SXSW had branding throughout the neighbourhood of Shoreditch in London.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
South by Southwest (SXSW) could also be a widely known occasion in the USA, nevertheless it actually hasn’t reached the identical stage of recognition in Britain.
“What’s that?” requested a pedestrian who was passing by a SXSW London signal.
SXSW is a competition held in Austin, Texas, yearly that brings collectively huge names in music, movie, artwork and know-how. The organizers have introduced the occasion to London for the primary time this week, and CNBC took at take a look at what is going on on.
CNBC’s Tania Bryer moderated a dialogue with London Mayor Sadiq Khan who throughout a gap speech made the pitch for the town as a “hub for expertise, commerce, tech and innovation.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks with moderator Tania Bryer through the “Opening Remarks – Welcome to SXSW London” panel dialogue on the primary day of SXSW London 2025 at The Truman Brewery on June 2, 2025.
Jack Taylor | Getty Photographs Leisure | Getty Photographs
Khan took veiled swipes on the U.S. President Donald Trump and his commerce insurance policies and pitched London as open for enterprise.
“So on the time when there’s a lot uncertainty and political turmoil throughout the pond, outlined by an inward wanting mentality, I will attain out to worldwide buyers, companies and creators to say that London affords you the other,” Khan mentioned, in keeping with Deadline.
SXSW is being held in varied venues throughout the artistic neighborhood of Shoreditch which can also be near Previous Road, a key tech hub within the early days of London’s startup scene. Shoreditch was taken over by SXSW London branding, from murals to indicators on lampposts.
SXSW had murals throughout Shoreditch, London, which marketed the occasion.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
Large names are in attendance, akin to “Recreation of Thrones” star Sophie Turner and actor and musician Idris Elba. On the tech entrance, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis spoke, as did Thomas Wolf, co-founder of synthetic intelligence agency Hugging Face.
$24 socks and free chocolate
So what was the expertise like? The day began with me choosing up my press cross and receiving an SXSW tote bag. There was a schedule and map in there and bar of SXSW-branded Tony’s Chocolonely.
I made my approach to Shoreditch Electrical, a venue I simply came upon is residence to the Nationwide Centre for Circus Arts. I watched a session the place Thomas Wolf of Hugging Face mentioned the progress of open-source synthetic intelligence fashions and the way forward for robotics. Open supply is a giant deal in AI proper now due to the sturdy efficiency of these fashions, particularly out of China, that are free to make use of.
Shoreditch Electrical hosted some talks throughout SXSW London. The courtyard was a spot for attendees to take a seat within the solar.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
The venue was an industrial-style, uncovered brick constructing. Simply exterior was a espresso bar, which was good for the sunny climate in London on Monday.
I then walked over to the Truman Brewery, the place the primary stage of the convention was. Exterior the doorway have been plenty of meals vans and, after all, huge model shows from sun shades agency Ray-Ban and electrical automotive firm Polestar, which had reside music performances all through the day.
Polestar and Ray-Ban took the prospect to promote their merchandise throughout SXSW London, 2025.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
Then there was the official merchandise retailer which was promoting a pair of SXSW-branded socks for £18 ($24) and a T-shirt for £30.
After a fast safety verify, I used to be within the Truman Brewery in time for a session from Hassabis. I made a decision to attempt to watch it on stage however the line to get in was lengthy, even about half an hour earlier than the speak. So I made a decision to look at it on a display screen within the media lounge, which had fairly respectable sandwiches.
The doorway to the Truman Brewery the place the primary stage of SXSW London was positioned.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
AI in all places
AI was actually a giant theme, with corporations like Hugging Face, Google DeepMind and even Wayve, a U.Ok. driverless automotive startup backed by SoftBank, discussing the way forward for the know-how.
Hassabis spoke about synthetic common intelligence (AGI), which is usually understood as AI that’s smarter than people. He mentioned AGI could be “larger” than the Industrial Revolution and the web by way of its impression on society. He additionally warned about the necessity to develop this know-how responsibly.
The DeepMind founder additionally mentioned that over the following 5 to 10 years, AI instruments are going to “supercharge technically savvy people who find themselves on the forefront of utilizing these applied sciences, however combining it with creativity and different expertise.”
“I believe they are going to have the ability to obtain superhuman issues,” Hassabis mentioned.
There was a protracted queue of attendees ready to get into the following session the place Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis was about to talk at SXSW London, 2025.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
There are many huge names performing all through the week, together with R&B star Tems — however they’re far too late within the night and do not sync up with my 5 a.m. wake-up name. So you may need to look on social media to see what sort of vibe these occasions have.
