The world’s largest innovation, culture, and creative economy festival, South by Southwest (also known as SXSW), was held from March 7th to15th. Organized annually in Austin, Texas in the United States (USA), SXSW brings together leading professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, and artists from various areas to discuss the pathways for technology. By following this event, you can get a perspective on job market trends for coming years. 

The most discussed topics in this edition were artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact of developing technology on people’s lives. “We’ve had 30 years to get used to the idea that computers are better than us at knowing and remembering things,” said Ian Beacraft, the CEO for Signal and Cipher, during a talk at the event. “But we’ve had less than three years to start getting used to the scary idea that maybe they’re also better at thinking than we are,” he added.

Many of the experts at SXSW 2025 stated that companies are looking to hire professionals who can adapt to the tool and think creatively because of the changes brought about by AI. The concept of a “creative generalist”, a person who does not have a specific role and can solve various problems through creative solutions, will become increasingly common. 

Young Innovators 

SXSW presented young people who are thinking about how to solve today’s problems using AI. Find out how they have used their creativity: 

Twenty-year-old American Matyas Bohacek is specializing in digital security to combat fake news. “My grandmother taught me to program because she wanted some quiet time,” he joked. “That’s how I got started.”

Yasmine Abdu from the UK is the founder of CarbonTrac, which uses AI to help supermarkets and consumers reduce carbon emissions. “We don’t want to be told we’re the future. We want them to let us work in the present,” she said.

Simon Klinga, from the Czech Republic, sent his own satellite into space when he was 17 and is developing a laser that removes space junk. The young man’s project was the inspiration for a student space program that will be set up in the European country. “Space is becoming a garbage dump because we treat orbit as an infinite resource. Now we’re running out of money. If we had thought about waste management from the beginning of the space age, we wouldn’t be facing this problem.”

Sources: Meio&Mensagem, B9, Globo, and SXSW

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