South by Southwest is a major annual event held in Austin, Texas, that brings together a diverse range of creative professionals. It is best known for its conferences and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. As such, SXSW dedicates itself to “helping creative people achieve their goals”.

Futurist Amy Webb was once again one of the main stars of the event. Her highly anticipated “Future Trends Report“, provides an overview of the future based on data and strategic analysis. She explored how artificial intelligence, sensors, and biotechnology are converging to create a new technological cycle that will impact us all.

Key Learnings from the Future Trends Report 2025

  • Multi Agent Systems (MAS) are becoming increasingly autonomous. They can already organize themselves, make decisions, and solve problems without human intervention. This opens up incredible possibilities, but also brings ethical and operational challenges.
  • Artificial Intelligence is gradually more incorporated into the physical world. Besides processing digital data, it is ingesting more and more “physical” data via sensors. This includes everything from smart prostheses to brain-machine interfaces.
  • Biotechnology is changing the very concept of “natural”. With advances in bioengineering, new “meta-materials” are now available in the the market. This includes modified foods to human tissues grown in the laboratory.
  • Bio-robots made with living cells are the future. Robotics is not so much focused in creating perfect androids, but rather machines that adapt and learn from the environment. This involves the concept of “living machines”.

The future does not happen by change and we must all be vigilant and proactive in protecting the common good. After all, the choices that we make in the next decade will determine the destiny of humanity.

The PERCEPTIVA team is actively participating in various SXSW forums to anticipate challenges and provide strategic insights to clients. Much more to come in the next few days!