Relationships were never meant to be efficient, says sextech expert Bryony Cole, and yet AI companions are increasingly designed to be exactly that. As intimate relationships between humans and AI become more common, Cole challenges us to think more deliberately about how we shape our connections to machines — and with each other. (This conversation, hosted by TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) (Recorded at TED Membership on February 5, 2026)

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We see consciousness in AI the same way we see faces in clouds, says neuroscientist Anil Seth. He explores the all-too-human tendency to project inner life onto machines that are brilliant mimics, not sentient beings, and gives a definitive answer to the urgent question: Will AI ever gain consciousness?

You can’t control the world — but you can control you. That’s the mantra that took Axios CEO Jim VandeHei, a once “unremarkably unremarkable 20-year-old,” all the way to launching companies and interviewing presidents. He breaks down a career’s worth of observations into five deceptively simple things you can control, and explores why mastering them can change the trajectory of your life. (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 11, 2025)

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