Dr Innovation CEO Roman Marszalek recently attended SXSW London 2025 – the festival’s inaugural European edition. Held across Shoreditch, the event brought together global leaders in AI, digital media, and business transformation.
For fast-moving UK businesses navigating a rapidly evolving tech landscape, here are six takeaways worth bringing back to the office.
1. AI Is the Great Equaliser
A major theme throughout the event was the growing accessibility of AI. What once required a technical background is now open to anyone with curiosity and an internet connection. Tools for content creation, data analysis and workflow automation are becoming more intuitive, lowering the barrier to innovation.
What this means for your business:
We’re seeing teams across departments experiment with AI to speed up admin, automate reporting, and create internal tools – without needing custom development. The opportunity is no longer reserved for large enterprises. Start small, test quickly, and back your team to explore.
2. Don’t Just Use AI – Understand It
As Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) put it, AI is a tool, not a substitute for sound thinking. The most effective use cases combine machine efficiency with human judgement.
Our take:
AI should accelerate the work you’re already doing well, not bypass it. Whether you’re using AI to generate content, summarise insights or structure reports, build in human review steps and give your team training on how to apply it responsibly.
3. Visual Is the New Default
From internal training to client updates, the shift to visual communication is accelerating. Short videos, screen recordings and annotated walkthroughs are now standard in forward-thinking teams.
Try this:
Swap dense docs for tools like Loom or Scribe to create explainers and updates in minutes. We’ve helped clients cut onboarding time in half just by making complex processes easier to understand, visually.
4. Marketing Is Now a Conversation
The most meaningful engagement isn’t happening in newsletters or blog posts – it’s unfolding in LinkedIn threads, Slack groups and comment sections. Your audience is already having conversations. The opportunity is to join them, not just broadcast to them.
Tip:
Encourage your team to show up as people, not marketers. Share lessons from real projects. Celebrate wins. Ask questions. Being part of the conversation builds trust, and trust wins clients.
5. Brand Lives in the Details
Every client interaction contributes to your brand, often more than your visuals or website do. Support responses, project handovers, onboarding calls and even calendar invites shape the way people feel about your business.
Make it count:
We help businesses design their service delivery deliberately, from ticketing to follow-up. Small touches like clear timelines, fast comms and personal follow-through don’t just delight – they differentiate.
6. AI Training Is Now Business-Critical
As AI becomes embedded in day-to-day tools, training is no longer optional. Every department – not just tech teams – needs to know how and when to use it. The businesses adopting AI effectively are the ones supporting their people to adapt.
Next step:
Host an AI enablement day. Set up informal learning groups. Or bring in external help to get things moving.
Want help kickstarting AI adoption across your team?
Talk to us about running a hands-on AI enablement session for your business.
Final Thought: Action Beats Intention
The most exciting progress isn’t coming from the biggest businesses – it’s coming from the ones willing to test ideas, move fast, and learn as they go.
