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Every year, provides a moment to take stock of where we are, where we’re headed, and what’s changing at breakneck speed. 2025 was no exception. AI isn’t coming, it’s here. Work isn’t evolving, it’s already changed. The future? It’s not something we’re preparing for anymore; we’re living it.

Here are my key takeaways from this year’s sessions - each offering a glimpse into what’s next.

1. AI Is Everywhere—And Eating Everything
   AI wasn’t just a topic at SXSW 2025—it was the topic. Scott Galloway called it early as one of his key predictions: Meta will be the AI company of the year. Qualcomm showed us AI is in everything from cars to wearables. And John Maeda made it clear that UX is out, AX (Agent Experience) is in. If you’re still thinking of AI as a tool, you’re behind. It’s infrastructure, it’s decision-making, it’s the air your business breathes. Takeaway: AI is no longer knocking at the door, it’s already inside. The question isn’t if it will impact your job, but how you’ll work alongside it.
    
2. The Future of Work: Goodbye Jobs, Hello Tasks
   The excellent Freelancer Economy session I attended with Fiverr, Human Cloud and NASA, was a wake-up call—the speakers asserted that over 50% of the workforce will be freelance within five years. Companies are shifting from hiring roles to hiring skills. In this scenario, the traditional career model? Gone. The full-time employee structure? On borrowed time. In a separate session, Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Growth Officer of Publicis Groupe, nailed it: work is no longer about jobs, it’s about tasks. If your business model still revolves around full-time headcount, you’re in trouble. Takeaway: The best talent won’t be on your payroll; they’ll be on demand. Adapt or risk irrelevance.
    
3. AI & Privacy: You Are the Product
   Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker didn’t mince words: AI feeds on data, and data is privacy’s enemy. Surveillance is no longer just a dystopian talking point…. it’s reality. The exposed millions of personal messages, proving that if your data is stored, it’s vulnerable. AI isn’t just optimizing, it’s monitoring. Left unchecked, it could be weaponized to mine data from previous breaches. Takeaway: The best way to safeguard privacy is through data minimization. If a service is free, consider what you’re exchanging in return.
    
4. Health & Longevity: Stop Training for Now, Start Training for Later
   Peter Attia, founder of Early Medical, dropped a reality check: If you’re not preparing for your 70s in middle age (so now for me, gulp), you’re already late. Medicine 3.0 isn’t about treating disease, it’s about preventing it. AI-driven drug discovery, AlphaFold 3, and breakthroughs in longevity science mean living longer isn’t the goal, living better is. I left this session with one clear action: start training today for the life you want in 30 years. Takeaway: The longevity revolution is here. Live like you’ll be around for the next one.
    
5. The “Beyond” Era: The End of Reality as We Know It
   The tech trends session, hosted by Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Institute and professor at NYU Stern School of Business, never disappoints, and this year may have been her most thought provoking yet. We’re entering what she calls, “The Beyond.” AI-augmented humans, self-evolving materials, and biological computing aren’t ideas, they’re happening. And the biggest shift? Reality itself is now up for negotiation. What’s real? What’s synthetic? The line is not just blurred but gone. Takeaway: The future isn’t just digital. It’s biological, physical, and fully immersive. Are we ready for it?
    
6. Skills Are Becoming Obsolete Faster Than Ever
   Ian Beacraft, CEO and Chief Futurist of Signal and Cipher, put it bluntly: the half-life of a skill is now measured in months, not years. If you’re not constantly re-skilling, you’re falling behind. AI is automating knowledge work at warp speed, and the only way to stay ahead is to adopt a “surge skilling” mindset—learn fast, apply fast, and repeat. Education isn’t a phase anymore. It’s a permanent state. Takeaway: Your greatest asset isn’t what you know, it’s how fast you can adapt and learn something new.
    
7. AI’s Physical World Takeover: From Code to Concrete
   AI isn’t just something you interact with online anymore, it’s in the world around you. Neil Redding, Near Futurist and Innovation Architect, made a compelling argument: for AI to truly evolve, it needs a body. Robots, smart materials, self-healing infrastructure, AI is becoming embedded in the physical world. The real world is becoming programmable. Imagine that. Takeaway: AI isn’t just transforming software. It’s reshaping cities, roads, and the very materials that your world is built on.
    
8. The Smart Money in 2025: Follow the Shift
   Scott Galloway’s investment takeaway was clear: U.S.-dominant tech isn’t the only game in town anymore. The real money in 2025? Emerging markets, European equities, and defense spending. Meanwhile, media is having a renaissance, YouTube is poised to be the platform of the year. AI is the headline grabber, but where’s the attention? Podcasts, video, and digital media. Takeaway: The best investments aren’t where everyone is looking. They’re where everyone will be looking.
    

Final Thought: The Future is a Tidal Wave

Every year, SXSW offers a glimpse into what’s next. This year, the overwhelming theme was acceleration. AI isn’t a distant possibility—it’s here, it’s scaling, and it’s reshaping everything in real time. The question isn’t whether we’ll adapt—it’s how fast.

Justin Westcott is Global Chair, Technology.