10 big ideas we learned at SXSW 2024, including AI, gun violence and Roe v. Wade

Editor's note: This story includes references to suicide. Information about resources for people in crisis can be found at the end of this story.

Each year, celebrities on red carpets and stars on big stages garner most of the headlines during the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals in Austin. But at the conference itself, politicians, artists, business leaders and, yes, celebrities gather to exchange ideas. At its worst, SXSW is a crass corporate sideshow. At its best, it's a place where serious thinkers explore ways to build on the knowledge of the past and to imagine a better future.

Here are 10 interesting and important ideas we heard discussed at SXSW 2024.

The end of Roe v. Wade continues to affect Texas families

Austinite and reproductive health advocate Amanda Zurawski discussed her case Zurawski v. Texas. She also talked about the effect the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that an embryo is a human being and can’t be destroyed has on families like hers who rely on in vitro fertilization to have children. "There is a panic in my house," she said.

The Zurawskis said they have two frozen embryos that they might want to use in the future via a surrogate because of her health scare. Zurawski wondered if they decided not to use them and have them destroyed because storing embryos is expensive, would someone call it murder? Or if their surrogate had a miscarriage, could it be involuntary manslaughter? The Zurawskis raised the issue, even though the Alabama ruling does not affect women in Texas and Alabama lawmakers have since passed an in vitro fertilization law.

Because of that ruling, Zurawski moved her embryos to an out-of-state facility, in a more reproductive rights-friendly state. — Nicole Villalpando

Sci-fi biotech could resurrect ... a woolly mammoth?

A few sessions that included Texas companies explored technology that feels like it could be from a sci-fi movie. This includes de-extinction startup Colossal, a company founded by Austin entrepreneur Ben Lamm that’s best known for its efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth. Lamm spoke at a session with actor and filmmaker Seth Green, to talk about how de-extinction technology could help bring back animals such as the mammoth, using gene editing and other tools, and how it compares to science fiction such as "Jurassic Park." — Kara Carlson

Humanoid robots might join astronauts on the moon and Mars

Austin-based robotics company Apptronik has been at the center of several sessions, including a panel with NASA last Sunday, exploring how humanoid robots could work alongside astronauts on the moon and Mars. CEO Jeff Cardenas spoke with Shaun Azimi, lead of NASA’s dexterous robotics program, about the possibilities of humanoid robots joining humans in space in the not-too-distant future. 

During the session, Azimi said robotics could be a “game changer” in space and said there’s interest in sticking with humanoid robotic design when possible, because we design the rest of our space innovations around humans. Cardenas also said humanoid robotics, like the Apollo robot made by Apptronik, will become more versatile and able to take on tasks on earth and in places like the moon and Mars. — Kara Carlson

We have to change the way we talk about suicide

Actress Ashley Judd came to her first SXSW last weekend to talk about suicide and her family's experience after her mother and country music star Naomi Judd died almost two years ago.

Of the way her mother’s death was covered in the media with photos and video of the investigation being released, she said, "My family and the public is still haunted by it."

She wants her mom’s legacy to be her life, not her death. 

"My mom called me sweet pea, and she was really soft, and she smelled pretty," Judd said. — Nicole Villalpando

Fear of gun violence in schools haunts young people

Several sessions dealt with the effect that gun violence — both in and outside of schools — has had on the nation's youth.

Health experts and activist Mia Tretta, a survivor of the 2019 Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita, California, insisted during a March 9 panel that people shouldn't think about gun violence as a political issue, but as a public health crisis. For many young people, the fear of gun violence in schools is palpable, Tretta said.

Gun violence was the leading cause of death for people under 25 in 2020, according to a 2022 study from the John Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

In a separate panel March 8, members of March for Our Lives, a student-led organization that advocates for more gun control, pointed to community needs. Erasing gun violence must begin with helping the communities experiencing violence, said Asya Ardawatia, a Houston-area high school student and co-executive director of the organization's Houston chapter.

