A Look Back at SXSW in Austin
I was at SXSW. The most important innovation festival in the U.S. And I know that many of you would have loved to go. That’s why I’m taking you along on this retrospective journey and sharing my most interesting insights with you.
Trends are dead. Long live the storms.
Futurist Amy Webb buried her trend report in a spectacular on-stage ceremony. It is being replaced by the Convergence Outlook—a collection of storms that are shaking the world. The reasoning: individual trends today have little meaning. What matters are the moments when multiple developments converge simultaneously and reinforce one another.
These “convergences” act like storm systems: they transform not only markets but entire power structures, create new realities, and are virtually irreversible. Those who understand them recognize not only what is happening—but what is inevitably coming.
Amy Webb’s shift from the Trend Report to the Convergence Outlook is, of course, also partly a form of self-promotion. But the logic behind it makes sense to me. Because trends come and go. Individually, most have little impact. It is only their interplay that makes them truly powerful.
Some humans will be better than others
I have also learned from Futurist Amy Webb that technology will make some people – those who can afford it – significantly more capable than others. Through exoskeletons, neural interfaces, and optimized bodies we optimize human physical and cognitive capabilities beyond their natural limits. She calls it human augmentation.
While jogging in Austin, I not only ran into someone wearing an exoskeleton on their calves. But I also met someone who records their daily routine with a microphone and then asks an AI how they can improve. And Amy mentioned that she herself owns an AI-powered bed that optimizes her sleep. Are we creating a new form of inequality? The future question will not be: Do we want to join in? But rather: Can we afford to resist the trend when others gain a competitive advantage through tech?
Loneliness is becoming a digital business model
Until now, we’ve shared our fears, worries, and challenges with other people. Whether friends, family, or therapists. That’s changing: We’re increasingly discussing our problems with machines—specifically ChatGPT, therapy apps, bots, and the like.
Friendship, relationships, therapy, and even spirituality have long been offered as fully virtual services. Now you can chat with Jesus and even have a group chat with his entire family. She says LLMs are already now the single largest source of mental health support in the U.S.
The cycle is simple: Digital services first make us lonely, then they monetize our loneliness with apps, subscriptions, or AI-powered services. We need these to feel normal again. This is how they create emotional dependence and, ultimately, control over us.
Self-driving cars are not scary at all
To all of you who have been to Silicon Valley this is not a surprise: Autonomous driving is great. I had so much fun on my first ride with an self-driving Waymo-Uber. Everybody can order it as a normal Uber.
On day 2 of SXSW, I needed an Uber in a hurry. “Is a Waymo okay?” the app asked me. Yes! Click—booked. Was I scared? I didn’t even think about that. It immediately felt exciting and like the future. And I have to admit: I’ve only ever had unpleasant taxi rides with real drivers.
Did everything go smoothly? Almost. Unfortunately, the car dropped me off at the wrong spot. But this problem can be fixed easily, right? Honestly: I got my money back without asking. So I payed zero—and not to forget: you save on the tip.
Can Germany please finally approve autonomous vehicles here too? That would give the German auto industry—which is technically good when it comes to autonomous driving—a huge boost. Or to put it another way: We can’t afford to ban autonomous vehicles in the long run!
AI and workplace relationships
Many panels and talks at SXSW discussed how people interact with AI. For example this very human question: If we offload more and more work to AI—how does it affect our working relationships? Harvard Business Review author Amy Gallo said: When we automate communication, we also outsource relationships.
Her points: We produce AI workslop, what makes communication inefficient. Research shows that those who use AI are often perceived as less competent. With AI we reduce friction—but friction fosters better collaboration, and results. And: We maintain more superficial relationships and generate more conflicts.
Amy Gallo has developed some tips for working with AI in the workplace.
- Be transparent about your use of AI
- Use AI only for transactional communication
- Use AI to improve not to replace relationships
- Communicate with people differently than with AI
What will remain from SXSW
Technological progress is advancing faster than ever. And yet, it will never again feel as slow as it does today. This brings opportunities and risks.
It is therefore all the more important that we consistently approach AI with a human-centered mindset. And at the same time, we must remain curious about what lies ahead. Because the closer we are to the development, the more we can help shape it—and the more we will benefit from it.
Because the future doesn’t just happen. The future is made. By us.
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