Innovation is often perceived as a race to disrupt. But what if the real challenge lies not just in the act of innovating, but also in our own development through the process? Drawing from history and my experience in engineering design and startups, I’ll share key tensions innovators must navigate to create sustainable progress. Advanced tools are ineffective if users lack the readiness or context to utilize them; therefore, we need a new paradigm of innovation that considers both what to build and who we—as creators and users—must become. Brannon is a Senior Hardware Engineer with over 15 years of experience across several companies within the technology industry. He is passionate about using engineering to address societal challenges, and has dedicated his career to harnessing technological advancements to create meaningful change.As the first electrical engineer hire at ICON 3D, an Austin-based startup revolutionizing housing with 3D-printed technology, Brannon played a pivotal role in developing groundbreaking solutions. His contributions in this space earned him a patent for 3D-printed housing technology. Brannon also collaborated with the City of Austin on homelessness initiatives, leveraging his engineering expertise to tackle critical community issues.Throughout his journey, from developing cutting-edge housing solutions to his current work in industrial automation, Brannon has seen the transformative potential of technology. However, he recognizes that true innovation must prioritize the human element, ensuring that progress addresses the needs of individuals and communities. Brannon remains deeply committed to applying his skills and knowledge to solve complex problems while ultimately driving sustainable change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Kareena Sarkar, a junior at Canadian Academy, is passionate about unlocking human potential through better learning habits. Motivated by her struggles with academic pressure and distraction, Kareena dedicated her talk to Unlocking The Flow State. She shared how mastering focus and harnessing the brain’s natural rhythms can make studying more effective and enjoyable. Drawing on neuroscience and personal experience as an IBDP student, she explained how students can overcome procrastination, distraction, and overwhelm by eliminating flow blockers, setting clear goals, and building focus rituals. Kareena believes that unlocking the flow state can empower students to take control of their learning journeys and unlock greater confidence, productivity, and balance in their lives. Kareena Sarkar, a junior at Canadian Academy, is passionate about unlocking human potential through better learning habits. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

World renowned AI researcher, Agüera y Arcas, invites us to rethink what it means to be intelligent—and even what it means to be human. As the boundaries between people, machines, and ecosystems blur, he explores a deeper understanding of intelligence as something fluid, nested, and shared. This talk challenges our assumptions about cognition, identity, and progress, encouraging us to see artificial and natural minds not as separate, but as deeply intertwined. With clarity and care, Agüera y Arcas paints a future where collaboration—not control—defines our relationship with emerging intelligences. It's a bold vision for what comes next, grounded in wonder and humility. Blaise Agüera y Arcas is a VP and Fellow at Google, and Google’s CTO of Technology & Society. He leads an organization working on basic research in AI, especially the foundations of neural computing, active inference, evolution, and sociality. In his tenure at Google he has led the design of augmentative, privacy-first, and collectively beneficial applications, including on-device ML for Android phones, wearables, and the Internet of Things; and he is the inventor of Federated Learning, an approach to training neural networks in a distributed setting that avoids sharing user data. Blaise also founded the Artists and Machine Intelligence program, and has been an active participant in cross-disciplinary dialogs about AI and ethics, fairness and bias, policy, and risk. Until 2014 he was a Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft. Outside the tech world, Blaise has worked on computational humanities projects including the digital reconstruction of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii’s color photography at the Library of Congress, and the use of computer vision techniques to shed new light on Gutenberg’s printing technology. Blaise has given TED talks on Sead­ragon and Pho­to­synth (2007, 2012), Bing Maps (2010), and machine creativity (2016), and gave a keynote at NeurIPS on social intelligence (2019). In 2008, he was awarded MIT’s TR35 prize. In 2018 and 2019 he taught the course “Intelligent Machinery, Identity, and Ethics” at the University of Washington, placing computing and AI in a broader historical and philosophical context. He has authored numerous papers, essays, op eds, and book chapters, as well two books: a novella, Ubi Sunt, and an interdisciplinary nonfiction work, Who Are We Now? (review by the Financial Times here). His upcoming book, What Is Intelligence?, will be published by MIT Press in 2025. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

This talk explores the resilience of individuals affected by war, displacement, and trauma, highlighting the impact of PTSD on memory and daily life in Afghanistan. Through personal experiences and advocacy, Zar sheds light on the power of storytelling, education, and civic engagement in reclaiming agency and creating meaningful change. Zarlasht Sarmast completed her undergraduate degree at the American University of Central Asia – Department of International and Comparative Politics in 2020. While studying at AUCA, Zar was working for the “The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH” (GIZ) in Bishkek as a communications specialist. Before starting her academic and professional journeys in Bishkek, Zar served as the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan. She has previously worked with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and was part of many different peacebuilding and Humanitarian projects. She finished her first Master’s degree at the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE Academy), department of International Relations and Security. She recently finished her second Master’s degree again at AUCA - department of Applied Psychology. Her research on “Level of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and its impact on Prospective Memory among Afghan Students” is published on the OSUN-Vasa Website. Zar played an important role in the evacuation of over 370 Afghan students of AUCA and AUAF from Kabul to Bishkek which inspired her to author her first photo story book “A journey from Kabul to Bishkek” followed by a second story book titled “Our Journey to Bard”. She has spoken in many international meetings including the World Bank Spring Meetings on the importance of education for Afghan women. Currently Zar is based in New York City and works as the Business Manager for Bard NYC program. She also serves as the Civic Engagement Network Coordinator at the Open Society University Network and Bard Center for Civic Engagement. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Drawing from her personal story of trauma, addiction, and emotional survival, Samar Adarous offers a deeply moving perspective on healing. In her TEDx talk, she challenges the idea that pain must be hidden, and shows how choosing radical honesty and self-connection can transform not only your own life, but the lives of others. Her message is both spiritual and grounded, calling us back to who we truly are. I am an educator, resilience trainer, and speaker passionate about breaking the cycle of survival mode. Growing up in unstable circumstances, I learned to equate strength with endurance. However, through my personal and professional growth, I discovered that true resilience is about healing, not just pushing through. Now, as a teacher and mentor, I help others move beyond survival towards meaningful growth. At TEDx, I will share my journey from survival to thriving, challenging the audience to redefine resilience and embrace a new path forward. Stay tuned for Samar's TED talk: "Alive Healing" This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx