Enthusiasm abounded at the World AI Cannes Festival

By now, we’re well-accustomed to waves of tech-based fervor. You don’t really have to touch the industry to have become a cynic. Perhaps you remember “peak blockchain” in 2019, when the technology was integrated into a toothbrush for reasons that no-one will ever begin to understand?

And of course, we’ve endured fanfare and furor over the metaverse, XR, Big Data, crypto, Web3, NFTs, quantum computing and, most notably, we’ve seen AI grow legitimate roots as the defining technology of its era (while its name continues to be frequently used and abused by sneaky bandwagon jumpers…).  

On those firm foundations, generative AI is the term at the center current hype-cycle. In Cannes last week a reported 16,000 attendees swarmed on the famed Palais des Festivals et Des Congrès to learn about it, talk about it, and – for many – showcase the tentative steps they’ve taken towards real-world application.

As with previous seasons, there was an urgency (perhaps even a whiff of desperation…?) in the air as companies from industries as diverse as hospitality, finance, entertainment, marketing, and pharma joined this latest gold rush as hopefuls. And, unsurprisingly, both snake oil and substance could be found.

I was lucky enough to host the festival’s Applications Stage, and here are three broad-brush observations I made:

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