3 Key Takeaways from SXSW 2024

Image credit: Carlos Alfonso via Unsplash

My experience at SXSW 2024 centred around my presentation with Chris Duffey, who is a leading tech futurist and expert in AI at Adobe. We explored a wide variety of emerging tech categories, analysing what’s real versus hype, this versus that, and the potential versus practical of each. From XR to brain computer interfaces, from nano technologies to quantum computing, from space elevators to refrigerators as smart (or maybe smarter) than humans, the possibilities when creativity and technology converge are endless. 

There were many more thought-provoking sessions and conversations throughout the event. Here are a few of my takeaways:

1) AI From All Angles

Picking up on the main theme from other tentpole events, SXSW left no shortage of AI-focused options to choose from. Perhaps the most interesting observation was how AI is influencing a wide range of industry verticals and expanding its use cases. One session explained how neurosurgeons can leverage AI technology to map brain waves, understanding where trillions of connections are occurring when evaluating how to inform diagnoses and make surgery decisions. Another considered the intersection of emotional intelligence and artificial intelligence to help glean insights into the mood of employees at work. This helps us to better understand how people may be feeling especially after the past four years of heightened emotions, making the technology that much more useful.

2) Connection as the Key for Consumer Experience 

Technology certainly remained at the forefront as many brand leaders discussed the ways in which they are driving more meaningful connections and experiences for their customers. Of course, the importance of data couldn’t be overstated when looking to create value and enhance loyalty. Speakers shared scenarios that stretched across the spectrum, from building a sense of belonging by forming local community ties, to creating Roblox experiences to mould connections virtually. Meeting customers where they are and understanding their diverse physical and emotional needs has always been a recipe for success but finding the right balance of how to do it consistently – and uniquely – is a tougher code for brands to crack. But the consensus among the ones who have done it is that personalisation paves the way, and to earn the right to get enough consumer data to deliver those experiences, they must invest in fostering connection. 

3) Dreaming (and Fearing) the Future

As much as AI was the dominant theme at SXSW, there were plenty of talks about the broader possibilities and implications of creativity and technology in the distant future. One of the content tracks was ‘2050’, which although is only 26 years away, might be a very different world to imagine at the pace we’re advancing now. Futurists spoke about XR devices bringing digital objects into physical spaces where humans and technology co-create reality. Researchers spoke about the emerging generation alpha, and how the influence of their millennial parents’ experiences with adversity and disruption are impacting how they are being raised. That said, the conversation that Chris Duffey and I had covered the wide-ranging possibilities in front of us with an optimistic outlook. The focus was exploring the ingenuity we are all capable of, and the responsibilities we all share to help create the future we seek. However, more broadly the tone among attendees was a combination of anxiety due to the questions that remain, and optimism for the future.