"It's unfortunate that more deaths means more people will talk about it," Ardawatia said. — Keri Heath

Could artificial intelligence make us more human?

Artificial intelligence was a big focus of this year’s sessions, including discussion on its direction and whether to accelerate or slow down. 

Austinite and AMD CEO Lisa Su said during her keynote that AI development should actually speed up, despite potential concerns people have about the technology.

"The answer is not to go slower, the answer is to be cognizant of the risks," Su said. "We must experiment, and we must do so with a watchful eye."

A separate session explored OpenAI, artificial intelligence and how humanity fits in. OpenAI makes some of the best-known generative artificial intelligence tools, including text-based ChatGPT and image-focused Dall-E. OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT, Peter Deng, said that “fundamentally, AI makes us more human” by making us ask the bigger questions.

"If you take a look at AI as a tool, it unlocks the ability for us to go deeper and explore some of the things we're wondering about,” Deng said.

In another session, Michael Dell, founder of Round-Rock based Dell Technologies, also discussed artificial intelligence and humanity saying, that technology has always been about "enabling human potential." He also acknowledged that such a rapidly changing technology poses challenges.

AI development has "got to be done in a thoughtful way and reflect our humanity, and I believe it's going to be enormous," Dell said. — Kara Carlson

Austin needs to creatively address transportation issues

At a panel on transportation, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said they want to "make mobility weird" by investing in the city's future transportation options, especially sustainable and affordable ones. — Kara Carlson

Is Austin ready for driverless cars?

Autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, were the topic of a number of sessions at SXSW. With "no playbook" for the emerging technology, industry leaders said it's important for companies to build trust and educate cities and communities, including Austin where both Waymo and Volkswagen are currently testing autonomous vehicle technology. During a session examining the company's road map, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said her role as CEO involves “a lot of trusting (her) gut.”

“If (an update) doesn't stay within our safety bar, we’ll pull back,” Mawakana said. “We’ve stayed disciplined.”

Mawakana said Waymo is engaged with the city leaders and community groups as it continues testing and as the company aims to launch driverless ride-booking in Austin later this year.

“We understand that. We want to engage in a way that makes us part of the community," Mawakana said.

In a separate session Katrin Lohmann, president of Volkswagen Autonomous Driving Mobility & Transportation said VW has aimed to work with the city of Austin and community to explain the benefits of autonomous technology.

"You really have to build that trust long term," Lohmann said. — Kara Carlson

Is kindness the secret sauce for 'unicorn' bosses?

I expected self-aggrandizing bullet points and hubris but came away inspired by former Bezos colleague Ann Hiatt's "Unicorn boss DNA" panel. She shattered the myth of the creative male genius and made a convincing case that anyone can be an amazing leader by being helpful, selfless, kind, conscious, and willing to challenge yourself by adopting ideas that can come from anyone. She explained how interns helped the Crocs CEO make them look cool; how the IBM CEO took a non-traditional path to success and regularly gives back; and how the Canva CEO took up kitesurfing so she could have face time with investors. — Ramon Ramirez, special to American-Statesman

Everything, everywhere at SXSW

After it debuted at SXSW in 2022, "Everything Everywhere All At Once" quickly became popular among casual moviegoers and critics.

The film's directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, returned to SXSW this year to discuss with quirky flair how they found synthesis in contradicting ideas in their work on the Oscar-winning film.

In making the film, Kwan and Scheinert played with the tension between ideas: kung fu and peace; complexity and absurdity. 

"When you look around the world right now, it's really confusing," Kwan said. "Our stories are all crossing and smashing up against each other. They're really contradictory."

The filmmakers also spoke about their broader creative process and their quest to find projects that intersect with what they love and what the world needs.

"It's such a beautiful moment when you realize your superpower, and everybody has one," Scheinert said. — Keri Heath

If you or someone you know is suffering with mental health or suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text the 24-hour Integral Care line at 741-741.