Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium joins us at the #DellExperience to discuss the science of optimizing content, and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence & machine learning to meet key performance indicators.

As humans we have always looked for ways to accelerate our physical abilities. We used the steam engine to enhance our muscle power. We launched satellites into space to enhance our ability to see. So it's no surprise we have now figured out how to use AI to enhance our creativity. She will share how R/GA is using an'AI augmented' approach to create innovative solutions for their clients.

As Mark Hamill humorously shared the behind-the-scenes of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" with a packed SXSW audience, two floors below on the exhibit floor Universal Robots recreated General Grievous' famed light saber battles. The battling machines were steps away from a twelve foot dancing Kuka robot and an automated coffee dispensary. Somehow the famed interactive festival known for its late night drinking, dancing and concerts had a very mechanical feel this year. Everywhere debates ensued between utopian tech visionaries and dystopia-fearing humanists. Even my panel on "Investing In The Autonomy Economy" took a very social turn when discussing the opportunities of utilizing robots for the growing aging population.

The annual SXSW Conference in Austin is a notorious hotbed of new tech innovations and trends for business, and PR and marketing communications is often bountifully served. This year's event has certainly been no exception. Artificial intelligence has particularly gotten loads of attention, both is the form of tech-advancing insights and burgeoning conspiracy theories--but despite Elon Musk's dire warning of AI's imminent danger, where he declared that "AI is far more dangerous than nukes," plenty of useful info was presented. David Meerman Scott, who pioneered the practice, wants to give you the lowdown on how to inject your ideas into a breaking news story to get the coverage you want. One big topic was AI-powered assistants, and the way they are redefining home life as well as things like retail, travel and all-around convenience.

As thousands descended upon the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2018 Conference this year to catch a glimpse of the interactive industry's biggest leaders, Digital McKinsey was pleased to take part in some of the most engaging conversations in data science (Ines Marusic), design (Mahin Samadani), and artificial intelligence (Mehdi Miremadi). As in past years, Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to emerge as a key issue as businesses and consumers wrestle with its perceived value and underlying threats. The conversation at SXSW focused on how we need to rethink our processes, examine underserved groups, and be realistic about expectations of AI. We contributed to discussions in three areas of particular importance: 1) providing inclusive ways to solve complex problems; 2) expanding the skill set of empathy and design with data; and 3) understanding the nuance of AI's impact. Data scientist Ines Marusic of QuantumBlack joined a women in AI panel to discuss the impact of today's algorithms on inclusion and fairness.

For a different take on AI, Unanimous A.I., a San Francisco based startup, is taking a cue from nature in using algorithms to amplify human brainpower. Louis Rosenberg, its CEO, is a Stanford PhD, named on over 350 patents, and built the first immersive augmented reality system for the Air Force's Armstrong lab in the early 1990s. Rosenberg explains the hive concept by noting how bees go about building new homes. Honeybees have less than a million neurons of brainpower compared with a human's 100 billion. Yet collectively, they form a swarm intelligence, coming to agreement on the complicated task of building a new home that factors in protection from weather, predators, and other issues.

In the years to come, what will be the biggest improvement in AI-powered digital assistants? It's likely to be the ability to accommodate a fundamental aspect of being human: The fact that we all have different personas, we show different facets of ourselves depending on where we are and who we are with, and our personas change over time. And different personas want different things from their AI assistants. Assistants that can understand your personal circumstances are less likely to remind you to pick up your rash prescription as you drive by the pharmacy if there are other people in the car, bug you about work email at home, or keep suggesting fun nightclubs if you've just had a baby. That was the message from Sunday's panel on "Designing the Next Wave of Natural Language and AI" at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Samsung Electronics is showcasing an AI assistant this coming Sunday at SXSW 2018 Trade Show, and surprisingly, we are not talking about Bixby here. The South Korean tech giant is unveiling a visualized 3D character assistant at the event as part of the new technologies its C-Lab (Creative Lab) program is currently working on. The Galaxy S9 maker recently took to its online newsroom to announce that three new innovative projects from C-Lab will be showcased at SXSW 2018 from Sunday, March 11, through Wednesday, March 14. The company has disclosed that it will be exhibiting the new AI technologies at Stand #1538 in Exhibit Hall 3 of the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. One of the C-Lab creations that will be present at Samsung's booth is Aurora, a smartphone app and deck that features a visualized 3D character assistant.

Samsung Electronics announced today that it will showcase three innovative new C-Lab (Creative Lab) projects based on artificial intelligence (AI) from March 11 through 14 at SXSW 2018 Trade Show. These projects – Toonsquare, Aurora, and GADGET – will introduce new user experiences with AI technologies to the attendees. The projects will be exhibited at Stand #1538 in Exhibit Hall 3 of the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Since its SXSW debut in 2015, C-Lab has introduced various projects in the field of music, art, and interactive technologies, to validating business opportunities and getting user feedback to refine the prototypes to reach market fit. "The majority of ideas that have been proposed recently aim to utilize artificial intelligence to solve inconveniences in daily life," said Jaiil Lee, Vice President and Head of the Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics.