SXSW Recap
Two Days in Austin at the Beginning of AI and the End of SVB
I hit SXSW for two short days this year, the first time since long before the pandemic, and I was reminded of both the overwhelm and the joys. The requisite roll calls on social, the endless WhatsApps of people trying to connect, the long lines were all back in action, but it has always been the serendipitous run-ins, surprising topics, and a glimpse at the future that keep me coming back.
This year I went with a film, Appendage, which was quite fun, produced by a friend’s studio.
When I first started going to SXSW, I was reviewing films, tucking into movies at every hour of the day and immersing myself in story. One year a documentary I produced premiered and won audience favorite. Then I started going for ad agencies, sussing out the latest and greatest trends from the unwieldy wave of talks, brand activations, people, and conversations. That movie energy, of a creative team who’s put their all into this initial moment with their audience, is unparalleled. But I’m a trend junky at heart, and enjoy sucking up the zeitgeist. So here’s four trends that struck me in my whirlwind tour.
It’s inevitable: AI
Shocking news: AI was everywhere. There were talks on AI x ethics, creativity, legal ramifications, HR, healthcare, journalism…AI x [pick a word] is going to be the mantra for the coming years.
The most anticipated AI talk was with Greg Brockman, President of OpenAI. He was hopeful and clear on the possibilities, and evasive whenever pressed on challenges. He foresaw a future of entertainment where AI could write personalized films, but whenever interviewer Laurie Segall brought up challenges, he labeled them growing pains of the technology. One of the heartening pieces of the puzzle for me was the structure of OpenAI. Started as a non-profit, the company opened a for-profit subsidiary with the intent to raise money, and at the top of each investor contract, he claims they have a big purple box that says the mission comes before profit.
Mental Health
Artificial intelligence wasn’t the only AI in town. Esther Perel, relationship expert extraordinaire, titled her talk the Other AI: Artificial Intimacy. Her take was about how the desire to be constantly attached to our phones, and to know everything disrupted our relationships. Other talks covered burnout from being constantly connected, mental health in the age of social media, and psychedelics as healing agents. Bars and events offered mushroom elixirs, adaptogenic sodas, and other wellness indulgences beyond the typical beer and tequila.
Even the film world touched on mental health; the film that I went with this year is a Hulu horror comedy about anxiety, as personified by a squishy little creature that grows the more it’s fed negativity.
Equal Pay
Speakers from Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow to Priyanka Chopra to founders in the creator economy were talking about pay equity. Giblin and Doctorow, co-authors of the new book Chokepoint Capitalism, presented their thesis that creativity is being held hostage by the powers that be: the big music studios and movie studios, the consolidation of companies, the rigging of contracts, the erosion of the artists guilds in Hollywood, and even the financial models of creator platforms, all serving to make the rich richer off of creative work they do not make. Priyanka talked about gender pay equity and how she felt the first time she knew she was getting paid the same as a male lead. And many of the start-ups I saw pitch incorporated revenue sharing or other models of wealth distribution to the creators or workers involved.
SVB
Speaking of money, the weekend felt awfully quiet compared to other SXSW’s I’ve been to in the pre-pandy era. But it wasn’t vaccine mandates or health precautions that kept the conference muted; it was the wild ride of the Silicon Valley Bank that subdued the mood. I heard from several people who had to stay home to untangle what the banking crisis meant to their businesses, and others were holed up in hotel rooms while the conference happened outside their windows. With the Treasury, the Fed, and the FDIC securing funds, I’m sure those who are still in Austin this week will be drinking Tito’s cocktails with some relief.
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You’ve just read Framing, a regular newsletter about what’s good culture, marketing, and business by Anita Schillhorn van Veen. I’m Director of Strategy at McKinney, on the lead team of Ladies Who Strategize, and a writer over at my other favorite Substack Why Is This Interesting.
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