SXSW 2026 Updates: What We Expect on Tech and Culture From Austin

Your Attention Please

It's hard for me to picture what my world looked like before the advent of computers in our pockets, the constant routine of toggling between apps and scrolling through endless notifications. We live our lives inside the attention economy -- and never really step out of it. 

That's the tension the new documentary Your Attention Please confronts, premiering this week at SXSW. 

I got to speak with director Sara Robin, alongside Trisha Prabhu, a participant in the documentary and the inventor of the anti-cyberbullying technology ReThink, about the film. We discussed the process of making the documentary, how social media rewired what we value as humans and how AI is exacerbating the anxieties already brought about by the digital age. You can read my full story on Your Attention Please here. 

SXSW starts Thursday and runs through March 18. It takes place in Austin across dozens of venues, from big downtown hotels to small music venues.

SXSW is actually several events in one. There's a music festival, a film and TV festival, a comedy festival and an education conference. SXSW 2025 drew more than 300,000 people across all of the events. 

Want to see what's happening at SXSW yourself? The full schedule is available on the website, but much of the programming is limited to on-site attendees who paid for a pass.

Not everything is exclusive to those in Austin, however. You can watch live streams of several events each day, especially keynotes and featured sessions with some of the biggest names. That schedule is here, and streams will be available on YouTube and other platforms. 

Poster artists sold their work in the same Austin Convention Center where speakers and tech companies discussed the use of generative AI to create images at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Jon Reed/CNET

I'm not making the trip to Austin this year, but I was there last year, where I heard a lot of discussion about AI. So much AI. I spoke with experts grappling with the future of this technology and listened to panel discussions about the risks posed by superintelligence and synthetic data. 

I wondered: Can AI and human creativity get along? While some are using the technology to explore new artistic avenues, others see it as competition -- tech that's stealing their work for training data.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, posed a critical question for AI developers when it comes to creating systems users can trust: "Who does it work for?"

While many conversations around AI dealt with how it'll affect the workplace, Nickle LaMoreaux, the chief human resources officer at IBM, said the result will likely be that workers will be judged more on the things only a human can do. 

Sometimes the thing that makes news isn't what a person says. Then-Bluesky CEO Jay Graber took a jab at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg without saying his name -- just a carefully and cleverly designed T-shirt. Mashable's Chance Townsend had the story. 

Austin is known for its barbecue, live music and vibrant, lively atmosphere. It's also known for its ideas, which are as tempting to me as the brisket I'm hoping to devour. 

I'm heading to SXSW this week for the first time. I imagine there'll be a distinct pulse to the city, a palpable electricity that everyone who visits can feel, especially when a massive global event is underway. And between the premieres and panels, and concerts and crowds, I'm hoping to stumble on the next big innovation that will shape our world. 

AI will likely be a focal point, but I'm also expecting to see a true intersection of human connection, art and technology. SXSW has always been a melting pot: directors and actors sharing sidewalks with tech founders, musicians hauling guitars past venture capitalists and comedians, and journalists like me trying to keep up with everything. (And believe me, I'll try my very best to keep up.) 

That collision is the true magic of SXSW. 

I'm especially ready to hear about the path of creative storytelling and emerging tech in 2026. How are artists and innovators finessing the AI evolution? How are they trying to reshape how these tools will be used, rather than letting the tools reshape them? 

I'm also jittery for discovery. Which documentary will break open a viral discussion? Which celebrity guest is going to generate the most buzz? What offhand comment in a panel is going to shape headlines for the next few days? 

SXSW has more to see and do than I can reasonably aim to cover in just a few days. I'm told it's chaotic, overwhelming, exhausting, exhilarating and energizing. And that's exactly where I need to be. I can't wait.