The Hidden Cost of Cocoa - Can AI Save It? | Alejandro Soumah | TEDxSanDiego
Imagine biting into a piece of chocolate, unaware of the hidden cost—child labor, unfair wages, and a system built to keep producers powerless. But what happens when AI tracks every transaction, verifies wages, and gives farmers ways to improve yields? AI startups are proving the cocoa trade doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.www.alejandrosoumah.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-soumah Alejandro Soumah leads RISO DATA, transforming West African cocoa through innovative supply chain modeling for transparency and sustainability. Raised on four continents by developmental economist parents, his multicultural background fuels a passion for equitable trade. Alejandro also founded COMPASS Institution, a nonprofit tackling global challenges like food insecurity with data-driven solutions.His work unites data science, agriculture, and sustainability, with research featured at the UCLA AI Conference and in publications on rice auto-sufficiency in Senegal and cocoa transparency in Ivory Coast. A former Quantitative Analyst at Goldman Sachs (FICC), he’s a vocal advocate for ethical supply chains, delivering talks on cocoa trade, data colonialism, and sustainability. Fluent in English, French, and Spanish, Alejandro is completing a Mathematics and Computer Science degree at UC San Diego. Learn more at alejandrosoumah.com. 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
More from TED
- 11:54Skate on Black Ice or Build on Solid Ground | Ana Maria Goilav | TEDxQuestfield Intl College YouthImagine a world where education transcends the confines of traditional classrooms. A place where learning is not just about screens and efficiency, but about human connection and authenticity. In this vision, schools are reimagined as peripatetic journeys through historic neighborhoods and natural landscapes, where students engage with timeless texts and craft with their hands. This is not just a dream; it's a reality being built in places like Școala de la Bunești, a summer school in the heart of a forest, where students and professors co-create a community rooted in nature and tradition. The future of education will divide us into two kinds of learners: those who skate on the thin ice of digital surfaces and those who build on solid ground, grounded in reality and human experience. Which path will you choose? Is a practicing architect and researcher, associate professor at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning. Together with Petre Guran, a researcher at the Romanian Academy’s Institute of South-East European Studies and Doctor in the history of civilizations at EHESS Paris, she co-founded 17 years ago the School of Buneşti, a college of architecture and liberal arts, where they apply principles of green architecture and sustainable development aligned with the rural cultural landscape. She also cofounded Arheia (2020), a project offering classical education to pupils aged 6 to 18. Ana Maria has published scientific articles in national and international journals and co-authored the book Acasă. Şcoala de la Buneşti. Oameni, cărţi, case (Home. The School of Buneşti. People, Books, Houses), published in 2017 by UAUIM. She holds a PhD in Church Architecture (2011, UAUIM). 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
- 11:05Մասնագիտական կողմնորոշում | Ashkhen Arzumanyan | TEDxAyb School YouthԻնչպես հասկանալ, թե ինչ ես իսկապես ուզում Ինչպես տարբերել զուտ երազանքները ապագա մասնագիտության տարբերակներից Ինչպես ցանկացած աշխատանք դարձնել եկամտաբեր . 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
- 13:19Նպատակներ և վախեր | Narine Petrosyan | TEDxAyb School YouthՆպատակների կենսաբանություն/հոգեբանություն Վախերի կենսաբանություն/հոգեբանություն Ինչպես հաղթահարել չհաջողելու վախը . 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
- 15:26Ինչպե՞ս հարմարվել փոփոխվող մասնագիտական աշխարհին | Edgar Karapetyan | TEDxAyb School YouthԱկադեմիական գիտելիքներ, թե՞ մրցունակ հմտություններ. Ինչպես համապատասխանել շուկայի փոփոխվող պահանջներին. Արհեստական բանականությունը մասնագիտությունների փոխարեն. Նոր մասնագիտություններ/օրինակ՝ Chemoinformatics/ . 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
- 14:42Chronos Time. Time measured in minutes | Hester Spiegel | TEDxUWCSEA DoverHester Spiegel explores how your perspective and/or angle on a situation can affect how you go through life. Hester Spiegel is an entrepreneur and investor, author and speaker, and mum of two boys. She is Founding and Managing Partner of Epic Angels, the largest all-female angel investor collective investing in women-led startups and author of ‘Thinking Big and Small: a guide to activating your entrepreneurial mindset’. By moving between countries, industries, professional and private roles in life, Hester has reinvented herself multiple times. Before starting her own companies, she had more than 15 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deutsche Bank in Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt. Hester pivoted her career and brought the modern education system and coding school ‘42’ to Germany, before launching Epic Angels and Ladies who Launch in APAC, creating access for women to become change makers through allocating time and capital. Adding perspectives by changing views regularly has shaped Hester's view on life and work and everything that is possible in it. 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
- 16:19The Quiet Power of a Dream | Rami Tarazi | TEDxLisboaFrom Gaza to France, Ireland, and the UAE, Rami Tarazi’s life has been shaped by curiosity, compassion, and an unshakable belief in the power of dreams. In this deeply personal talk, he reflects on how purpose can guide us through uncertainty, and how stories, books, and family shaped his path. More than a journey across borders, it’s a story of identity, hope, and the quiet strength of those who keep moving forward. A powerful invitation to dream together. Rami Tarazi was born in 1968 in Gaza. After completing his schooling, he began his studies at Birzeit University however, his education was interrupted by the eruption of the first Intifada, which changed the course of his life. During this turbulent time, Rami spent 18 months in Israeli prisons. In 1990 he signed a voluntary three-year exile agreement, allowing him to continue his studies in France and, by 1996, he graduated with a Master ‘s degree in Microelectronics from the University of Montpellier II. In 1997, he moved to Abu Dhabi and began working as an Electrical Engineer. By 1999, he joined IBM’s Microelectronics Division in Dublin. In 2003 Rami pursued an MBA at HEC Paris and upon graduating, he returned to Abu Dhabi with his family and joined Al Geemi Contracting as Executive Director. In 2013, Rami co-founded Basatin Landscaping in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, he embraced a new chapter, joining Sinyar Holding as an advisor to the CEO of its agri-business division, Themar. 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