Once again, CES has come and gone, leaving behind a trail of buzzwords, sleek prototypes, and enough AI to make HAL 9000 consider early retirement. I didn’t attend in person this year – something about 2.5 million square feet of chaotic gadgetry and jetlag-induced existential dread just didn’t call my name – but thanks to the fine folks at the 4A’s, I’ve been watching the spectacle unfold from the comfort of a well-caffeinated distance.
And from here, CES still looks like what it always is: a fascinating, slightly unhinged vision board for the future.
🤖 AI: Everywhere and Nowhere (All at Once)
This was the year every product, pitch, and possibly potted plant was infused with “AI.” Toothbrushes? AI-powered. Fridges? Smarter than your average intern. A retro walkie-talkie called Rabbit R1? AI that sold out in a week, proving people will buy anything that sounds like it might replace their phone and/or therapist.
Despite all the shouting, very few companies seem to have connected the AI dots across the entire customer journey. So, we’re left with scattered demos and half-baked integrations that hint at potential – but mostly still need to grow up.
Walmart’s AI-powered predictive replenishment stood out: it learns your habits and pre-fills your grocery cart. It’s the kind of feature that feels caring and mildly invasive. Like a helpful robot butler who’s just a little too interested in your snacking habits.
🎭 Immersive Entertainment: Because Flat Screens Are For Quitters
The rise of immersive entertainment continues, with Vegas serving as both literal and metaphorical backdrop. From Sony’s spatial content tools to The Sphere (imagine Times Square and IMAX had a baby, and then fed it nothing but energy drinks), everything’s designed to pull you into the experience. Or at least surround you with pixels until you surrender.
And yes, transparent TVs are now a thing. A big screen that doesn’t block your view – because what your living room really needs is a screen you can barely see playing a show you’re barely watching. Welcome to peak modernity.
🩺 Health Tech: Less Waiting Room, More Algorithm
Healthcare was another big story – with devices promising to monitor your vitals, analyze your face, and potentially tell you you’re stressed… from a mirror. We’ve officially entered the “your reflection is judging you” phase of tech evolution.
Withings’ BeamO (part thermometer, part EKG, part tricorder) and Sennheiser’s heart rate–reading earbuds are just a few of the “at-home doctor” devices now elbowing their way into our routines. The line between wellness and full-blown biometric surveillance has never been thinner.
🕶️ The Post-Phone Era Is (Almost) Here
We’re now inching toward a world where your screens live on your face instead of your pocket. AR glasses. XR headsets. Meta’s Ray-Bans that whisper useful things in your ear. CES gave us glimpses of what happens when your devices don’t ask for your attention – they just assume it’s already theirs.
Even Apple made waves from afar by dropping the Vision Pro release info during CES week (a power move if ever there was one). Whether we call it spatial computing, the metaverse, or “that new 3D thing,” the trendline is clear: interfaces are dissolving, and we’re heading straight into a wearable, voice-powered, AI-enhanced future.
🚀 So, What Now?
For those of us who didn’t brave the convention center, CES remains a reliable mix of inspiration and spectacle. It’s a magic show with just enough real innovation hidden beneath the fog machine to make it worth watching.
Some of what we saw this year will fade into the void (AI laundry, anyone?). But the broader themes – personalization without input, invisible interfaces, AI-enhanced everything – those are here to stay.
So no, I wasn’t there. But I’ve seen enough CES cycles to know that the trick isn’t chasing the shiny objects – it’s spotting the quiet signals hiding underneath them.
📣 Final Thought
If your brand, agency, or platform isn’t already planning for a future where AI powers experience, shopping, content, and customer service – you’re not just late, you’re analog. And if you are planning? Keep one eye on the tech, and the other on what people actually do with it.
And from here, CES still looks like what it always is: a fascinating, slightly unhinged vision board for the future.
