Failure is an inevitable part of innovation culture, to be valued for the lessons it brings rather than seen as effort (and resources) wasted. But if investors decide to ‘play it safe’, can creatives and the organisations they work with continue to take risks and work towards uncertain outcomes? And without supported opportunities to experiment with new technologies - from immersive to AI - is there a danger that artists will struggle to compete with others in the entertainment and leisure market? Will they become irrelevant to future audiences? This panel asks: how can we continue to support cutting edge innovation at the interface of creative expression and technology and overcome our fear of failure, and what can public funding bring to the table that the commercial sector can’t?

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.