James Cameron, Sylvia Earle and more: 7 highlights from OceanX Summit 2026

James Cameron has spent much of his career bringing imaginary worlds to life. But one of his most extraordinary adventures took place in the real world, nearly 11 kilometres beneath the ocean's surface.

In 2012, the Avatar and Titanic director became the first person to complete a solo dive to Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth.

During his conversation with CNN’s Will Ripley, Cameron revisited that experience while considering how artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous underwater robots could change deep-sea exploration.

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But even as machines become capable of venturing further than humans, Cameron believes there is something technology cannot replace: our capacity to witness and communicate an experience.

As he put it: “The importance of sending a human is that they could bear witness to something that no one else has ever seen and come back and tell the story.”

Could a digital artwork inspire someone to care about the ocean more effectively than a scientific report?

It’s a fascinating proposition, and one explored during the session titled New Mediums, New Mindsets, moderated by Tatler Asia Group president Tamara Lamunière.

The panel featured Takashi Kudo of teamLab, Cyrill Gutsch of Parley for the Oceans, associate professor Ina Conradi of Nanyang Technological University and professor Daniel Pimentel of the University of Oregon.

The discussion explored how art, design and immersive technologies can help people develop a more personal connection with marine environments.

Kudo shared teamLab’s approach to creating interactive environments that respond to audiences, while Pimentel examined the psychology behind immersive experiences and how they can make environmental challenges feel more immediate.

The implications extend beyond art galleries. Such experiences could make ocean education more engaging and accessible, particularly for people who may never have the opportunity to explore marine environments firsthand.

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At 91, legendary oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle has spent decades witnessing both the wonders of the ocean and the damage inflicted upon it.

Yet her keynote on the summit’s final day was anything but pessimistic. 

“If you could choose to be anywhere in time, this is the time. This is the moment,” she said.

Earle, who is behind the marine conservation organisation Mission Blue, pointed to the unprecedented scientific knowledge and technological capabilities now available to humanity. 

Yet, progress remains slow. Only around 3 per cent of the ocean currently enjoys strong protection, compared with the international target of 30 per cent by 2030.

Her message was a challenge to the audience: the tools to make a difference increasingly exist. What matters now is how we choose to use them.

Read more: Pioneering oceanographer Sylvia Earle on her lifelong fight to protect the ocean

Imagine being able to analyse marine DNA within hours of collecting a sample at sea or asking an AI to identify patterns across massive scientific datasets. These aren’t distant possibilities.

During the panel titled New Tools, New Territories, speakers from Google DeepMind, Snowflake, NatureMetrics and Basecamp Research discussed how emerging technologies are already changing ocean research.

Basecamp Research’s Emma Bolton highlighted advances in onboard genetic sequencing, while Snowflake’s Benoit Dageville explored how AI could make scientific information easier to access and interpret.

For researchers, these tools could mean faster discoveries, more effective monitoring and a clearer picture of ecosystems that remain poorly understood.

Some of the summit’s most intriguing scientific findings came from closer to home.

Researcher Dr Marina C G Frederik of Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) shared how underwater mapping revealed seven interconnected seamount features in the Sulawesi Sea, including the newly named Masadada Seamount. Meanwhile, researchers from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu discovered seven deeper reef formations while investigating marine environments during a global coral bleaching crisis.

Beyond their scientific significance, these expeditions are giving Southeast Asian researchers valuable experience and the chance to investigate parts of their own waters that were previously difficult to access.

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What does a healthy coral reef sound like?

According to professor Steve Simpson of the University of Bristol, it’s anything but quiet. Fish communicate, snapping shrimp produce crackling sounds and countless marine creatures contribute to a bustling underwater soundscape.

When reefs deteriorate, much of that noise disappears.

Simpson’s research explores whether playing recordings of healthy reefs can encourage juvenile fish and coral larvae to settle in damaged areas.

With research underway in locations including the Maldives and the Philippines, underwater acoustics could become an unexpected ally in reef restoration.

Scientific discoveries alone won’t save marine ecosystems. Someone must also pay to protect them.

During The Capital Behind the Commitment, representatives from Temasek Foundation, SecondMuse Capital, the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, and Octave Capital discussed how philanthropy and private investment could support ocean conservation.

A key challenge is finding financing models that recognise the ocean as an interconnected ecosystem, while ensuring coastal communities benefit from conservation.

It’s a particularly relevant conversation for Southeast Asia, where healthy marine ecosystems support local economies, tourism and livelihoods. And ensuring them is a collective effort. As Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong puts it, “No country owns the ocean, and no country can protect it alone.” 

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If there was one idea connecting the summit's many discussions, it was that the ocean's future cannot be left to scientists alone.

Filmmakers can help people care. Technologists can accelerate discoveries. Investors can support solutions. And communities can turn those efforts into lasting change.

The question is whether these different worlds can work together quickly enough to make a difference.

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