This article was originally published on Finsbury.com
In its 30- year history, SXSW has covered everything from the rise of the Internet, the launch of Twitter, to the advent of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR). This year, the talks spanned the future of interactive as usual. They also mirrored the pressing issue of the day: the impact of technology on our lives, from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fake news bots, and what must be done to ensure advances are made responsibly.
This year’s key themes included;
STORYTELLING and publishing is going to get a lot more immersive and data-driven
Hate speech, the rise of misinformation and unverified data have created an environment where TRUST is at an all-time low
Advances in AI are happening right now. Beyond the rhetoric of fear, how can we create a regulatory framework for something so complex without killing opportunity?
VOICE featured heavily, with implications for search particularly interesting from a brand perspective
PURPOSE had a strong presence throughout the festival, with many explorations of how we can put humans back at the heart of the picture and how tech can be a force for good
Our global digital team was on the ground. Download our highlights report for our key takeaways.
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