SXSW London’s AI Buzz: Hype, Hope, and Creative Anxiety in the Queue

Queues, Conversation, and Creative Angst: The AI Ups and Downs of SXSW London

Attending London’s first SXSW felt a bit like joining an exclusive club—pay a premium, only to find yourself standing in lines most of the time, surrounded by people pitching ideas. But those queues turned out to be goldmines for conversations. And when you managed to grab a seat, the talks often made the wait worthwhile. Unsurprisingly, AI dominated nearly every discussion.

Three AI Upsides

Maybe AI Won’t Kill Human Craft After All

Creatives often swing between two extremes: AI as just another tool or AI as the job killer. The reality might be somewhere in between. Technologies like digital watermarking are being developed to clearly identify AI-generated content and trace it back to its source. For example, if a voice artist hears their voice cloned in a commercial, watermarking could help track the origin and training data used.

Furthermore, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act requires AI content to be clearly labeled. Picture browsing online with every piece tagged “generated by AI.” It might feel cheapened, but it also adds transparency. Browser plugins that flag AI content aren’t far off. The question is: how much AI content will flood the web?

AI Is Already Improving the Lives of Children with Rare Diseases

The cost of sequencing a human genome has plummeted from $2 billion to around $50, thanks to AI and machine learning advancements. This means every critically ill child in the UK could potentially have their genome sequenced quickly.

Such data can transform diagnoses of genetic diseases, making them almost instantaneous. Combine this with CRISPR’s gene-editing potential, and we’re looking at a future where a quick genetic tweak changes everything.

Ethical AI Is Alive and Kicking

Companies like Exactly.ai and Spawning are leading the charge on ethical AI. These platforms prioritize protecting and expanding artists’ intellectual property rather than exploiting it.

Exactly.ai’s founder lays out four key principles for ethical AI: training AI on the creator’s own data, maintaining a transparent and controllable process, ensuring creators own both the model and its outputs, and making sure the platform adds value and expands IP.

Of course, not all AI platforms follow these rules, but it’s a promising start.

Three AI Challenges

Some Ethics Claims Don’t Hold Up

Not all AI companies are as protective of creators as they claim. For instance, 11 Labs and Synthesia promote ethical usage but develop tools that replace human talent.

11 Labs’ voice marketplace has paid $5 million to voice creators, but with over 5,000 voices, only a handful earn substantial income. Synthesia offers company shares to select actors and focuses on corporate content, but many actors depend on corporate videos for their livelihood. These numbers raise questions about the real impact on creators.

Stopping AI development isn’t realistic, much like taxi drivers opposing ride-share apps. The key is honesty about what’s happening so creatives can adapt and find new ways to thrive.

Everyone’s Secretly Using AI but Hiding It

KPMG’s Trust in AI report surveyed 50,000 people across 47 countries. It found that 57% admitted using AI and presenting the results as their own work. Nearly half uploaded sensitive company data to public AI tools.

The takeaway: people rely on AI but feel ashamed or worried about admitting it. If we don’t start talking openly, the legal and ethical fallout could be severe.

You’re Not Who You Think You Are

Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square, gave a talk with a provocative idea: search is nearly dead. He says 95% of Americans earning $125k+ already use Large Language Models (LLMs) to discover and choose brands, trusting these AI-generated answers more than traditional search results.

This shifts how brands are perceived. Soon, your brand identity might be shaped more by what LLMs say than what you publish. Unlike websites, you can’t issue a takedown notice to AI models.

McKelvey predicts a rise in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) replacing SEO. How? Possibly by flooding the internet with content for AIs to learn from, but no one really knows yet. Maybe it will force brands to be more truthful since AI learns from both marketing claims and customer reviews.

Looking Ahead

Despite the doom and gloom, there was optimism at SXSW London. The event left many with sore feet but also new connections and enough hope to return next year—if someone’s willing to cover the ticket.

If you’re a creative looking to keep pace with AI, consider exploring courses that build practical AI skills and ethical understanding. Staying informed and adaptable will be key in this shifting landscape.