---
title: "AI was a prominent agenda at SXSW London yesterday."
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday
date: 2025-06-02
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [Emerging tech and AI, People and behaviour]
reading_time: 3 min
summary: "But the talks that hit hardest? The ones that put people first."
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7335345440206282753
---

# AI was a prominent agenda at SXSW London yesterday.

But the talks that hit hardest? The ones that put people first.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li1.webp)

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li2.webp)

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li3.webp)

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li4.webp)

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li5.webp)

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ai-was-a-prominent-agenda-at-sxsw-london-yesterday-li6.webp)





I spent the day weaving through talks from politicians, technologists, and futurists. Including AI, quantum computing and defence tech. But in between the hype were moments that landed more meaningfully. Human ones.

Here’s what stayed with me:

Insight 1: Tech must serve us, not the other way around  
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan talked about positioning London as a global AI hub, and how London is a blend of past, present and future. But what stood out was his insistence that innovation must be paired with integrity. Freedom. Connection. Equality.

A reminder that we need progress with principles.

Insight 2: The importance of connecting to presence  
Deepak Chopra explored the universe, consciousness and experience. Then led a full-room meditation. I loved this line:  
“God’s language is silence. Everything else is poor storytelling.”

It made me think about how much clarity comes not from more noise, but from quiet.

Insight 3: Build systems that serve people and can then scale  
Alex Kendall, Wayve drew a sharp line between AI built for specific sectors -where real progress is happening - and general-purpose AI, which needs much more careful thought. His focus at Wayve?

Creating something genuinely useful today that can scale across all parts of the auto industry in the future.

Insight 4: What’s left to remove?  
A panel looking ahead to 2050 discussed everything from quantum computing to AI agents. But it was the host, Tom Standage's line that stood out:  
“We’ve already removed so much friction from life... what’s left to remove?”

That one has stayed with me.

Insight 5: Start with impact  
Carsten Brinkschulte from Dryad Networks shared how they’re fighting wildfires using solar-powered, edge-computing sensors.  
I loved a line that he said:

“Take what you’re good at and apply it to the biggest problem ahead of you.”

Insight 6: From machine to meaning  
Sid Odedra shared how Polestar's approach isn’t just about how fast something moves - it’s how it makes people feel. Performance isn’t purely technical. It’s emotional. And that changes how you design from the ground up.

Who wouldn't get behind the idea of crafting more meaningful human experiences. Something that very much resonates with our work 7DOTS.

Overall?  
Yes, tech is moving fast. But the real shift, the one that matters, is staying human in the middle of it.

And I think that's reflected in the brilliant conversations I had with Matt Pollitt in between talks, and bumping into people such as Jonathan Reid 🎙️.

Curious about what stood out to others who were there - did you take away the same themes?