NEWS
TEDxABQ returns with a challenge: Rethink everything
Nineteen local voices to spark conversation on AI, health equity and breaking out of preconceived notions
In a world filled with echo chambers, an Albuquerque event is challenging people to think outside the box.
TEDx, a speaker series modeled after TED talks, will theme its Aug. 29 event on reframing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about shifting your perspective on ideas that you might have thought were known or you had a preconceived notion about,鈥� said Meghan Pickard, chief operating officer of Curiosity Inc., the local nonprofit behind TEDxABQ.
The event returned to Albuquerque last year after a three-year hiatus.
This year, the event will take place at the Albuquerque Rail Yards, a large open-air space used for community events and film productions, which Pickard said is 鈥渙ne of the most iconic things about Albuquerque.鈥�
Throughout the day, 19 will discuss reframing, focusing on various topics that could plant a new seed in audience members鈥� brains 鈥� including perfectionism, jewelry, gaming, gender equality and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Sageline LaBaze, known as 鈥淒r. Saghee,鈥� will discuss the intersection of AI and healthcare, aiming to show how the technology can be used as a tool for preventing health conditions rather than something to fear.
People in rural New Mexico 鈥� a majority of the state鈥檚 population 鈥� have less access to healthcare than those in Albuquerque, LaBaze said. In some communities, residents may only be able to access emergency care instead of preventive care.
Generative AI has posed cybersecurity risks in healthcare, including data leaks, algorithm manipulation and deepfake misuse, according to a from the National Library of Medicine. Healthcare workers like LaBaze are looking to change that through a human-centered approach.
鈥淚 hope that it can put people鈥檚 minds at ease, knowing that when it has the right intentions and with the right people behind it developing the proper protocols and framework, AI can have extraordinary potential to really support a lot of vulnerable lives,鈥� she said.
TEDxABQ attendees can also wander throughout the venue and engage in activities from learning how to play pickleball to eating at local food trucks, Pickard said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a unique way to share ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is not a traditional conference that is focused on a specific topic. It is a blending of topics that often create magical connections when you pair them or just get people in the same room talking.鈥�
New Mexico has strong talent and creative ideas, Pickard said, and TEDxABQ spotlights them when the rest of the world often does not.
鈥淭he opportunity to reframe ideas in a non-identity-threatening way where you really just get to go in and wrestle with an idea in its purest fashion, I think it's a welcomed relief for a lot of people in our world today,鈥� Pickard said.
Keelin Fisher is a business reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kfisher@abqjournal.com.
