The FH Digital and AI teams are at the @SXSW festival, engaging in some amazing sessions on how AI is revolutionising various industries, including technology, financial services, and healthcare.
Here’s a recap of the key topics discussed on Day Three @SXSW London – the tl;dr
💰✅ Credibility is the new currency in PR
🤖📈 AI is transforming public relations and investment strategies
📰🤝 PR-journalist relations continue to evolve
🎨🌍 Taste and cultural sensitivity are more important than ever for brands
🛩️✏️ AI is a co-pilot in shaping brand narratives
💡 Redefining Public Relations: Embracing Credibility and AI in a Digital Age by
Marcus McCabe
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, public relations (PR) is undergoing a significant transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and the demand for authenticity. As we grapple with synthetic content and AI hallucinations, credibility has emerged as the new currency that PR professionals must prioritise.
This piece explores five key themes influencing the future of PR: the importance of truth and cultural relevance, the technical evolution of PR-journalist relationships, the critical role of taste in competitive advantage, the embrace of AI as a creative co-pilot, and the balancing act between innovation and ethical responsibility. Understanding these dynamics will enable PR professionals to craft impactful narratives while navigating the complexities of this new landscape.
Topline Takeaways
- Credibility is the new currency: In an age of synthetic content and AI hallucinations, truth, taste, and cultural authenticity are more valuable than ever. Whether they are pitching stories or building brand narratives, PRs must champion factual accuracy and help clients stay authentic.
- The PR-journalist relationship could be becoming more technical: With AI and computational journalism gaining traction, reporters are now working with data scientists, engineers, and designers. For PRs, that means going beyond quotes and press releases. They will need the data literacy to clean, contextualize, and offer valuable datasets, and to understand what makes a “computationally possible” story.
- Taste, not just tech, will define competitive advantage: Aesthetics and cultural sensitivity will define success in increasingly AI-dominated industries. Challenger brands that combine strong storytelling, visual identity, and cultural alignment will thrive. Key sound bites included:
“The number one thing Apple looks for is taste.”
“Art history majors might just win this era.”
- We are the product and the interface: AI tools are learning from us as we learn from them. The most successful PR strategies will treat AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement, and use it to amplify creative potential. As communicators, we’re also shaping how these tools sound, behave, and engage. Our choices — from tone of voice to brand inputs — help define the digital experience for everyone else.
- Change is a risk, but also a creative frontier: From helping identify abducted children to exposing financial fraud and analysing geopolitical labour markets, AI is supercharging the pace, depth, and reach of storytelling. But it comes with risk: hallucinations, unverifiable sources, and regulatory grey areas. PRs must act as ethical gatekeepers and strategic guides, ensuring tech is applied responsibly.
Check out a post from Marcus here.
💡 Driving the AI Revolution in Europe, India, and Beyond by
Maranatha Peterside
In today’s rapidly evolving investment landscape, the role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is becoming increasingly critical. As entrepreneurs and investors navigate the unique dynamics of markets like India, understanding how AI can reshape business practices and customer service interactions is essential. This article explores the changing perceptions of investing across India and the world while highlighting the transformative potential of AI.
Topline Takeaways
- Emerging Market Opportunities: India presents significant growth potential, with a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem that has flourished since the arrival of its first unicorn, Flipkart, in 2010. This is crucial for investors to recognise, as tapping into this market could yield substantial returns.
- Challenging Misconceptions: Global investors often misunderstand India’s economic landscape, mistakenly equating the wealth of the top 1% with general prosperity. It's vital to consider the diverse needs of the majority, as this understanding could help identify underappreciated opportunities.
- AI's Transformative Role: AI technologies are set to revolutionise customer service, allowing businesses to offer personalized experiences and streamline operations with tools like chatbots and virtual assistants. This shift is essential for companies aiming to enhance efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.
- Value Alignment with Consumers: Successful brands will increasingly need to align with consumer values, fostering trust through transparency and authentic engagement. Brands that can resonate with their audiences are more likely to thrive in a competitive market.
- Global Perspective: As European companies increasingly view India as a promising market, grasping local culture and regulations becomes essential for investment success. Their ability to navigate these complexities will determine their success in this diverse landscape.
Questions to think about:
How can AI improve customer service in the Indian market?
- AI can significantly enhance customer service by providing 24/7 support through chatbots and virtual assistants. These tools can learn from interactions to deliver personalised responses, making customer experiences more efficient and tailored.
Why is aligning with consumer values important for brands?
- Aligning with consumer values is vital because trust is a key driver of purchasing decisions. Brands that demonstrate authenticity and commitment to their audience's beliefs are more likely to build lasting relationships and drive customer loyalty.
What opportunities exist for small businesses in India?
- Small businesses in India have the chance to leverage AI-optimised content strategies and explore alternative discovery channels as traditional search engine marketing becomes less effective, enabling them to thrive in a competitive marketplace.
In conclusion, as the investment landscape shifts, embracing technology—including AI—while understanding local dynamics will be critical for entrepreneurs and investors looking to succeed in both India and global markets.
