We know what the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 has in store for us; you’ll be surprised

The latest advances in artificial intelligence, from vehicles to robots and home appliances, will be on display at the annual CES electronics show, which opens Thursday in Las Vegas, in the western United States.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held virtual in 2021 and hybrid last year, will take place from January 5 to 8 on more than seven hectares, from the vast Las Vegas Convention Center to pavilions installed in parking lots .

In 2022, there were huge empty halls: CES was a shadow of itself,” Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techspotential, told AFP. “Now we expect crowds, difficulties to move and meetings behind closed doors: everything that makes a trade show commercial”.

CES will officially open on Wednesday, but companies will start showing off their latest technology from Tuesday.

– Cars, great protagonists –

The next generation in the transportation sector, from cars, trucks, ships and tractors to flying machines, will attract public attention, according to analysts.

“It will be almost like being at a car show,” said Kevan Yalowitz of the Accenture consultancy.

More than ever, cars come with operating systems much like a smartphone or laptop. Accenture expects that by 2040, around 40% of vehicles on the road will have software to update remotely.

With internet-connected cars come apps and online entertainment, as developers scramble to engage passengers with streaming services or in-flight purchases.

According to Yalowitz, more and more vehicles will participate in the “battle for consumer time”, one of the central themes of CES 2023.

There will also be a large deployment of electric vehicles with artificial intelligence, Greengart anticipated.

What’s really creating a buzz is the custom flying machines,” said independent technology analyst Rob Enderle. “Basically, they’re drones that carry humans.”

– Ship to the metaverse? –

Led by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta company, the immersive virtual worlds known as the metaverse are seen by some as the future of the internet.

This was already a dominant theme at CES 2022, and VR headsets meant to transport people to the metaverse are expected to take center stage again this year.

Facebook parent Meta is allowing guests to try out the latest Oculus Quest virtual reality headset, with a view to persuading skeptics that the company’s turn into the metaverse was the right one.

Devices or services unveiled as part of the next generation of the internet, or “Web 3,” are also expected to include mixed reality equipment, as well as blockchain and cryptocurrency technology.

Web 3 promises a more decentralized internet where tech giants, big business or governments no longer hold all the keys to life online.

The idea of ​​how we are going to connect will be part of the big trend at CES,” said Carolina Milanesi, an expert at Creative Strategies.

Analysts expected cryptocurrencies to be touted among Web 3 innovations at the show, but “there could be a pushback” due to the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency platform FTX and the arrest of its boss Sam Bankman-Fried, according to Milanesi.

– Covid and weather –

CES 2023 will likely show the effects of the pandemic, as products designed during the telecommuting era will pour into the market, even if pre-COVID habits are reverting, Greengart said.

Technology designed to better assess health and connect remotely with care providers will also have a space in this issue.

And while this is a consumer fair, the environment will also be a topic, with displays from devices designed to pick up litter from waterways to apps that help people reduce energy consumption.

Many companies are removing plastic from packaging and switching to biodegradable materials, while trying to reduce carbon emissions, analysts say.

If you’re the type of person who grows vegetables, then CES is not for you,” Greengart said. “But I commend companies that find ways to make their products and supply chain more sustainable.”