From self-driving baby carriages to ChatGPT in Volkswagen cars, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be center stage at the CES gadget extravaganza that formally opened yesterday in Las Vegas.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show boasts more than 3,500 exhibitors and is expecting around 130,000 visitors.
Companies big and small hosted previews for the media on Monday, with AI a repeated mantra as they pitched products promising better lives.
Photo: AFP
LG Electronics Inc chief executive officer William Cho said the world is at “a historical turning point” due to AI.
His company aims to be part of that transformation, tapping into data gathered by sensors in hundreds of millions of smart devices in use around the world to detect patterns of behavior and provide insights, Cho said.
“We have a unique opportunity to leverage the real-life data gathered across devices in real-time. Of course, with your permission,” he said.
LG, Samsung Electronics Co and other TV titans also showcased AI enhancements to vastly improve images, help viewers find shows they will like, and more.
Televisions will advance to a “smart command hub” connecting appliances, security cameras, and even incorporating thermal scanning for health insights, according to Jessica Boothe, a research director at the Consumer Technology Association that organizes CES.
“We will watch as TVs become the command center for the home beyond just streaming entertainment,” she said.
A group of Taiwanese tech brands is unveiling new products to support AI applications at this year's CES, including PC vendors Acer Inc's (宏碁) predator Helios gaming laptop series, Asustek Computer Inc's (華碩) ROG gaming PC series, Gigabyte Technology Co's (技嘉) 16-inch gaming laptops and Micro-Star International Co's (微星) handheld gaming consoles.
Volkswagen AG, meanwhile, presented what it described as the first vehicles built with a chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology.
The “Cerence Chat Pro” digital assistant made in a partnership with Cerence Inc will be standard in many Volkswagen vehicles starting in the second quarter of this year, according to the company.
“We are offering our drivers added value and direct access to the AI-based research tool,” Volkswagen management board member Kai Grunitz said.
Nvidia Corp, whose graphics chips are coveted for their ability to handle the intense computing demands of AI, took CES as an opportunity to announce new chips for gamers and creators.
Innovations being teased ahead of the CES show floor opening included tech for translating multiple languages simultaneously, and glasses for augmented reality that essentially turn the space in front of a viewer into a screen they can control with gestures.
Apple Inc, which is not at CES, said on Monday that it would release its highly anticipated Vision Pro mixed reality headset in the US on Feb. 2, in its first major product release since the Apple Watch in 2015.
Announced in June, the Vision Pro will cost a hefty US$3,499 before tax, more than double the price of Meta’s top-of-the-range Quest Pro headset.
“The era of spatial computing has arrived,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said, calling the Vision Pro “the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created.”
CES exhibitor and attendee numbers have jumped each year since the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to be an online-only event in 2021.
The US and China are the top two exhibitors at the show this year, with 1,193 and 1,115 firms respectively, while Taiwan has 180 exhibitors, making it the fifth largest, following South Korea with 774 and France with 201, the organizer said.
While the show is increasingly a showcase for start-ups, big brands such as Amazon.com Inc, Google, Intel Corp, Netflix Inc, Samsung, Sony Group Corp and TikTok will also be there.
“There’s some exciting innovation, there’s some boring innovation, and there’s some just really plain weird innovation,” consultancy Techsponential LLC analyst Avi Greengart said.
Analysts expect it to be the year of AI when it comes to product pitches at CES.
Models on which AI is built have improved dramatically since last year’s CES and the debut of ChatGPT, and they are being applied in meaningful ways for consumers, according to Greengart.
Ending on Friday, CES is expected to see strong themes of AI-infused health, cars, beauty, entertainment and sustainability.
“AI will be reshaping industries beyond technology and it has the power to make life easier, more than inclusive for all,” Samsung device experience division head Han Jong-hee said.
More than a decade of investments in AI “are coming to life,” he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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