Conquering an Era of Digital Distrust – 2019 SXSW Programming Trends

Each year at SXSW prominent trends emerge from Conference programming that provide insight into the future of tech, entertainment, and culture. From the 10 significant trends identified by the SXSW Programming Team for the 2019 event, Conquering an Era of Digital Distrust highlights the unique challenges companies face in earning consumer trust and embracing new technology.

Conquering an Era of Digital Distrust Trend

For years, consumers have been clamoring for technological advancements and obsessing over all things digital. But, as the digital realm has grown, so has the opportunity for bad actors to take advantage of the space. On a regular basis, consumers must filter out unreliable information, fear the security of their personal data in the wake of data scandals, and guard their social networks from attacks.

Now, the digital environment requires people to exhibit skepticism and the next wave of technological innovation like Automation and AI have become trigger words. The fact that hardware is now capable of accomplishing tasks without human intervention has led to growing concerns over digital safety, and our alarming dependency on technology that could start taking away jobs.

If major companies ignore these issues, consumers are going to turn to their more trustworthy competitors. We are in the infancy of conquering everything that is to come in the technological sphere. More than half of the world has yet to get online; this is the time for companies to make the necessary moves to win over the trust of the people who will eventually enter the digital realm, as well as those who are already digitally connected.

Dean Garfield of Information Technology Industry Council, Catalyte Jacob of Hsu, Myra Norton of Arena and Suzy Ryoo of Culture Ventures are attempting to remove the stigma surrounding AI and prove that technology isn't all bad. In their panel AI and the Democratization of Work they'll discuss how AI can remove subjective bias from the hiring process and create a more diverse and productive workforce. Continue the conversation on AI and join Matthew Kennedy-Good of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Raimo Reiman of State Portal Eesti.ee and Mahoney Turnball of Global Engagement from Token Foundry/Consensys as they dive into automation services and address how people can leverage this new technology to deliver better services and stronger democracies in their session Democracy and AI: Delivering Better Services.

Automation and AI is a world worth exploring, but we still can’t escape the looming presence of fake news and lack of privacy. In the session, Can We Fight Fake News Without Killing the Truth? TV host Wajahat Ali, Researcher Rim-Sarah Alouane, Assoc Professor Anjana Susarla and Shaarik Zafar of Facebook will address the question, can we have the right of freedom expression and the right for our work to not be manipulated, protected? Laura Moy of Georgetown Law will continue the conversation on privacy and discuss why location privacy is important and why it should be upheld in years to come. Join Laura for the session Location Privacy: Will We Ever Have it Again?

Beyond social media and automation dive into a more fledgling and unexplored side of the digital world; cryptocurrencies. At SXSW, Edith Yeung of 500 Startups and Jason Lau of OKCoin will have a candid discussion on what is next for crypto. Don’t miss their session Made in China: Crypto, Exchanges, Trust and More.

Add these sessions to your 2019 SXSW Schedule to get in on the discussion of Digital Distrust and be prepared for this March. Stay tuned for more programming announcements.

Conquering an Era of Digital Distrust Session Highlights

• AI and the Democratization of Work
• Democracy and AI: Delivering Better Services
• Can We Fight Fake News Without Killing the Truth?
• Location Privacy: Will We Ever Have it Again?
• Made in China: Crypto, Exchanges, Trust and More.

Join Us for SXSW 2019

The SXSW Conference includes 10 different programming trends ranging from XR to Blockchain. Learn and collaborate with others during this one-of-a-kind conference and get your SXSW 2019 Badge today. Explore new opportunities over the course of 10 days filled with screenings, showcases, exhibitions, networking and more this March 8-17, deep in the heart of Austin, TX.

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Teaser Photo by Sara Marjorie Strick