If you missed our latest Bristol Media event, fear not! Izzy, our Junior Content Apprentice, has compressed all the best bits into this quick blog, read on to hear about the SXSW 2019 experience…
Bristol Media Chair, Chris Thurling, attended South by Southwest Conference & Festival (SXSW) for his 5th year in a row last week. Held in Austin, Texas, SXSW celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. It is hugely successful and was attended by over 280,000 people in 2018!
On Tuesday, Bristol Media hosted a ‘lunchtime digest’ where Chris shared his highlights from the event along with Ann Hiatt (former chief of staff for Google and Amazon and SXSW speaker) and Nicholas Blake (Head of Data and Digital Operations at Armadillo). Here’s what we took away:
After Chris’s first SXSW visit back in 2015, he left the event in a happy tech bubble, excited and optimistic for the future of technology. Fast forward to 2019, and it seems a dominant theme throughout the conference was the ethical concerns now surrounding this industry, and it has people anxious. An eye-opening talk for Chris was Douglas Rushkoff’s, ‘Team Human’. In his talk, Douglas spoke about how the internet was ‘idealistic’ in the beginning, but it now serves the stock market more than us. We have gone from being the user to the used and are close to automating ourselves out of existence.
Ann on the other hand is encouraged by the opportunities AI and machine learning offer and the overarching message she took away from her time at SXSW was to remember the human aspect of technology. In other words, we still need good, thoughtful people to harness all that potential for the better.
As well as a run-down of her own SXSW talk ‘Grit, Reinvention, and Pivoting for Success’, Ann shared with us some of the tips she took from a talk by Susan Fowler, former employee of Uber. You might recognise Susan as the woman who influenced how Uber and other Silicon Valley companies now treat sexual harassment in the workplace. Susan wanted to remind us all of a few things:
Ann then prompted us to ponder on the idea that ‘nothing extraordinary comes from your comfort zone’ and that we need to ask ourselves the right questions when it comes to machine learning and AI.
Nicholas Blake thought it was really interesting to hear what the experts were saying about artificial intelligence and machine learning, now that it is no longer science fiction and is becoming seamlessly integrated in our lives. A talk by Cassie Kozyrkov, Chief Decision Scientist at Google, inspired a different outlook on AI; that it is just a tool, it is as safe as the people who design and monetise it. Nick explains it in an analogy: if you work on something with another person, is that collaboration? If you use a ruler to draw a straight line, is that collaboration? AI is more similar to the ruler than the person, because without us to input the data, it can’t function.
What did you think about our lunchtime digest, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of technology? If you missed it, follow us on Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to hear about future events!
Bristol Media’s Chair, Chris Thurling, has just arrived back from Austin, Texas where he’s been attending SXSW 2019 – the world’s largest annual celebration of the interactive industries. On Tuesday 19 March, Chris will be joined by Ann Hiatt (former Amazon and Google Chief of Staff, SXSW speaker and one of our Keynote speakers last year) for a ‘hot off the press’ lunchtime digest to share their highlights and latest trends emerging from this year’s festival.
Following the 40-minute talk, there’ll be an opportunity to ask questions in a 20-minute Q&A.
The talk starts at 12.30pm on Tuesday 19th March at Zone, The Brew House, Tower Hill, Bristol BS2 0EQ. There’s a small fee of £10+VAT for Bristol Media members (£15+VAT for non-members), light refreshments will be provided.
We have very few places remaining for the talk so book now!
Bristol Media Chair, Chris Thurling, is heading off to Austin, Texas this week to attend the world’s largest annual celebration of the interactive industries – SXSW 2019. Whilst at the festival, Chris plans to meet up with Ann Hiatt, former Amazon and Google Chief of Staff and one of the contacts he made at SXSW last year.
Chris has a packed schedule of keynotes, workshops and networking opportunities over the course of the 5-day digital festival and will be joined by Marissa Lewis-Peart, winner of 2018’s Ben Martin Apprentice Award (BMAA). Dubbed as the “premier destination for discovery,” Chris and Marissa will hear the latest news and trends from the world’s leading tech and creative companies at SXSW.
As a seasoned SXSW’er, Chris will be on a mission to make new connections for Bristol Media, as well as absorb all that the event has to offer. Chris and Marissa will be live-tweeting during the event, so follow us on Twitter @Bristol_Media #BristolSXSW to receive the latest updates.
Ann has kindly agreed to come back to Bristol after the festival to join Chris in a ‘hot off the press’ lunchtime digest on 19th March. They’ll share their thoughts and experiences from SXSW plus a roundup of highlights and insights into the latest trends from the festival. Following the talk, there’ll be an opportunity to ask questions in a 20-minute Q&A.
The talk starts at 12.30pm on Tuesday 19th March at Zone, The Brew House, Tower Hill, Bristol BS2 0EQ. There’s a small fee of £10+VAT for Bristol Media members (£15+VAT for non-members), light refreshments will be provided.
Places are very limited so book asap via Eventbrite!
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