The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 is set to kick off on January 9th in Las Vegas, offering a glimpse into the latest innovations and future trends across the tech industry. This year’s show promises to be dominated by artificial intelligence and autonomous driving advancements.
AI Permeates CES Offerings
As anticipated by industry analysts, AI is poised to take center stage at CES 2024. Major companies like Amazon, Dell, Samsung, and AMD are putting the spotlight on AI-enabled devices and services spanning consumer tech, transportation, healthcare, robotics, and more.
“We expect to see AI permeating virtually every product category at CES this year,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association which produces CES. “From smart home gadgets to vehicles, AI is driving innovation across the entire consumer tech sector.”
Some of the AI highlights expected at CES 2024 include:
- Alexa-powered smart refrigerators, washing machines and other home appliances from LG, Samsung and others. These leverage AI to automatically track inventory, place online grocery orders, provide recipe recommendations, and optimize appliance settings.
- AI-driven personal computers and laptops from Dell, HP Inc., and Lenovo that adapt to user preferences and habits.
- Autonomous concept cars from Sony and Honda displaying in-vehicle AI that enables self-driving functionality.
- AI robots like Samsung’s Bot Chef that can cook full meals with minimal human intervention.
With AI now embedded across most mainstream CES product categories, experts say 2024 may mark a pivotal mainstream breakout year for AI in consumer tech.
“CES has always been a harbinger of tech’s future direction, showcasing innovations that eventually reach mass market adoption,” said Maribel Lopez, principal analyst at Lopez Research. “The ubiquity of AI we’re already seeing at CES this year signals that AI is on the cusp of transitioning from early adopter technology to a core feature consumers expect in their devices.”
Autonomous Vehicles Accelerate
While AI takes on an expanded role at CES 2024, self-driving car tech remains in the spotlight. This year’s show is overflowing with autonomous concept cars, EV charging platforms, vehicle connectivity systems, and other automotive tech aimed at revolutionizing transportation.
Headlining CES’s autonomous vehicle presence, Sony and Honda have teamed up to exhibit the Sony-Honda Mobility Concept — an electric vehicle integrating Sony’s advanced in-vehicle entertainment and AI technologies with Honda’s self-driving expertise.
Additional autonomous driving highlights at CES 2024 include:
- NVIDIA showcasing its new Drive Hyperion 9 AI driving platform which performs real-time data processing to enable autonomous functionality.
- Qualcomm unveiling its new Snapdragon Ride Vision System on Chip designed specifically for self-driving cars.
- GM exhibiting an autonomous Cadillac concept car powered by its next-gen Ultifi software platform.
- Multiple EV charging platforms from ChargePoint, EVgo, and others aimed at powering electric autonomous taxi fleets.
With most major automakers now actively developing self-driving models, autonomous driving appears closer than ever to mainstream consumer availability.
“Between the Sony-Honda concept car, NVIDIA’s latest Drive platform, and similar exhibits across CES, it’s clear that autonomous vehicle technology has matured substantially,” said Mike Ramsey, automotive analyst at Gartner. “While it will still take several years for fully self-driving cars to reach private owners, the pieces now appear in place to enable autonomous taxi fleets in urban areas within this decade.”
Additional Notable Exhibits
Beyond its spotlight on AI and autonomous vehicles, CES 2024 also features an array of buzzworthy innovations across other emerging technology areas:
Clean Energy Tech
With sustainability concerns taking on greater tech industry urgency, CES is showcasing various clean energy products including saltwater-powered batteries, hydrogen fuel cells for EVs, and smart solar panels with embedded optimizers.
Wi-Fi 7 Devices
The next-generation Wi-Fi 7 standard promises multi-gigabit wireless connectivity speeds. Early Wi-Fi 7 routers, PCs, tablets and other devices are dotted across the CES 2024 show floor.
AI-Powered PCs
Complementing standalone AI chips, several PC makers are unveiling laptops and desktops powered by new central processors with integrated AI acceleration, enabling responsive voice control, predictive performance tuning, and more.
MicroLED TVs
Considered successors to OLED TVs, MicroLED television sets offer best-in-class contrast, brightness and efficiency. Sony, Samsung and TCL plan to showcase MicroLED TVs at CES 2024 ahead of wider consumer availability.
With over 180,000 attendees flocking to Las Vegas, CES 2024 offers not just a spectacle of futuristic concepts but also a reliable bellwether for the consumer devices, services, and experiences poised to emerge over the next few years. As the show kicks off, one overarching trend stands clear — 2024 is shaping up as a breakout year for AI as it permeates virtually every corner of the consumer tech sector.
What Comes After CES?
Following CES 2024’s January launch which sets the tech stage for the year, the industry will move ahead rapidly developing and deploying the autonomous vehicles, AI platforms, next-gen connectivity infrastructure, and sustainability focused technologies displayed at CES across the automotive, computing, mobile, and consumer electronics sectors.
Industry watchers expect a wave of AI-enabled gadgets and appliances to hit the market by 2025 in addition to expanded autonomous taxi services kicking off initial deployments within urban city centers throughout 2025-2026. 5G’s successors – Wi-Fi 7 and 6G networks – are also expected to ramp up over the next few years.
CES 2024 offered not just a glimpse of tech’s future but reinforce that the AI and autonomous driving revolution is happening now. The innovations showcased this week in Las Vegas soon promise to reshape transportation, smart homes, business, entertainment and modern life itself for consumers worldwide over the next decade.
| Company | Key CES 2024 Exhibits |
|---|---|
| Sony + Honda | Sony-Honda Mobility Concept autonomous EV |
| Nvidia | Drive Hyperion 9 autonomous driving platform |
| Amazon | Alexa-powered smart appliances with AI capabilities |
| Samsung | Bot Chef AI robot chef, MicroLED TVs |
| Qualcomm | Snapdragon Ride Vision autonomous driving system chip |
| GM | Autonomous Cadillac concept car |
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
