For a businesswoman and designer who was looking for market and future information in 2023, I believe I managed to accomplish the mission with honors and investment. In March, I participated in the SXSW for the first time. In the middle of the year, I spoke at Hacktown, and now, I just returned from Web Summit Lisbon.
And, well, the first question they always ask about these events: what did you see? If you don’t work with communications, this may be unknown, but if so, the answer is also obvious: artificial intelligence.
However, the difference between the events that SXSW addresses is a more long-term future. The others, including the Web Summit, show what is already happening and how it is happening. This clearly caused me some anxiety. This anxiety began at the event, in which the format of the lectures, with conversations lasting up to 20 minutes, and startups (more than 1.4 thousand spread across the space of six pavilions) took my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), which refers to the feeling of fear of being left out of something cool that is happening, to the maximum state.
The stages were divided by themes and it was as if I were inside a giant app, running and going from one space to another, always feeling like I was missing something. It was only at the end of the first day that I managed to concatenate with the event app which themes and spaces would provide me with more interesting content.
One of these talks was from a doctor who created a app open source to unify medical data and assured, quality information to help professionals and people in all corners of the world, including the least favored. Among the lectures on artificial intelligence, what caught my attention were the topics that focused on how to regulate the use of artificial intelligence, as briefly as possible, since these tools are already being widely democratized and used.
This regulation is very necessary and urgent because we are already seeing the irresponsible use of AIs, such as, for example, the incident with students at a high school in Rio de Janeiro who, through the use of an AI, were undressed and exposed by their classmates. class, without needing to access the deep web.
Apart from these issues, I did not enjoy the event experience. Of course, being in Lisbon, getting out of the routine and the possibility of networking (best delivery of all these events) helps. However, I felt the lectures were superficial, in which the insights They didn’t necessarily bring anything new. Even more so considering my case, as I have been working in communications for over 20 years and have been talking about these topics for over ten years with my clients, almost daily.
My criticism goes further, it goes to the whole. I say this because, for me, an event where the overwhelming white majority has the money to finance this experience, always keeps the discussion in the same bubble, resolving issues of productivity and engagement and paying little attention to the planet and society. These more social and environmental issues were addressed by some, but a minority.
An example that illustrates what I mean by superficial and insights more of the same: a programmer presented, at the event, the idea of creating a super app to combat the amount of mini apps that only pollute our gadgets and leave us confused, when, at that moment, they could be working as a network to improve the user experience.
My ticket was acquired via Women in Tech, an event partnership that proposed and managed, for the fourth consecutive year, to bring more women to an event that is mostly male. For those who are interested and want to go next year, it’s worth it. This was an initiative that somewhat balanced my perception of a total lack of inclusion.
But not everything was frustrating. Get to know the startup Brazilian Let’s Fly, which transforms organic waste, such as wasted fruits and vegetables, into yeast for the creation of black soldier fly larvae, also known by the acronym BSF (from the English Black Soldier Fly), was one of the highlights of the experience at the event. The majority of these larvae are killed before they even become flies, with the purpose of becoming food for domestic animals, generating a chain that transforms waste into protein and countless products, in other words, recycling in the vein.
This year, the startup winner of the event in the category of Best Pitchwas the Brazilian company Inspira, which works with softwares based on artificial intelligence aimed at the legal sector. In practice, it makes the exhausting and difficult work of a lawyer to research and assemble pieces an 80% gain in working time for those who use it, by assisting in data processing and offering other resources that optimize time. .
Another highlight was the fact that I participated in the mission of the Brazilian Association of Design Companies (ABEDESIGN) and the Institute for Tomorrow. At the end of each day, all participants in this mission discussed the insights of the event for more than an hour, which extended into happy hour. In other words, a brilliant initiative, made by people and for people.
I close this text thinking that knowing this type of event helps me increase my knowledge and, at the same time, gives me a perspective that my view of the world becomes increasingly human as technology advances. That, for me, will be a differentiator in the future.
Vanessa Queiroz is a founding member of Estdio Colletivo and director of the Brasil Design Award (ABEDESIGN) for the 2nd consecutive year, which was responsible for choosing, for the first time in Brazil, 12 women to occupy the presidency of the jury in their categories. In 2014, she was listed as one of the 50 most innovative people in communications and marketing by Proxxima magazine, and in 2022, she was listed as one of the 30 voices fighting to change the communications industry in Brazil, by Papel e Peneta.
At Coletivo, Vanessa is responsible for the New Business and Customer Service areas of national and international brands that make up the company’s portfolio, such as Gold&Ko, Colorado, Matilha, Netflix and Spotify. The office’s projects have already received several awards, including Cannes Lions, Latin American Design Awards and Brasil Design Awards.
* This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Adnews
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