Check out a post from Maranatha here.
💡 Women in the Room by
Clo Ballard
The session, featuring Tiwa Savage and Letitia Wright, offered relevant insight into how visibility, authorship, and identity intersect in digital culture. It focused on what it means to build and maintain a creative career in the public eye, how women are still required to defend their place in decision-making roles, and why meaningful support often requires structural change. The conversation had strong implications for brand, content, and influencer strategy.
Topline Takeaways
- Authenticity is not optional: Both speakers discussed how creative and professional growth required them to stay close to purpose. Their stories showed that audiences respond to clear intent and long-term consistency, not just visibility. For brands, this reinforces the importance of grounding campaigns in values and lived experience.
- Creative leadership demands better systems of support: Letitia Wright spoke about the need for collaborative teams when stepping into new roles. She built her directing career by learning from others and asking for help. Brands working in creative spaces should consider how they support learning, not just output.
- There is still a credibility gap for women: Tiwa Savage shared examples of being told no by industry decision-makers despite a strong track record. Her male peers were not held to the same standard. This reinforces how bias continues to shape opportunity and how brands need to be aware of who gets backing and why.
Moving Forward
Questions to think about:
How does this impact our clients’ industry or business?
- Many brands rely on female talent for reach and credibility but invest less in their long-term creative growth. This creates a disconnect between messaging and practice. Clients should consider how they build durable relationships with female creators and leaders.
How are consumers’ expectations shifting and what does this mean for brand storytelling?
- Audiences expect more depth and accountability from the voices they follow. They are looking for substance and context, especially when issues of identity, purpose, or equity are involved. This requires stronger editorial thinking and more space for nuance.
Are there any practical steps clients should be taking in response?
- Commission female creators as creatives, not just talent
- Invest in skills and support networks behind the work
- Acknowledge structural barriers and work to remove them in your process
How could this strengthen our authority or leadership on a key issue or vertical?
- By showing clear understanding of the pressures and barriers women face in public creative roles, we can help shape stronger, more relevant narratives in culture and communications. This builds credibility across entertainment, brand storytelling, and talent partnerships.
What is the brand and why is it important to you?
- A brand is shaped by who it listens to and who it funds. If a brand aims to support women, it needs to be present early in the process and committed to long-term collaboration.
Check out a post from Clo here.
💡 TechBio Breakfast Club: From Code to Cure – How AI is Accelerating Biology by
Ahbab Choudhury
This session explored how AI is reshaping modern biology – from accelerating drug discovery to redefining biotech models and investment strategy. Experts shared how foundational AI models, proprietary data sets, and interdisciplinary teams are moving us from code to cure in a radically faster, more precise way.
Top Takeaways
- AI is reframing biology itself: Rather than starting with a narrow hypothesis, AI enables researchers to sift through vast, multimodal datasets to uncover patterns that inform hypothesis generation, flipping the traditional “wet lab first” approach. We’re moving from reductionism to context-rich insights.
- New era of measurement: As David Roblin explained, we’re now able to measure human biology at an unprecedented molecular level – from the genome to cell morphology – rapidly and cost-effectively. This data abundance creates new challenges (noise, scale), but also vast opportunities.
- From data to insight to action: The real innovation lies in integrating proprietary datasets with advanced AI models to surface novel mechanisms, target patient subtypes, and design personalised therapeutics. Companies are not just analysing – they’re creating unique, high-value datasets.
- The rise of multidisciplinarity: Success in TechBio hinges on collaboration across disciplines – biology, computer science, chemistry, and engineering. Communication and culture-building (the ‘coffee machine moments’) were cited as critical to navigating language and knowledge barriers.
- The biology of tomorrow is programmable: Speakers debated whether biology is ultimately deterministic. While complex and influenced by environmental and polygenic factors, AI is uncovering previously invisible correlations, pushing us toward precision diagnosis and truly personalised medicine.
- Investor perspective: TechBio success depends on more than smart algorithms. Competitive edge lies in proprietary data, model adaptability, and the ability to translate early insights into real-world therapies. Investors are looking for scalable models built on validated biological insight.
- From hype to application: AI isn’t just about promise – it’s already guiding drug pipelines, enabling simulations, and shaping biotech ventures. Generalist models like GPT show surprising capabilities, but foundational models tailored to biological contexts are emerging fast.
Relevance to Healthcare Communications As a communicator in healthcare and pharma, this session reinforced the need to:
- Understand how AI is shaping research, treatment models, and investor expectations
- Translate complex scientific breakthroughs into credible, compelling narratives
- Bridge the gap between data-driven innovation and public understanding
- Support pharma clients in navigating the balance between scientific ambition, regulation, and clear, trustworthy storytelling
Reflection: AI isn’t replacing biology – it’s helping us see it differently. And for those of us in healthcare comms, that means our role is evolving too. We’re no longer just narrating progress. We’re helping define how that progress is understood, trusted and ultimately adopted.
Check out a post from Ahbab here.
