TEDx Syracuse University returns with focus on ‘What Matters Next’

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Big ideas, personal stories and urgent questions about the future will take center stage at Syracuse University this week as TEDx returns to campus Thursday.

While TED Talks have built a global following online, TEDx events are designed to bring that same format to local communities. They are independently organized under a TED license, giving organizers flexibility to tailor each event while still focusing on “ideas worth spreading.”

This event’s theme, “What Matters Next,” is meant to push both speakers and the audience to think beyond the present moment.

“‘What Matters Next’ challenges both the speakers and audience to look beyond the present and consider the consequences, opportunities and efforts that will define the coming years,” said Ryan Nkongnyu, a Newhouse graduate student and one of the event’s lead organizers.

Nkongnyu said the idea behind the theme is rooted in bringing people together at a time when many feel divided.

“We are in a day and age where a lot of people’s stories are being targeted in many different ways,” Nkongnyu said. “Instead, this is a time where we need to come together and build community and consider what are the things that matter next.”

He sees the event as a starting point for conversations that extend far beyond the auditorium.

“I believe that we as people, as a community, can be architects of the future,” Nkongnyu said. “When we start these conversations, we can shape the future.”

The event will feature eight speakers from a wide range of backgrounds, each delivering short talks designed to challenge perspectives and inspire action.

The lineup includes students, faculty and professionals tackling topics from storytelling and education to artificial intelligence and human connection. Organizers describe the speakers as “thinkers, doers and innovators,” each offering a different lens on the future.

One of those speakers is Newhouse professor Adam Peruta, whose talk focuses on artificial intelligence and the growing challenge of media literacy.

“My area of interest is all about AI, which is a very big topic right now,” Peruta said. “And I thought that I had a very specific message that I wanted to get out there.”

His talk, titled “When Everything Can Be Made, What Can Be Trusted,” explores how advances in AI are changing how people create and consume content.

“We’re in this time right now where anybody can create any type of media,” Peruta said. “I think that is really amazing. However, the level of misinformation and disinformation, it’s off the charts.”

Peruta said the inspiration for his talk came from a personal moment that reflects a broader issue.

“This talk was actually inspired by an interaction that I had with my mom,” he said. “She shared something with me she thought was real. I had to break the news to her that it’s not real — it’s actually created with AI.”

That experience, he said, highlights a growing gap in how people understand the media they consume.

“For the general population, people who aren’t familiar with AI, they really need some help and direction when it comes to navigating this new media environment,” Peruta said.

His goal is to offer a practical way forward.

“It’s giving people a framework to determine if what they’re looking at is synthetic or not,” he said.

For Nkongnyu, talks like Peruta’s are exactly what the event is designed to showcase — ideas that not only inform, but also resonate across different audiences.

“I want people to know that as much as we have individual voices and individual stories, we are more alike than we are different,” Nkongnyu said. “These conversations don’t just end in this space — they carry into our workplaces, our academic spaces, our homes.”

Nkongnyu said the event is not just about listening, but about engagement. In addition to the talks, attendees will have opportunities to connect, share ideas and continue discussions beyond the stage.

“We hope to highlight stories, stimulate conversations and open the door to exploring the things that matter as we shape our tomorrow,” Nkongnyu said.

Peruta says that kind of impact is what makes TEDx events stand out.

“Every TED Talk I watch, I walk away being really inspired,” he said. “Thinking about a topic from a new angle, hearing something I’ve never heard before. And I think that’s what’s going to be in store for us.”

The event is co-organized by Nkongnyu and Sonia Issa, with support from Syracuse University Libraries and the Office of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation.

For organizers, the hope is simple: that people leave not just informed, but motivated.

“We hope attendees gain insight and inspiration from this year’s event,” Nkongnyu said.

This week’s event will be held Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the K.G. Tan Auditorium inside the National Veterans Resource Center. The event is free and open to students, faculty, alumni and the public. Registration is available online.