What CES 2024 is Highlighting: From AI and gaming to automotive advancements, here’s what to expect at this year’s tech extravaganza.
This week, CES, the annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association, is commencing in Las Vegas, showcasing a wide range of technological innovations.
Formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, the multi-day event showcases the industry’s latest advancements and gadgets in personal technology, transportation, healthcare and more — and the use of artificial intelligence is rapidly increasing everywhere you look.
The Consumer Technology Association bills CES as the world’s largest audited in-person technology event. The organizers hope to get around 130,000 participants this year. More than 4,000 exhibitors, including more than 1,200 startups, are also expected in the 2.5 million net square feet.
That’s still below the headcount of pre-pandemic years and would represent a 24 percent drop in attendance compared to the show held in early 2020, just before COVID-19 took away much of daily life. But 2024 beats past years. The expected numbers would exceed, for example, almost 118,000 participants in 2023.
“People are excited about this. They’re excited because it’s post-COVID (and) they’re coming back,” Consumer Technology Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro said. “And the CEO-level support around the world has been amazing.”
This year, CES will feature big names, from tech giants and automakers to leading cosmetics brands – including Amazon, Google, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and L’Oreal. The show also highlights the Consumer Technology Association’s partnership with the UN’s Human Security for All campaign, which recently added technology as the eighth pillar of human security.
After two days of media previews, CES runs from Tuesday to Friday. The show is not open to the general public – it is a business-to-business event often used for industry professionals to network and connect.
The Associated Press spoke with Shapiro about CES 2024 and what to expect this week. The discussion has been edited for clarity and length.
CES 2024 IS HERE. WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES OF THIS YEAR’S SHOW?
The general theme of the show is, in a certain sense, sustainability. It’s green. It’s the UN’s human rights documents – including those focused on clean air, clean water, food and healthcare. And the UN just added a new one, which is technology itself. The show is built around these human values.
From mobility to healthcare, exhibiting companies offer solutions for the post-COVID world. We are also getting older, living longer and there are fewer people to take care of us. Technology is the answer.
EVERYONE HAS AI THIS YEAR. HOW MUCH SECURITY CONTROL WILL BE IN THE DEVICES WE WILL SEE USING IN THE COMING DAYS?
AI is like the Internet itself. It’s a huge ingredient that drives so much innovation. The difference now is generative AI that can learn from what you do. And you can apply it to so many different aspects of what we do that make our lives better – especially in healthcare.
As with all tools since the invention of fire, government plays a very large role in ensuring certain safety barriers. We’ve been working with the US Senate, and they’ve heard from all interested parties about what we need—including a national privacy law. AI is a tool, and it can be used for enormous good, or it can be used for harm. And we want to focus on the good.
THERE’S ALSO A BIG CAMPAIGN FOR AUTOMOBILE AT CES. WHAT EFFECTS CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE LATEST UAW STRIKE?
In terms of a trade event, this is like the biggest car event in the world. We see car companies from all over the world on the floor.
They are there in different ways, and some don’t want to be here for one reason or another. Certainly some Detroit companies were affected by the strike, but other companies around the world are very strong – especially from Europe, Vietnam and Japan.
WE SAW THE VIDEO GAME EXPO E3 BITE THE DUST LAST MONTH. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF TRADE SHOWS TODAY AND HOW CAN THE FUTURE OF CES BE CHECKED?
After COVID, trade shows have actually become more important to business leaders – because they understand and value this relationship building. That face-to-face time is very important. For example, a person attending CES has an average of 29 different meetings. Which is more effective?
And then there’s something you don’t get online, that’s serendipity. It’s a discovery. It’s about learning what you don’t know and being inspired. Someone said to me on the way here, “I love going to CES because I come back to the world optimistic. I come back with 50 ideas and that gives me energy.” And that’s so important. I think we have a great future, and innovation is what fuels us. And we’re going to get there by bringing the world’s innovators together.
