TL;DR: My new TEDx talk, Only Broken Things Make Us Think, argues that seamless AI lets us consume without questioning, and that real innovation belongs to the people who seek discomfort, open the black box and never stop asking why.

Watch it on YouTube: Only Broken Things Make Us Think, TEDxInnovation U.

What is the talk about?

Blowing dust from Super Nintendo cartridges taught me something no perfect product ever did: broken things force you to think. The generation raised on finicky hardware and pirated software did not just learn to fix things. It learned to open the system, understand it and build resilience from the point of failure.

Seamless AI removes that friction, and with it, the invitation to think. When every answer arrives instantly and nothing ever breaks, we consume without questioning. The talk makes the case for the curious repairperson, the instinct to open the black box and keep asking why.

Why does this matter for design?

As a designer I spend my life removing friction, so this talk argues against my own job description, and that is the point. Smoothness is the right goal for checkout flows. It is the wrong goal for understanding. The products I respect most leave the user smarter, not just faster, and the difference between those two outcomes is a design decision.

Where else have I spoken?

This is my third TEDx talk. My previous one, Creativity Is a Skill, Not a Gift at TEDxAwaji in Japan, made the case that creative ability is trained, not inherited. I have also been invited to speak at the United Nations on AI, education and equity.

FAQ

What is Only Broken Things Make Us Think about?

It argues that friction and failure are where thinking starts, and that seamless AI risks producing a generation that consumes answers without questioning them.

Where was it filmed?

At TEDxInnovation U. The full talk is on the official TEDx Talks YouTube channel.

How many TEDx talks has Carlos Lastres given?

Three. He is also a United Nations speaker and an Apple Design Award winner.

Carlos Lastres is an Apple Design Award winning product designer and software engineer based in Tokyo, a 3x TEDx speaker and a United Nations speaker. He designs products that turn attention into revenue, and ships his own apps end to end.