{"id":126414,"date":"2026-03-17T18:17:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/900072210"},"modified":"2026-03-17T18:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:17:05","slug":"the-tech-trends-getting-buzz-at-sxsw-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/03\/17\/the-tech-trends-getting-buzz-at-sxsw-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The tech trends getting buzz at SXSW 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sustainability, AI in video games, and your very own Darth Vader chamber.<\/div>\n
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 By  <\/p>\n
Timothy Beck Werth<\/a> <\/p>\n
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\"headshot <\/p>\n
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Timothy Beck Werth<\/div>\n
Tech Editor<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men\u2019s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men’s product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he\u2019s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl. <\/div>\n

Read Full Bio<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

 on 

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\"sxsw <\/p>\n
Credit: Jeffrey Hazelwood \/ Mashable<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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SXSW<\/a> isn\u2019t just about movies or music. The annual Austin festival has also become a hub for inventors and entrepreneurs who use technology in exciting new ways.<\/p>\n

So while my colleagues in the entertainment section score interviews with Dropout TV stars<\/a> and hit the I Love Boosters<\/em><\/a> red carpet, I went looking for the latest word in tech. Here’s what I learned while attending panels on robots, playing next-gen VR games, interviewing AI experts \u2014 plus eating a dangerous amount of tacos to power me through it all.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/span> 17 SXSW movies you need to know about right now<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n

AI Doom is out. AI Apocaloptimism is in.<\/h2>\n

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If it feels like they\u2019re adding AI to everything, it\u2019s because they\u2019re adding AI to everything. It seemed like every other booth and event at SXSW was about some new way to integrate AI into … whatever doesn’t have it yet. It’s a gold rush, still loves a bubble until it pops.<\/p>\n

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SXSW offered panels about runaway AI, job loss, environmental crisis, cognitive decline, and everything else you need for your full-blown panic attack before heading to the IBM AI Sports Club for a consoling round of drinks with other apparently obsolete humans.<\/p>\n

But between the AI doomers and the AI goldrush crowd, a middle path is emerging: AI Apocaloptimism. <\/p>\n

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist<\/em><\/a> <\/em>is one buzzy new documentary at SXSW. Mashable hosted a panel about the movie with its producer, Daniel Kwan<\/a> ( one half of the “Daniels” duo that directed 2023 Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All At Once<\/em>). <\/p>\n

An Apocaloptimist, according to Kwan’s movie, is someone whose eyes are wide open to the perils of AI, but also to the promises. The AI Doc<\/em> is also a call to action for viewers to support responsible AI development and regulation. You can catch it in theaters from March 27.<\/p>\n

Bleeding-edge tech on display at XR Exhibition <\/h2>\n

As in years past, SXSW hosted an XR Exhibition, where artists, pranksters, and game developers debuted installations on the bleeding edge of XR technology. It wasn’t new, but it has shown more staying power than the AI trend. Of all the tech I saw at SXSW, this is the event crowds were most excited about. There was a line and rush at the door when the hall opened. <\/p>\n

Ironically, however, this event’s popularity may be a sign that XR in the wider world is not<\/em> popular. Most people don\u2019t have Meta Quests, Galaxy XR headsets, or Snap Spectacles, so they jump at the chance to try them.<\/p>\n

SXSW saw the global debut of Fabula Rasa<\/em><\/a>, a virtual reality game driven by fully improvised and AI-generated conversations. I wrote about the experience immediately after trying it, and it could be a preview of what RPG games will become in the AI era. <\/p>\n

Imagine this: No more dialogue trees or circular conversations. You can talk, in real time, to every character you meet.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/span> ‘Fabula Rasa’ is the new AI VR game that made me ask: Is this the future of RPGs?<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n

Snap also hosted the U.S. debut of a new augmented reality art exhibition with Jonathan Yeo, the painter behind a controversial portrait of Sir King Charles. Yeo’s exhibit powered by the Snap Spectacles.<\/p>\n

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