Recently I attended South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Once known largely for its art, music and cultural programs, over the years SXSW has attracted more businesses and “mainstream” organizations focused on tech and innovation. It was my 8th event and IMHO, the best SXSW ever.

Here are my top 10 takeaways:

1.    Electric mobility has arrived. It is abundantly clear that all facets of our global economy have embraced e-mobility, not just with rhetoric but with real commitment, i.e., talent and money. Take for example Daimler trucks which currently has several models of electric battery-powered high-performance big trucks rolling off a dedicated production line. They revealed at the show the purchase of 800 electric trucks by food supply company SYSCO. That’s a real commitment. Further, Porsche reemphasized its commitment to electrify 80% of its models by 2030.

2.    Advanced Air Mobility / eVTOL is going mainstream.  Flying cars and personal ultralight aircraft were seen at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year and AAM was in full force at SXSW as well. From CEOs of air taxi manufacturers, to investors and regulators like the FAA, AAM was a hot topic nearly every day. Sessions were full of keenly interested people, many like me sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of this new form of mobility and how it will positively impact our world. 

3.    E-mobility infrastructure is a real concern, both for ground and air vehicles. One e-mobility executive said it this way, “infrastructure is now the pacing item for the adoption of electric vehicles.” 

4.    Government institutions were there in strength. Not in a big brother mode but as organizations capitalizing on SXSW’s talent magnet to accelerate the pace of innovation. DoD, Army, Air Force, NASA, FAA, even the CIA, were all openly engaged across a wide spectrum of subjects. Hat tip to the U.S. Army for a welcoming, encouraging and uncharacteristically open door to small businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

5.    The nature of conversations about AI and robotics has changed. No fear, no doom and gloom, and on the other end, no hype, not a solution to all our woes. There were real discussions about how robotics and AI can partner with humanity to make our lives more productive – in a real business case sense. One futurist described AI as humanity’s copilot – not C3PO who annoyingly offers abundant, untethered facts, but more like Chewbacca, the steadfast, loyal copilot who intuitively keeps the ship flying. All Hans has to say is, “Chewy get us out of here….”

6.    Deep Fakes are scary. One presenter said, “deep fakes are the top national security threat we face.” Once just a playful tool that allowed someone to put one face on another body and add a voiceover, the technology has become disarmingly competent. Just last week, someone posted a highly credible fake news conference showing President Biden declaring a national emergency and initiating a military draft (which would essentially start WWIII). That video quickly received 100k views and more than 20k likes. The real risk with deep fakes is not that they are so good that we believe what is not real, it’s that we begin to disbelieve what is real.

7.    Space may or not be the final frontier, but it was front and center at SXSW. I didn’t expect the SXSW crowd to line up for a standing-room-only keynote by William Shatner (read his bio, you’ll be as surprised as I was). Space talks were prevalent,  with sessions like “what the global GDP looks like from space” to “how safe operations in space impact life on earth.”  My inner 10-year-old who stayed up for days watching every second of the Apollo 11 mission live on TV would have liked to see NASA take better advantage of this venue. Maybe they’ll send astronauts next year.     

8.    Corporations are taking sustainability seriously – very seriously - leading with their money and company culture. Delta Airlines - for example - pledged to spend $1B by 2050 to become the world’s first carbon-neutral airline and it’s well on its way. Delta has reduced single-use plastics onboard its aircraft by 5 million pounds. And it is reducing fuel consumption by some 10 million gallons annually as well. Delta is rapidly electrifying its ground support equipment. Already at 25% across the company, the ramp fleets at Logan and Salt Lake City are both 100% electric.        

9.    Big tech apparently passed this year. I saw no evidence of the giants – like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon – who have been key players in the past. Not sure what to think of this one – maybe it’s just bad timing with the layoffs.

10. The food scene in Austin is awesome. For a foodie like me, with a propensity for both BBQ and Tex-Mex, Austin does not disappoint.

RTH