Computers are ranking the way people look—and the results are influencing the things we do, the posts we see, and the way we think.
Ideas about what constitutes “beauty” are complex, subjective, and by no means limited to physical appearances. Elusive though it is, everyone wants more of it. That means big business and increasingly, people harnessing algorit ... Show More
Feb 2025
How to embrace – and challenge – the idea of “beauty” in the technological age (w / Elise Hu) | How to Be a Better Human
Humans have always been captivated by beauty, and for almost as long, we’ve been marketed products and new technologies to help us achieve certain beauty standards. Elise Hu is a journalist and the author of “Flawless: Lessons in looks and culture from the K-beauty industry.” In ... Show More
34m 1s
Nov 2023
How does a computer discriminate?
OK, not exactly a computer — more like, the wild array of technologies that inform what we consume on our computers and phones. Because on this episode, we're looking at how AI and race bias intersect. Safiya Noble, a professor at UCLA and the author of the book Algorithms of Opp ... Show More
33m 53s
Apr 2024
What's In A Face: How technology uses our faces
Original broadcast date: December 9, 2022. We think our faces are our own. But technology can use them to identify, influence and mimic us. This week, TED speakers explore the promise and peril of turning the human face into a digital tool. Guests include super recognizer Yenny S ... Show More
50m 9s
Mar 2023
Deepfakes and AI: Inside TikTok’s Viral “Bold Glamour” Filter
These days beauty filters are commonplace on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Tiktok, but TikTok’s new “bold glamour” filter is so realistic it’s a bit terrifying. So, how do beauty filters work in the first place? And what makes this one so different? And by using them are we ... Show More
9m 5s