Now that Cannes has passed and the focus is now shifting on towards the summer holidays, I wanna go back to the beginning of June and to London, to the hip and cool Shoreditch district where the first SXSW London was held.

SXSW is originating from the Texan capital of Austin and now was held in Europe for the first time. It’s a festival of creativity, startups, technology, film and music all wrapped up together in a beautiful package. As a Creative Director the mix is super close to my heart how I approach creativity and how usually we unlock the best work by mixing all of these together.

As in all conferences now in this day and age AI was in the headlines of many talks. One of the most interesting was by Azeem Azhar talking how AI becomes the default for cognition—“intelligence on tap.” This shift transforms AI from something we summon via prompts to something constantly working in the background. Also how AI will become more personal and proactive acting on our behalf: booking travel, managing finances, handling emails, and even negotiating. I found it one of the few real in depth talks and going beyond being a talk of the AI-bros next video generator tool.

See more from the topic at:
https://www.exponentialview.co/p/ai-in-2030

Digital Art

From a tech meets creative arts perspective one piece really stuck with me: Beeple’s (Mike Winkelmann) “Tree of Knowledge.” It’s a tall, four-sided video sculpture that reacts to real-time data like news, social media, and weather. As the info flows in, the digital tree either grows or decays. It’s constantly shifting, like a living mirror of the world’s noise.

A dial lets you choose between “Signal” and “Noise.” Turn it to Signal, and the piece calms down—the tree grows peacefully. Turn to Noise, and it erupts with chaotic headlines and glitchy media storms.Also at the control console next to the dial was a switch that if pushed 666 times it would permanently delete the piece. Of course this was covered with a locked lid but makes an interesting social experiment, how many would press it and how many would not to keep it not being destroyed.

It’s cool that Beeple isn’t moralizing. He’s just showing us the world we live in, and letting us decide how much of it we really want to take in. In the middle of all the hype and energy of the festival, this piece was a nice breather.


Inclusive design as a creative currency

Idris Elba joined a shared-stage conversation on how creativity can drive meaningful change—especially across the African continent.He laid out plans for an “African Odeon”—a network of local, data-powered cinemas designed to bring first-run films directly to African audiences, and spotlight homegrown talent.

He also introduced Akuna Wallet, a cross-border payment platform built to solve a real problem: helping African creatives actually get paid. He demoed Talking Scripts, an AI tool that converts screenplays to audio, making storytelling more accessible for neurodivergent creatives. His final line summed it all up: “Fame isn’t the prize. The prize is what you do with it.” And this—building infrastructure, not just hype—felt like exactly that.

Also the Shoreditch locations hosted talks from movie stars like Joseph Fiennes and music from many fantastic upcoming artists plus loads of craft coffee and beer.

If there’s a 2026 SXSW London count me in.

5 Take-aways from the Conference

1. AI for Humans, Not Replacements
AI was front and centre—but the focus was on creativity amplification, not automation. Leaders emphasized using AI as a partner in creative work, not a replacement. “The future isn’t AI OR humans. It’s AI AND humans, working together.”

2. Authenticity & Trust Matter More Than Ever
Brands are moving beyond flashy campaigns—what matters is transparency, authentic connections, and ethical operations. Trust is the real differentiator, and true influence now comes from bold, community-rooted storytelling

3. Access Is Innovation
Accessible tech wasn’t siloed—it was embedded across disciplines. From adaptive gaming rigs to voice-driven design systems and neurodivergent-friendly UX, SXSW London made the case that designing for inclusion sparks better ideas for everyone. Accessibility isn’t a checkbox—it’s where true creativity starts.

4. Sustainability Is Getting Smarter
Greenwashing is out—measurable, tech-driven sustainability is in. Startups and big players alike showcased innovations from carbon-literate design tools to blockchain-backed supply transparency. The big idea: sustainability isn’t a separate strategy anymore, it’s a built-in system constraint—and tech is finally catching up to that responsibility.

5. The Internet Is Entering a Feelings Phase
A surprising through line: emotional intelligence in design. From AI mood-matching music to interfaces that respond to mental health signals, the future of tech is becoming more empathic, intuitive, and affective. We’re moving from logic-based systems to ones that read, reflect, and respond to human nuance.