SXSW 2024: Brazilian invasion, Hitchcock, and empathy (Revista Problemas Brasileiros)

In March, another edition of the SXSW Festival took place in Austin, United States. An overwhelming amount of content was presented, covering topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), climate change, energy, fashion, the film and television industry, gaming, government and civic engagement, healthcare, music, psychedelics, sports, startups, transportation, the future of work, and much more.

For those unfamiliar with it, the name South by Southwest is a tribute to one of renowned filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s films, North by Northwest, released in 1959. The name was suggested by Louis Black, editor of the Austin Chronicle and one of the festival’s co-founders, alongside Roland Swanson and Nick Barbaro. When the event debuted in 1987, it attracted 700 attendees.

Returning to 2024, SXSW has established itself as one of the leading annual events for people interested in innovation. Organizers estimated that more than 200,000 people attended, including thousands of Brazilians. To answer the question posed at the beginning of this article, consider this: throughout the festival, it was common to hear people speaking Portuguese on the streets of Austin. This trend became even more pronounced that year thanks to the strong presence of the Government of the State of São Paulo at SXSW, represented by Casa São Paulo, with an exclusive space located in front of the city’s main convention center.

The initiative was created to promote business opportunities and attract foreign investment to the state. According to the State Department of Culture, its goal was to position São Paulo as the leading hub for innovation and the creative economy in Latin America, while also attracting international investment. The space welcomed thousands of visitors and offered a program running alongside the festival, including talks, debates, and musical performances.

Another prominent presence was Itaú. For the second consecutive year as an SXSW sponsor, the bank provided free translation of 100 festival talks. A valuable tip: the talks translated by Itaú are available free of charge on the official SXSW YouTube channel. The festival organizers also continued releasing panels on the platform through May.

2024 Content

One of the festival’s most sought-after talks — and one that, in 2024, required attendees to wait at least an hour in line — was presented by Amy Webb, founder and CEO of the Future Today Institute. At SXSW, she unveils her annual technology trends report. The full report is available through the Future Today Institute website.

Amy’s work on technology has become a reference for industry leaders and innovators. Through data-driven analysis, she and her team identify trends that provide greater clarity for business and career decisions. The futurist argues that we have all entered a “technology supercycle,” driven by advances in biotechnology, AI, and connected ecosystems. According to Webb, this supercycle is here to change the course of human history.

“Collectively, we are all going through something important right now, which makes us Generation T. We are the generation of transition. Every person alive today, every one of you, is part of a major transition, which means our society will be very different when this transition is complete,” Amy explained.

Another packed panel featured Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. The format was dynamic: the CEO interviewed the mayor, and the mayor interviewed the CEO. Although the questions had been prepared in advance, the answers had not. The two engaged in an open conversation about how industry and government can use technology to address the climate crisis and what the future of mobility and delivery might look like, including public and shared transportation.

One of the topics discussed was Uber’s autonomous vehicle testing in Austin. The driverless car was tested, but the results were not satisfactory. On this subject, Mayor Watson questioned why Uber had not invited public authorities to participate jointly in the evaluations, emphasizing the need for government involvement, particularly in initiatives involving emerging technologies.

Privacy, Data Use, and Regulation

One of the themes that stood out at SXSW 2024 — across different panels and in conversations among attendees — was the sense that “we have a major problem that needs to be solved immediately.” The puzzle to be addressed is how companies and governments use people’s data, a concern that has been amplified in recent months by the rise of AI.

We do not know what happens to our data — and, apparently, companies do not have all the answers either. In this context, Brazilian lawyer Ronaldo Lemos, director of the Institute of Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro (ITS Rio), spoke about the future of content moderation.

The panel featuring Lemos highlighted the gap between the pace of technological change and the development of new regulations. According to him, one possible solution is to strengthen the role of independent institutions in contributing to the development of laws and regulations. The lawyer pointed to the success of Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD) as an example of a regulatory framework that has become a reference internationally.

The discussions also explored potential measures to protect individual privacy, including increased investment in cybersecurity, as well as a deeper understanding of how data is organized and the digital traces people leave online. During Lemos’s panel, speakers emphasized the importance of connecting personal data protection with technological innovation to ensure that people feel secure when using digital devices.

Human-Like Robots

A continuous narrative of human ingenuity runs throughout history, from the invention of the wheel to advances in microchips. At SXSW, human-like robots were showcased, revealing their potential to handle everyday tasks and free people to pursue their true interests.

But there is still a question: will this really happen?

During one of the panels on humanoid robotics, Apollo appeared — a state-of-the-art android developed by Apptronik. The presenters demonstrated how technology and creative fields can come together, offering a glimpse into what may lie ahead.

The future — or, rather, our present — revealed at SXSW 2024 has already become more than a promise. Many things once seen only in movies are now tangible realities, particularly as AI becomes increasingly easy to use. This reality challenges people every day to keep learning and to understand the new world they are living in.

Despite technological advances, it is important that empathy and human interaction be preserved and strengthened. These issues were also addressed in several panels. A recurring message across different discussions was that technology is ultimately the result of programming created by us, humans. Behind every algorithm is a person responsible for providing the information and instructions the machine will follow.

As Amy Webb emphasized: “In this era of transition, it is essential that we approach this moment in history with agency, empathy, and a human-centered perspective in order to build a world better than the one we have today.”