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00:00Thank you, Mayor. A big round of applause to our Mayor. I feel like it's very hard, Mayor, to impress
00:06you.
00:06So London's had the Olympics, the Coronation, even Taylor Swift.
00:10How does South by Southwest rank on the mayoral excitement scale this week?
00:16I think South by Southwest London is just below Harry Styles in 12 nights at Wembley Stadium.
00:23It's great. I'm really pleased and proud that South by Southwest is back.
00:28I mean, the sort of people we've got in this room is amazing.
00:31This week's going to be amazing. And it kicks off an amazing June.
00:34We've got London Tech Week next week and the Climate Action Week taking place later on this month.
00:40And it's a great springboard because what South by Southwest does so well is, as I said, it's the multidisciplines.
00:47It's the multigeneration. It's the multi-beliefs, multi-backgrounds coming together.
00:52And this is an incubator for great ideas, and I'm just so excited and so proud.
00:56Mayor, you touched on this in your opening speech.
00:59If London only existed on social media, it'd be very difficult to get people to actually move here.
01:05So why is the Internet so bad on cities, and how do you fight disinformation?
01:09Well, I think attacking London has become a national sport and an international sport.
01:15Why do I say that?
01:17Most people's experience of London is very different to the version you see on social media.
01:22And there's a reason for that. We've done some research and looked into what's going on here.
01:27Basically, you've got a combination of people using the algorithms on social media that monetize negativity and hatred.
01:36But also a combination of state actors, whether it's China, Russia, or MAGA influences, being unhappy that a city that
01:45is progressive, liberal, diverse, is incredibly successful.
01:50I mean, we are the antidote, the antithesis of nativist populist movements.
01:55So don't be surprised if you've got people on social media spreading misinformation, disinformation, and lies about London.
02:04And on any metrics, we're not perfect, but we are the greatest city in the world in terms of culture,
02:11tourism, music.
02:13Thank you. Thank you, Mum.
02:17You know, on a number of metrics, we're doing, you know, remarkably well.
02:22So, you know, I'm not surprised that there are people, you know, spreading misinformation.
02:26And I'm hoping those who are visiting London this week from across the country, across Europe, across the world, will
02:31sample the real London.
02:34Then go back and talk about this to friends, colleagues, neighbours, and even to our state on social media.
02:39So is that the biggest myth about London that drives you absolutely mad?
02:43Well, there are a number of things.
02:44But one of the things that I think that frustrates me is this idea that it's not possible to be
02:50diverse and successful.
02:52But in some way, diversity is a weakness or a strength that makes us poorer or richer, you know, weaker
02:58or stronger.
02:59I know the opposite is the truth.
03:01But actually, if you're somebody who's a nativist, if you're somebody whose populism grows from nativism,
03:05if you're somebody who believes in monoethnism, or believes in, you know, nationalism,
03:11then London's a problem for you, because we're the opposite of all that.
03:14You know, South by Southwest London, coming back for a second time, it shows, you know,
03:19for those that experienced this last year, feel about London.
03:21I'm really proud and pleased you're back, and I hope you make the most of this week.
03:25So, Mayor, every generation or most generations get a technology that could change everything.
03:30I mean, when creatives hear AI, many hear threats.
03:34What do you hear?
03:36Well, when it comes to AI, which is the technology that I think will be the biggest game changer in
03:43my lifetime,
03:44I think there's a number of ways to look at this.
03:47Look, if you look at the three biggest disruptors of the last 200 years,
03:52there's been the Industrial Revolution, there's been globalization, and there's now been AI.
03:58And why AI is fascinating for a number of reasons is the speed in which AI is going to transform
04:04our societies
04:04compared to globalization and Industrial Revolution.
04:07But also, I think, unlike the previous two, this will impact white-collar jobs.
04:12This will impact global cities.
04:14And I'm not an AI evangelist.
04:17I'm not an AI alarmist.
04:19I'm an AI realist.
04:20And so what I've done is work with experts across the different sectors
04:24and asked, you know, Martha Lane Fox to lead a task force into what is the future of work?
04:30What is the future of work in London?
04:32And I've also, at the same time, set up for everyone in the city free training in AI.
04:38I think there's going to be those jobs where AI augments.
04:41And I think it's important that we understand this thing is coming.
04:44The genie's out of the bottle.
04:45It can be transformative, mainly for good.
04:49There are some challenges.
04:51I'm a believer in guardrails.
04:52I've seen the downsides of social media without proper guardrails.
