It’s that time again! Yes, even though the holiday season might still be on your mind, anyone who works in the tech industry, or who is excited about tech in general, is gearing up for CES 2024.
When and Where is CES 2024?
CES 2024 takes place in Las Vegas from January 9-12, 2024. The show will begin on January 7 and 8 with various media events and press conferences as well. WiFi HiFi will be present at the show to bring you updates during the show, including during the press days leading up to it, and after. As we start packing our bags and mentally preparing for the busy week ahead, however, here’s a look at what you can expect at this year’s event (hint: yes, plenty of AI).
What Will Be The Hot Topics at CES 2024?
While there’s so much to do and see in virtually every category of technology at CES 2024, these are the ones we expect to be highlights this year.
It’s All About AI
During a virtual media preview event in early December 2023, Gary Shapiro, President of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), producer of CES, said that “AI will be the hottest topic this year,” and that comes as no surprise. Companies will be looking at “different ways to use it and take advantage of it.”
While AI robots and other AI tech has always been present at the show, this year, we expect to see AI mentioned in a variety of new contexts. And it will run the gamut from every facet of tech. Smartphones like the Google Pixel 8 has AI technology that makes it possible to use features like Best Take. New Chromebook Plus models integrate AI to enable features like Magic Eraser editing. If “AI” isn’t the big buzz word this year, I’ll eat my hat.
TV And Audio
Of course, TV and audio are always big parts of CES, with brands like Samsung, Sony, Hisense, LG, Skyworth, and others showing off the best they have to offer for the upcoming year. It’s always about bigger, better, thinner designs, crisper, brighter pictures, and faster, more efficient processors. That same upgrade path will continue through 2024.
We suspect TV companies will be focusing more on other aspects, too, including design considerations, content integration, and UI. This includes streaming services added to the smart TV interface and improvements to the usability and intuitiveness of the interface itself. It’s about more than just accessing Netflix and Hulu: companies are now adding features for fitness, news, accessing social sites, gaming, tapping into smart home products, and more, right from the TV. The big screen in the living room is about more than just watching TV, movies, sports, and news. And companies will be tapping into these trends in a big way. This all ties back, once again, to AI. Even Samsung’s Press Conference invitation is called “AI for All: Connectivity in the Age of AI.”
Automotive Tech
Whether you cover automotive tech or not, everyone who attends CES loves to carve out some time to check out the exhibits and demos in the automotive space. The innovations range from present-day tech to future innovations and pie-in-the-sky technology. For 2024, there will be a few new participants, including Hyundai and Kia, as well as Good Year. There will be tons of technologies showcasing everything from driverless cars to electric and intelligent AI (there’s that buzzword again) technology in the car. It’s not enough to just get from Point A to Point B nowadays: you want to do so without interruption to your day and, of course, in ultimate comfort.
Sustainability is also a big focus in this category: Hyundai’s keynote will focus on sustainability in construction, for example. This includes the car manufacturer’s Xite Transformation Sustainability Vision, which related to helping solve problems in safety, security supply chain, climate change, and more. Hyundai, alongside Kia, is also expected to talk more about their vision for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). These would effectively run like smartphones and computers, constantly being updated to perform at their best.
Health Tech
Health tech has always been a core part of CES. It usually involves products like fitness trackers, smartwatches, and other wearables as well as blood pressure monitors, baby health tech, and more. But the scope has been expanding over the years with many more technologies. We have seen things like blood glucose monitors, high-tech thermometers, scales that can measure everything from muscle mass to heart rate and balance, and even devices for blood oxygen, brain sensing, and sleep monitoring. We can expect more of that this year with a growing focus on devices that help reduce stress and anxiety, bring calm, and aid in proactive care.
This includes products that allow you to measure different health metrics at home, apps, and communications devices. If there’s a way to make the process work more efficiently between patient and doctor, technology is working on it. Kinsey Fabrizio, Senior Vice President of CES and Membership noted during the virtual pre-show media briefing that there will be a spotlight on women’s health this year as well. Part and parcel with health tech will be a new focus on beauty tech, with L’Oreal delivering its first keynote address at the show this year.
Hearables was a big category in 2023 and we expect it to return this year along with a growing list of accessibility devices and technologies of all kinds. One of the most interesting we have seen so far leading up to the show is the Wheely-X, a wheelchair treadmill designed to help those who are in a wheelchair take part in interactive video games. This not only helps improve their physical health but also cognitive health not to mention mental wellness.
Food Tech
Shapiro also noted that sustainability will be a focus again this year across many tech categories. One will be food tech with various technologies designed to make “production smarter and more sustainable.” There will also be a new tasting area where show-goers can demo alternative foods. Yes, even this space will feature AI. One example is the Seergrills Perfecta, an AI-powered grille that uses the technology to help optimize cooking profiles for food. The company promises that this results in faster cook times, better energy efficiencies, and overall cost-savings.
AI and More
AI will be presented in terms of how AI technology can be used to solve problems relating to everything from food to clean water and transportation, says Shapiro. The end goal is a “shift forward for humanity.” That’s sort of what technological evolution is all about, after all.
It’s true that major game-changing technologies are often revealed at CES. These technologies can make groundbreaking changes to the way we think, operate, communicate, and even do our jobs. But there’s no denying that CES is also about technology that’s, at its core, just really, really cool.
Stay tuned for live coverage from the show.