Colorful, visionary, lively: a guest at the SXSW international innovation conference

The South by Southwest Conference & Festivals (SXSW) took place from March 10th–19th in Austin, Texas and was bursting with trends, inspiration, and new technologies.

As part of “CREATORS goes by SXSW Conference & Festivals 2023,” a total of 12 exclusive participants immersed themselves in the international innovation hotspot. The participants included representatives from Bosch, Bildinx, Baden-Württemberg international, EnBW, Festo, Holtmann+, ICT, Züblin, and the Drees & Sommer Innovation Center.

The conference offered an extensive program of exciting keynotes and panel discussions around AI, big data, and the metaverse. A highly attended highlight was the lecture by futurist Amy Webb on the topic of TechTrends and the panel discussion on “Building in the wild—what advantages robots and 3D printers bring to construction sites.”

Brand experiences by well-known companies such as Audible, Dolby, Slack, Disney, and Porsche made it possible to experience new technologies and offers at various locations in the city. It was also worth visiting the VR Experience Lab, where a wide variety of VR offerings could be tested. There were countless stands of start-ups and technology providers to visit at Creative Expo—from tablets that transform 2D videos into 3D video experiences in a few seconds, to velocopters and AI-based mental health offerings.

Ultimately, however, it is the exchange with the many inspiring and open-minded people that make the conference unique.

Trends at a glance

• Co-creation and collaboration: innovations are created through lively exchange. Collaboration is key!
• (Generative) AI: there is more than just one AI. AI is the basis and the framework for all future business models. The rapid development of AI-based offers such as ChatGTP in recent months already shows not only how many opportunities there are, but also how many questions remain unanswered.
• Even more sustainability! We’re still a long way from where we want to be. It’s all about the passion driving us. Sustainability efforts can benefit enormously from the use of new technologies, such as AI and the use of big data.
• Robotics and 3D printing on construction sites: there is a lot of potential here in terms of efficiency, resource conservation, and also occupational safety.
• Metaverse and virtual realities: applications with real added value are in demand. The first examples show how these can be used profitably to address customers and applicants.
• Think big: we need to think outside the box because the combination of art, culture, and technology is what moves us forward.