---
title: "The New Role of Those Who Design the Future"
date: 2026-03-18
source: Meio & Mensagem
source_url: https://www.meioemensagem.com.br/sxsw/o-novo-papel-de-quem-desenha-o-futuro
tags: [sxsw-2026, foresight, convergence, ai-governance, democracy, amy-webb]
summary: SXSW 2026 reveals a shift from consuming future narratives to actively contesting them — demanding critical thinking, democratic participation, and ethical responsibility in shaping desirable futures.
---

# The New Role of Those Who Design the Future

By Camilo Barros, Partner and Founder of Institute for Tomorrow.

Being at SXSW is a privilege — but not for the obvious reasons. The real privilege is drinking from the source where ideas are still being formed, tensions unresolved, and the future not yet packaged for consumption.

Amy Webb herself acknowledged on stage what many have observed empirically: the world is no longer evolving in parallel trend lines. We're living in an era of deep convergence where technology, biology, AI, culture, economics, and human behavior intertwine, tension each other, and mutually accelerate.

## From Privilege to Responsibility

If access to the future was once restricted — mediated by governments, large corporations, and power centers — today it's becoming progressively distributed. For a long time, we lived within "possible futures" — scenarios projected by institutions, guided by economic interests, and translated to the public as inevitabilities.

Events like SXSW now place us in a different position: questioning these futures, tensioning dominant narratives, challenging big tech, confronting "tech bros," and developing critical repertoire to avoid accepting any discourse as truth. More than anticipating trends, we're beginning to contest future narratives.

## Who Should Regulate the Future?

The question of who regulates AI — who defines ethical limits, who builds guardrails — appears with increasing frequency. The answer that governments and large companies alone can handle it is no longer sufficient. When technology becomes distributed, power distributes too. The most uncomfortable yet potent answer: that "someone" is us.

But this demands a posture shift. It's not enough to consume content, attend talks, or translate trends. Action is required.

## Desirable Futures Are Not Neutral

Desirable futures require at least three foundations: democracy (broadened access and participation), sustainability, and justice. The future is not merely a consequence of technology — it's a construction that carries values.

## Key Takeaways

- We're shifting from consuming future narratives to actively contesting and shaping them
- Technological convergence demands critical thinking, not just trend-following
- AI governance can't be left solely to governments and corporations — distributed power requires distributed responsibility
- Desirable futures require intentional construction grounded in democracy, sustainability, and justice