04:56I don't think we should repeat that when it comes to AI.
04:59But the potential is huge in terms of benefits to public services, benefits to the private sector.
05:04But there are challenges.
05:05We shouldn't put a head in the sands.
05:07I think we should acknowledge that and address them.
05:10Mayor, national politics has felt increasingly unstable.
05:13And that's probably the understatement of today.
05:15Are mayors becoming the most trusted politicians because people can actually see what gets done in their cities?
05:21Well, look, one of the things, you know, talking about AI,
05:23whilst national governments have sort of been sort of sleepwalking into this,
05:29mayors from across the globe, we've set up a world mayors AI forum.
05:34Seven cities across five continents.
05:35We represent 100 million people are working together.
05:38Look at the opportunities and challenges of AI.
05:41I've talked about the task force in London.
05:44I think I see mayors as doers.
05:47And I see, and I say it respectfully, some of my best friends are prime ministers and national politicians.
05:52National government says delayers, ditherers, whether it's climate change, whether it's AI,
05:58whether it's social media, and a whole host of issues.
06:01And you're seeing across the globe mayors doing stuff, mayors getting stuff done.
06:06Because we're close to the people, we're dexterous, we're flexible, we're part of the ideology by a large degree, we're
06:15pragmatic.
06:16And I think you'll see across the globe mayors leading the way in reducing carbon emissions, leading the way in
06:21making a just transition,
06:22leading the way in using AI, but also addressing the challenges, leading the way in creating green jobs,
06:28but also a place where people want to move to.
06:29We're seeing across the globe, not just in the UK, people wanting to move to cities.
06:34Urbanization is a phenomenon we've not seen for some time.
06:36And I think it's one of the reasons is because you've got mayors across the globe, whether it's Paris, New
06:41York, Los Angeles, Dhaka, Freetown, Delhi, leading the way.
06:46You've spent years telling London's story to the world.
06:49Does Labour need to be stronger about telling Britain's story to the world?
06:56When I speak to colleagues, including colleagues here, from across the globe, they see one of the huge strengths of
07:03the UK.
07:04Hey, we've got certainty, we've got stability, because, you know, the Labour Party won a massive majority in the last
07:12general election.
07:13That is not the case in other countries across the globe.
07:16That's one of the reasons people want to invest here, want to come here and so forth.
07:19And I think, you know, we Labour need to just be cognizant of the downsides of instability, the impact that
07:28can create.
07:29That's not to say that the results on May the 7th, when local elections in the UK, elections in Scotland
07:35and Wales, weren't catastrophic for Labour, they were.
07:38And we've got to acknowledge that and respond to that.
07:41But I think we're going to be quite careful about how we respond to that.
07:46I think we've got a fragmentation of politics in the UK.
07:49We've got five parties now vied for votes, where previously only two parties really vied for those votes.
07:57I think competition is a good thing.
07:58If you're good at your game, competition should make you raise your game, whether it's football, whether it's politics, whether
08:04it's a business.
08:05And you shouldn't be afraid of competition.
08:06I think how we respond to competition is the exam question.
08:10And I fear the National Party may not respond in a way we've responded in London.
08:15In London, I've tried to be a mayor for all Londoners.
08:18I've asked people who vote Green to lend me their votes.
08:21I've asked people who vote Lib Dems to lend me their votes.
08:23I've asked people who are Conservatives to lend me their votes.
08:25And people who are Labour to leave their homes and vote for me.
08:28And I think that coalition is incredibly important.
08:30People who are thinking about voting reform to lend me their votes.
08:33And I think the idea that somebody is a lifelong Democrat or a lifelong Labour voter, those days are gone.
08:41And that's why we've got to earn people's vote at every election.
08:46You can't take it for granted.
08:47That means we should raise our games.
08:49That's something I relish.
08:51You mentioned football.
08:52I'm sure we have Arsenal fans in the room.
08:54I'm sure we have many Arsenal fans.
08:55They're all hungover.
08:56It's been quite a couple of weeks for London.
08:59So London now has six Premier League clubs.
09:02I sport a club outside London.
09:04I sport Liverpool.
09:06We've had a difficult season.
09:10But it's been a great, great week for London.
09:13We had Crystal Palace winning the European Trophy.
09:17Arsenal winning the Premier League.
09:20Didn't quite win the Champions League.
09:22But sport is really important.
09:23London now is the sporting capital of the world.
09:27We don't just have great, you know, English teams doing well.
09:31We've got American sport coming in with, you know, American football, baseball, basketball and so forth, boxing and so forth.
