Neon chief Tom Quinn, YouTuber Mark Prior and actress Sophia Bush are among the speakers at SXSW London’s conference series, the UK spinoff of the Austin, Texas, festival.
The second edition of the event will take place in London’s trendy Shoreditch district from 1st to 6th June, and will feature 300 conference sessions on a wide range of themes across technology, business, health and culture.
Other speakers include Eldridge’s Todd Boley, fashion designer Katharine Hamnett, WPP CEO Cindy Rhodes, BFI Film Fund director Mia Bays, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, singer-songwriter Mike Skinner of The Streets, Young Vic Theater artistic director Nadia Fall and Google Maps co-founder Lars Rasmussen.
The program will cover six main themes.
AI as a new power structure
According to the festival, discussions will range from the infrastructure that supports the global economy to the algorithms that influence it. “As AI systems expand, questions of sovereignty, control, and ultimately accountability are becoming everyday concerns.” The session will explore “assessing who holds authority over the technologies that define the digital age and who is responsible in the algorithmic age.”
live longer, live better
“Technology is changing our understanding of health and longevity and reshaping healthcare far beyond traditional clinical settings,” Festival said. The study “investigates how AI and machine learning are accelerating medical discovery and development timelines and explores the real-world challenges in applying AI-driven breakthroughs to treatments and therapies.”
culture can save humanity
“Culture has always been one of the most powerful forces for social progress,” says the festival. This theme explores “the growing complacency in the creative industries, the power of music and creative communities to mobilize audiences and drive social impact, the role of nightlife culture in building community, and artists using music to support climate action.”
social rewiring
“As misinformation and media influence shift the boundaries of free speech, society is forced to confront new questions of governance and accountability,” SXSW London said. The study explores “how the rules that once defined public debate are now redundant, and how we navigate this evolving landscape, including the role of activism and how leaders are resisting authoritarian tendencies to uphold democratic values.”
Creativity in the age of algorithms
“The way audiences discover information is increasingly determined by platforms, meaning creators and marketers alike are adapting to a world shaped by algorithms,” the festival said. The session will explore “how attention became one of our most valuable currencies, how traditional marketing models are becoming obsolete, and how creators are learning to design content within algorithmic systems.”
futurism in action
“Cutting-edge technology is redefining the way people interact with the world, as advances in robotics, augmented reality, and AI reshape the human experience,” says SXSW London. This theme “explores technologies that blur the boundaries between physical and digital environments, while examining breakthroughs emerging from leading research institutions such as ARIA and Google DeepMind.”
Katie Arnander, Director of Programming at SXSW London, said: London is centered around the idea of convergence, bringing together voices in ways that rarely occur elsewhere. From frontier technology and medical innovation to music, activism, and the creator economy, the program maintains a strong balance between tension and harmony, ultimately fostering a space for this collision of ideas. London is the place for business leaders, venture capitalists and marketers to gain insights, discover innovative concepts and expand their professional networks.”
