About this talk: Transactions have always involved middlemen. They establish trust—but also bring extra cost, complexity, and potential for error. Blockchain provides a secure, fast, transparent, and error-free digital record of the history of transactions, and so has the potential to replace many intermediaries. Will it? About this partnership...

"Every now and then, a truly stellar new technology emerges, and it always takes us to places we never imagined," says blockchain specialist Mike Schwartz. Like the combustion engine, the telephone and the Internet before it, blockchain promises to transform how human society functions. We're not there yet but if all goes as planned, blockchain ...

Say hello to the decentralized economy -- the blockchain is about to change everything. In this lucid explainer of the complex (and confusing) technology, Bettina Warburg describes how the blockchain will eliminate the need for centralized institutions like banks or governments to facilitate trade, evolving age-old models of commerce and finance...

As digital assets like cryptocurrency and NFTs become more mainstream, design thinker and head of Instagram Adam Mosseri believes that creators are uniquely positioned to benefit. These blockchain-enabled technologies could remove the need for a "middleman" in the form of large social media platforms, allowing creators to more freely distribute ...

What if smallholder farmers could use their produce and livestock to pay for goods and services? TED Fellow and alternative currency enthusiast Fariel Salahuddin is working to make this a reality in places including rural Pakistan, where basic necessities like water and electricity are often expensive or inaccessible. She explores how the way we...

When diagnosed with a disease, it's often overwhelming to sort through mountains of medical data to figure out what therapies are available, pinpoint where they're offered and identify the best experts to help. Complexity specialist Gunjan Bhardwaj recognizes that mining this information may best be done using a system of artificial intelligence...

What is the blockchain? If you don't know, you should; if you do, chances are you still need some clarification on how it actually works. Don Tapscott is here to help, demystifying this world-changing, trust-building technology which, he says, represents nothing less than the second generation of the internet and holds the potential to transform...

Given the option, few would choose to buy products that harm the earth -- yet it's nearly impossible to know how most consumer goods are made or where they're sourced from. That's about to change, says supply chain innovator Markus Mutz. He shares how he used blockchain technology to track Patagonian toothfish on their journey from ocean to dinn...

Something profound is changing our concept of trust, says Rachel Botsman. While we used to place our trust in institutions like governments and banks, today we increasingly rely on others, often strangers, on platforms like Airbnb and Uber and through technologies like the blockchain. This new era of trust could bring with it a more transparent,...

Could DAOs, or "decentralized autonomous organizations," be the key to building the next great city? Experimental urbanist Scott Fitsimones shares how these mission-driven, blockchain-governed, collectively owned organizations could increase the speed and efficiency of building cities (among many other applications) -- all while pooling decision...

"To see and understand the countryside is a crucial part of moving towards a more livable future for everyone," says coder, artist and organizer Xiaowei R. Wang. They've observed that some of the most careful, thoughtful innovation is happening in the world's rural communities, like Chinese chicken farmers using biometrics tracking and blockchai...

About this talk: How does banking work in one of the most geographically, culturally, and economically remote countries on earth? Westpac Papua New Guinea works in the Highlands of the southwestern Pacific nation to build an inclusive banking structure built on the Wantok system, a kind of tribal social security. Working with the Wantok system e...

Currency -- the bills and coins you carry in your wallet and in your bank account -- is founded on marketing, on the belief that banks and governments are trustworthy. Now, Paul Kemp-Robertson walks us through a new generation of currency, supported by that same marketing ... but on behalf of a private brand. From Nike Sweat Points to bottles of...

In this revelatory talk, technologist Kayvon Tehranian explores why NFTs -- digital assets that represent a certificate of ownership on the internet -- are a technological breakthrough. Learn how NFTs are putting power and economic control back into the hands of digital creators -- and pushing forward the internet's next evolution.

Don Tapscott, Executive Chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute, is one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology in business and society. He has authored 16 books, including "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything," which has been translated into over 25 languages

Bettina Warburg is a blockchain researcher, entrepreneur and educator. A political scientist by training, she has a deep passion for the intersection of politics and technology.

Social entrepreneur Bernhard Kowatsch shares real-life examples of how a business approach focused on accelerating tech (like a blockchain-supported way to bring food to refugees or a machine that fortifies flour at small mills in Africa) can help make an impact on big, seemingly intractable problems. "Innovation and technology can create so muc...

A. Dara Dotz left the tech industry for the nonprofit world after realizing our widespread reliance on tech may be doing us more harm than good. In response, she founded Field Ready to work directly with communities on the ground in disaster zones and co-develop low-tech aid solutions, repurposing found materials like car mats and broken solar p...

In need of a brief yet illuminating lesson on the obsession with NFTs? Elizabeth Strickler breaks down the acronym and explains the fundamentals of non-fungible tokens, sharing how these digital assets are changing the landscape for artists and content creators looking to cash in on their creations -- in and out of the metaverse.

Ashwini Anburajan using blockchain to democratize access to capital.

We're living in a golden era of innovation, says entrepreneur Ashwini Anburajan -- but venture capital hasn't evolved to keep up, and start-ups aren't getting the funding they need to grow. In this quick talk, she shares the story of how her company became part of an entirely new way to raise capital, using the powers of cooperation and cryptocu...

Yat Siu is a veteran technology entrepreneur and digital property rights advocate who believes web3 and digital property rights are the key to a fairer, more prosperous and democratic internet.

Noah Raford is a globally respected futurist who specializes in delivering difficult projects and creative ideas.

Neha Narula is helping redefine the future of money by researching cryptocurrencies and providing clarity on how digital currencies will transform our world.

Anna Piperal is a branding expert and digital enthusiast who strives to spread the idea of a "zero-bureaucracy" government ecosystem.

Laura Shin covers big ideas from the world of blockchain and cyrptocurrency.

Xiaowei R. Wang is the lead steward of Logic School. They work on community-based and public art projects, data visualization, ecology and education.

Scott Fitsimones believes in building the things you want to see exist in the world. In his case, this means trying to build a new kind of city, powered by blockchain.

Bernhard Kowatsch is the head of the Innovation Accelerator of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which he created in 2015.

As an AI researcher and specialist on digital assets, Jennifer Zhu Scott has her finger on the pulse of technologies that are poised to change our economies and our lives.