09:39And so it's really important.
09:40Not just for the elite sports people, but for ordering people to get involved in sports and stuff.
09:44But it's been a great, you know, great few years of sports for London.
09:47So 10 years on from Brexit, are we finally kind of moving on from argument to practicality?
09:52And what do you see that meaning for the creative world?
09:55Well, I think, look, I think Brexit was the biggest act of economic self-harm any country's ever done.
10:04It's also been devastating for us socially and culturally as well.
10:10London itself has done remarkably well, not the sun in Brexit, but I'm really optimistic about the future.
10:15You know, I tease the mention of London Maxing.
10:17You know, we are humming in terms of, you know, making the most of the bad hand we were getting
10:23with Brexit.
10:24You know, the AI capital of Europe, number two, number three in the world, when it comes to tech,
10:29when it comes to finance, when it comes to professional service, when it comes to culture, music, sports,
10:34we are humming. But Brexit has caused a big challenge.
10:38I mean, you know, our GDP is down by like 10%. Impacted business, impacted trade, impacted investment.
10:43And I'd be quite thrilled about this. I think we should rejoin the European Union.
10:47So Europe feels much closer than it did five years ago?
10:51Well, one of the things I think this government's done really well is to reset relations with the European Union.
10:56It's just a fact that, you know, Keir Starmer is in much friendly terms with President Macron,
11:01with, you know, the Chancellor of Germany, with those in the European Union.
11:05And that's really important. They're our nearest trading partners, our biggest trading partners,
11:10and we should have closer alignment. And I think, you know, the Prime Minister resetting relations
11:14was incredibly important. I think the new youth and ability scheme is going to be incredibly important.
11:20I'd want us to go further to rejoin the customers union, to rejoin the single market,
11:25and then to rejoin the European Union.
11:27Mayor, it's so nice, actually, to see a very young, creative crowd.
11:30If you're 18 in London today, where do you think the biggest opportunities are
11:33that maybe weren't here 10 years ago?
11:35I think other Londoners are the greatest opportunity, genuinely.
11:39I mean, I said in my speech, and Patrick said this, it's the different backgrounds,
11:44the diversity in terms of what people's interests are, what their backgrounds are,
11:48what their beliefs are, that multi-faceted human being you don't see anywhere else.
11:55And that's the most exciting thing about being an 18-year-old in London.
11:57That still exists.
11:59A different face, I've just returned from the Hajj pilgrimage,
12:02and was speaking to Laura backstage, who's just come back from the Lords.
12:05I mean, you're a Catholic and a Muslim, talking backstage.
12:08A good example in London, you could be Jewish, you could be Christian,
12:12you could be a Hindu, Buddhist, we talked about, you know, a bungalow house,
12:17somebody who's not a member of an organized faith.
12:19You could be rich, you could be poor, you could be a sports person,
12:21you could not be a sports person, you could support Arsenal, or even Spurs.
12:25Whatever team you support, you're welcome in London.
12:28Even Man United fans.
12:30Even Man United.
12:31Okay, Mayor, it's 2036.
12:33South by Southwest London is celebrating its 12th edition.
12:37Can everyone picture that?
12:38What's the headline, need frame, and put on your wall?
12:42Well, we managed to make the most of AI.
12:47We managed to still have a mayor as a human being,
12:52and a bloom representative as a human being.
12:54On stage, as we open, South by Southwest.
12:57And they're both called Francine and Sadiq, that was a success to me.
13:01But genuinely, I think this AI revolution is really exciting,
13:08but it's really scary as well.
13:09And I think the energy here and the expertise here
13:14is what's needed to make sure we navigate ourselves successfully
13:17over the next 10 years.
13:18Because I think some cities will get it wrong.
13:22I think some regulators will get it wrong.
13:25And I'm confident in London will get it right.
13:28I think mayors across the globe are working together
13:30to make sure we get it right.
13:31Here in London, the task force led by Martha Lynn Fox
13:34is working really hard to make sure we get it right.
13:37And it's really important we get it right.
13:39Why?
13:39Because we could see in 10 years
13:41what it took 100 years for the Industrial Revolution to see,
13:45what it took 50 years for globalization to see.
13:48But I want it to be a positive, not a negative.
13:51And that's why it's really important.
13:53In 10 years' time for South by Southwest London to still exist,
13:57but also for us to see the fruits
13:59of this transformative technology rather than the perils.
14:04It's really important.
14:05And thank you.
14:05See you soon.
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