6 Highlights from SXSW 2017

Every year, top tech innovators, makers, designers, developers and entrepreneurs gather from across the world to make their annual pilgrimage to SXSW in Austin. It is here, that we hear prophecies of the next digital trends and the direction of science. It informs us about what’s on the horizon in the increasingly uncertain tech-driven world, and where humanity is heading.

For seven days, I was immersed in this highly intensive environment, running from session to session, getting my mind blown by the most brilliant concepts, speeches, and people. Everyone goes to SXSW to be inspired, to learn about new ideas, and ready to start a movement. Here are some of my highlights from the interactive festival:

1. Joe Biden’s emotional speech about the fight against cancer
Biden’s inspiring speech at SXSW this year about the need to end cancer immediately, left almost everyone in tears. I was especially sad when I thought about how the brightest minds of this generation spend so much time and effort on mostly meaningless products, that serve advertisement, fun games and apps, but fundamentals of life and death such as healthcare are not even functioning at a basic level. For instance, it’s still not even possible to share medical data between hospitals in the US due to different systems.

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2. The future of super humans (GMO babies), cures, and ethics
"What if a cell's DNA could be edited just like the text of a document?" We now have the ability to change our own evolution. Molecular biologist Jennifer Doudna talked about her work in CRISPR CAS9 protein gene editing, it's ethics and tech implications. For example, if we have the ability to replace the bad genes with good ones (eg. Alzheimer disease or sickle cell disease), the modified genes can be passed on to the next generations. Potentially creating a superhuman generation. Does this mean these gene enhancements can be available for the rich in the future? Also, is it ok to develop animal chimeras for organ transplantation? Can we create a new population to harvest their organs for human transplant? Does this violate the order of nature? Watch the full talk to explore these concerns:

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3. The oldest and most powerful medicines are love and compassion.

• “We have the ability to heal by enabling people to see their capacity” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, discussed an epidemic of chronic stress in America, importance of social connection in reducing stress, and optimizing emotional wellbeing.

• “We are naturally narcissistic when we are in conflicts. Be generous, see the other perspective”, Van Jones, the political commentator

• “I came around and abandoned an extremist ideology when I received compassion from people I had bullied and least deserved it from” Christian Picciolini, former Neo-Nazi skinhead leader

4. We are all going to die one day. How can we redesign our end of life experience?
“We as a society have a pathological avoidance of death and are constantly obsessed with disease control, causing unnecessary suffering”. Hospitals are not designed for people to die comfortably, they are designed to cure disease. When we accept death as part of the natural life cycle, we can make clearer choices, for example, to prioritize comfort and dignity over prolonging life.

5. The truth that makes you rage, can you still listen to?
The most controversial SXSW keynote belongs to Yasmine Green, director of research at Jigsaw , a Google ThinkTank that tackles online censorship. She interviewed twp purveyors of fake news. It gave an insider look on how fake news originate, and what motivates those who spread false narratives. It'll make you cringe. I also had to walk out because I too, couldn't stand it.

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6. “We explore or we expire. And we’re still down here”, Buzz Aldrin, 87
It gave me goosebumps just being in the same room listening to one of the first two humans to land and walk on the Moon (Apollo 11). Aldrin used virtual reality to communicate his vision for sending humans to mars. And his words ‘we explore or we expire” seemed very apt as my time at SXSW came to a close.

We are usually so wrapped up in our daily work schedules, just trying to get through the to do list. But it is so important to take time out to reflect. SXSW was a great opportunity for this, allowing me to explore new subjects and gain knowledge and new perspectives. The power of pressing pause in this fast-paced world can be magical. It will inspire you to be more creative and productive in the long run.

Interested in meeting one of the Blippar team at an event near you? Check out where we’’ll be this month.

Carina Ngai is the Product Design Lead at Blippar in San Francisco.