
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New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.

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That Voicemail Isn’t Real, It’s AI. The New Wave of AI-Impersonation Scams

Scammers are using AI to impersonate high-profile targets, such as celebrities and politicians. Here’s how you can stay safe. You can find the products mentioned in this article linked below Commerce Link *CNET may get a commission on these offers Link to CNET article: Read more about X on CNET.com: Timecode Chapters: 00:00 The Threat…

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Timecode Chapters:
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Science & Technology

Meet the startup helping Wall Street put a price on AI compute | Equity Podcast

The AI buildout shows no signs of slowing. And with hundreds of billions of dollars a year going into data centers and GPUs, compute has become the single biggest cost for anyone building AI products. But for all that spending, there still isn’t a straightforward way to put a price on compute — or for…

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Silicon Data just closed a $30 million Series A to change that. The startup aims to become the reference price for GPU rental and an index that a Wall Street futures contract would settle against. The company plans to launch its compute futures trading on the CME October 5th, pending regulatory approval.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Steve Hou, head of research at Silicon Data, to discuss the health of the AI buildout, and why the data is telling a different story than the doom and gloom headlines about depreciating chips and stalled data centers.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

0:59 Futures contracts explained

4:01 Can GPU compute actually be a commodity?

7:10 Who’s really trading these: hyperscalers, AI labs, and market makers

14:32 Locking in prices to make data center debt easier to swallow

18:21 Inside the pricing data

20:25 The A100 mystery: why an old chip is still in high demand

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23:20 Making sense of the Texas and New York data center pauses

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