History
In 2015, the Gray Area Festival launched with the revival of San Francisco’s historic Grand Theater. This globally unique event brought together artists, creators, thinkers, civic leaders, and philanthropists to spark conversation around how the integration of art and technology can inspire more creative, forward-looking approaches to advancing culture and common good.
Since then, the Gray Area Festival has invited over 200 presenters and performers across disciplines to address the most consequential topics in technology and social responsibility. Bringing together over 9,000 participants, past festivals have explored important topics including social impact through experiential design, new economic models for artists, civic impact through data visualization, blockchain, Afrofuturist strategies for technology development, the role of women in the development of the internet, the unknown consequences of globally deployed artificial intelligence, and United States premiere performances and exhibitions.
To see a glimpse of what the festival has been and what it may become, explore our highlights below to view videos of past speakers, photos of digital art exhibitions, educational workshops, and electronic audiovisual performances.
