LAS VEGAS (AP) — CES, the Consumer Technology Association’s annual trade show for all things tech, kicks off this week in Las Vegas.
Formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, the multi-day event will showcase the industry’s latest advances and devices in personal technology, transportation, healthcare and more, with emerging uses of artificial intelligence nearly everywhere you look.
The Consumer Technology Association bills CES as the world’s largest in-person moderated technology event. Organizers hope to bring in 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 meter exhibition area.
That’s still below the headcount of pre-pandemic years and marks a 24% drop in attendance compared to the show held in early 2020, just before COVID-19 consumed much of daily life. However, 2024 is on track to surpass previous years. For example, expected numbers will exceed the approximately 118,000 participants in 2023.
“People are pumped for this. “They’re excited because it’s post-COVID (and) they’re going to be back,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association. “And the CEO-level support from around the world has been amazing.”
The big names that will be exhibiting at CES this year range from tech giants and automakers to leading cosmetics brands such as Amazon, Google, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and L’Oreal. The show will also highlight the Consumer Technology Association’s partnership with the United Nations Human Security for All campaign, which recently added technology as the eighth pillar of human security.
Following two days of media previews, CES will be held Tuesday through Friday. The show is not open to the general public; is a business-to-business event typically used for industry professionals to network and connect.
The Associated Press spoke with Shapiro about CES 2024 and what to expect this week. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
CES 2024 IS HERE. WHAT ARE THE MAIN TOPICS OF THIS YEAR’S FAIR?
The general theme of the fair is, in a sense, sustainability. This is green. These are UN humanitarian safeguards that focus on clean air, clean water, food and healthcare. And the UN added a new one: technology itself. The show was built around these human securities.
From mobility to healthcare, participating companies are offering solutions in the post-COVID world. We are also getting older, living longer, and having fewer people to care for us. The answer is technology.
AI IS EVERYWHERE THIS YEAR. HOW MUCH SECURITY OVERSIGHT IS IN THE DEVICES WE WILL SEE IN THE COMING DAYS?
Artificial intelligence is like the internet itself. This is a huge component that will spur a lot of innovation. The difference now is generative AI that can learn from what you do. And you can apply this to many different aspects of what we do, especially in healthcare, that will make our lives better.
Like any tool since the invention of fire, the government plays a huge role in ensuring certain safety barriers are in place. We’re working with the U.S. Senate, and they’re hearing from all parties involved about what we need, including national privacy legislation. Artificial intelligence is a tool, and it can be used to do great things, but it can also be used to do harm. And we want to focus on the good.
AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS ALSO HAVE A MAJOR REVIEW OF CES. CAN WE EXPECT AN EFFECT FROM THE LATEST UAW STRIKE?
From a business standpoint, this is like the biggest auto event in the world. We see automobile companies from all over the world on the stage.
They will be there in different ways, and some choose not to be here for one reason or another. The strike had an impact on some companies in Detroit, of course, but the rest of the companies around the world are very strong; especially from Europe, Vietnam and Japan.
LAST MONTH WE SAW THE VIDEO GAME EXPO E3 BITE THE DUST. WHAT ROLE DO TRADE SHOWS PLAY TODAY AND HOW CAN THE FUTURE OF CES BE SECURED?
Since COVID, trade shows have actually become more important for business leaders; because they understand and appreciate this relationship building. This face-to-face time is very important. For example, a person who goes to CES has an average of 29 different meetings. What’s more effective than that?
And there’s one thing you can’t get online and that’s serendipity. This is a discovery. It means learning what you don’t know and getting inspired. On the way here, someone said to me: “I love going to CES because I come back to the world with optimism. “I come back with 50 ideas and that gives me energy.” And this is the very important thing. I think we have a great future, and innovation will be what fuels us. And we will get there by bringing together the world’s innovators.
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Video producer James Brooks contributed to this report.