UKAI House Brings AI, Creativity and Culture to SXSW London
UKAI House at SXSW London brought together speakers from across technology, creativity, policy and business for a packed day of conversations on where AI goes next.
UKAI House came to SXSW London on Wednesday 3 June, bringing together founders, creators, policymakers, broadcasters, industry leaders and AI innovators for a full day of conversation at 83 Rivington Street.
Across seven sessions, UKAI explored some of the biggest questions shaping the future of artificial intelligence - from creative rights and cultural data to responsible AI, workforce transformation and skills for the next generation.
The day opened with Building a Fair Market for Cultural and Creative Data, featuring Heloise Ingrand, Justin Manton, Vince Smith and Lara Lewington. The session explored how cultural and creative assets can be discovered, accessed and licensed responsibly in an AI enabled economy, and how the UK can support innovation while creating trusted routes for rights holders, content owners and data consumers to work together on fair terms.
This was followed by a fireside chat on Creativity and AI: How Can We Build a Fairer Future?, with Ed Newton-Rex and Baroness Thangam Debbonaire. Their conversation looked at the relationship between AI and human creativity, including the importance of consent, rights and fair value for creators. As AI tools become more embedded in creative workflows, the discussion focused on how technology can support, rather than undermine, the people whose work makes innovation possible.
The programme also explored how AI is changing the way organisations understand culture. In Understanding Human Culture Using AI, Daniel Wong-Chi-Man discussed cultural intelligence, micro trends and the ways AI can help brands and organisations better understand what people care about and why.
In the afternoon, UKAI House moved into a series of sessions looking at responsibility, production and skills. Responsible AI: Ethics, Equity, Environment brought together Matt Holmes, Polly Milne, Lara Lewington and Zahra Shah to ask what responsibility really means in practice, beyond good intentions or broad principles. Speakers discussed the need to build ethical, equitable and environmentally conscious approaches into AI development from the start.
The session on Creativity, Amplified: The Future of Talent and Production featured Babita Devi, Ben Woollams, Tom Lorimer and Lara Lewington. The panel looked at how AI is reshaping creative work, from AI powered avatars to artist rights and global production, and explored how the industry can protect and celebrate human talent as new tools transform the way content is made, distributed and valued.
The final sessions focused on the future of work. Training Tomorrow’s Workforce, with Greg Freeman, Prashant Raizada and Tim Flagg, examined what it takes for organisations to move beyond the hype and embed AI meaningfully across teams. Adopting Skills in the Age of AI, featuring Rob Jones, Jo Bishenden and Tim Flagg, looked at apprenticeships, practical training and the routes young people need into an economy already being reshaped by automation.
The atmosphere throughout the day reflected the energy of SXSW London: lively, curious and full of people ready to challenge assumptions. Conversations continued beyond the panels, with speakers and guests sharing ideas across AI, creativity, business and policy.
UKAI House at SXSW London showed the breadth of the AI conversation now taking place in the UK. It is no longer just about what the technology can do, but about the choices being made around rights, responsibility, opportunity and the future of work.
