Amy Webb Holds a “Funeral” for the Tech Trends Report and Bets on the Era of Convergences

The amplification of human capabilities, unlimited labor performed by AI, and the outsourcing of emotions to machines were among the highlights of her presentation at SXSW 2026

mission [EXP + PROS]

Amy Webb asked everyone to wear black to attend a funeral during her session. The person being honored? Her own trends report, first launched in 2008 and responsible for inspiring hundreds of similar documents over the years. “The world is changing too fast, and a static PDF of trends becomes obsolete immediately,” she said.

In place of trends, the founder and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group is now betting on what she calls “convergences.” But is it really that different from a trends report—or is it more like a retrofit? Webb explains that looking at trends in isolation creates a false sense of predictability. Just like weather forecasting, it’s necessary to observe what happens when multiple factors intersect and begin accelerating one another.

Human amplification

The first of these convergences involves technologies designed to enhance human capabilities such as mobility, sleep, cognition, and vision. It means starting to think of the human body as a platform—and considering what happens when some people have access to better “upgrades” than others. Think of the difference between someone struggling with insomnia and another person using a smart bed that heats and cools according to body temperature to ensure better sleep.

The second convergence concerns the ability of machines to work without pause or fatigue—both in factories and in offices. For centuries, economic growth has been “limited” by human capacity to work. What happens when that barrier disappears? Not even China’s infamous “996 schedule” —working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — can compete.

Spike Jonze predicted it

Just as in the film Her, AI has begun occupying spaces that were once reserved for friends, partners, therapists, or spiritual leaders. Companies are increasingly paying attention to this phenomenon, creating products designed to maximize retention and engagement among people who feel lonely.

Considering all this, Amy argues that capitalism completes a full circle: it sells back to people what technology helped take away from them in the first place. In this scenario, the world’s most valuable company might not produce anything tangible at all—it may simply control the invisible infrastructure that shapes how we think, feel, and act.

Webb also proposes an alternative: a model she calls “contribution credit.” In this system, historically invisible activities—such as caregiving, mentorship, and community building—would be economically recognized through a share of the value generated by automation. A way for those who helped (voluntarily or not) build this system to receive something in return.

Amy believes the future will not be decided by algorithms, but by the human decisions being made right now. Her final message is a call to take control—and to choose a side.