I’m on my option to Las Vegas for CES. Similar to yearly for the previous seven, I’m beginning my January by attending the preeminent international tech occasion the place amongst just a few different issues, AI could also be mentioned. I’ll deliver you my observations, ideas, and ordinary skepticism. And speak about why CES is just not necessary simply to shopper tech however to authorized and authorized tech as nicely.
CES In January
January. The vacations are over. It’s again to work. Again to highschool. Once I was a working towards lawyer, it meant beginning throughout at 0 billable hours and origination credit. It’s winter.
And also you suppose the social gathering’s over
However it’s solely simply begun
“Complete Broad World” – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
However for some 150,000 of us, it means it’s time for CES, the mammoth nonstop convention, present, events, and gross sales pitches stretching from one finish of Las Vegas to the opposite. It’s labeled the “world’s premier expertise tradeshow” by the present’s producer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), North America’s largest tech commerce affiliation. I can’t dispute that CES is the biggest and positively probably the most well-known tech commerce present.
The present begins on January 4 with two full media days, adopted by 4 days of academic classes, keynotes, press conferences, and a number of exhibit halls that may seemingly characteristic the wares of over 4,500 exhibitors together with some 140,000 if no more attendees. (See CTA 2025 Audit Statements housed on the CES media website for final 12 months’s numbers.) I will probably be there for as a lot of it as I can do for Above the Legislation and providing my insights and ideas alongside the best way.
(As an apart, as somebody who has co-chaired a premier authorized tech present, ABA’s TechShow, I can solely think about what the vacations should be like for CES occasion planners staring down this present.)
Why Am I Right here?
Now for the massive query: what’s a lawyer/authorized tech journalist doing right here? Authorized tech is authorized tech, it’s not shopper expertise, proper? Mistaken. So many developments in shopper tech in the end discover their approach into all kinds of tech utilized in companies, together with authorized.
It’s necessary to know the place tech goes generally since that too impacts authorized tech. It’s necessary to listen to what these exterior authorized tech are doing and considering. It’s crucial to listen to how they view issues and what excites them. And sure, a lot of what they show at CES is pie-in-the-sky tech that received’t occur… till it does.
It’s additionally enlightening to listen to what issues and challenges them as nicely. Authorized tech is just not tech unto itself. It’s tech for a selected market nevertheless it’s nonetheless tech.
Previously, I’ve written about things like the approaching affect of agentic AI, deepfakes, workforce management within the age of AI, the metaverse, learn how to make legal tech decisions, quantum computing and cybersecurity, amongst different subjects, all related to authorized day-after-day.
However past all this and maybe most significantly, as I’ve written before, it’s additionally in regards to the perspective and vibe. The individuals at CES are in search of concepts that might, may, or risk work. And even when they don’t, that’s okay too as a result of they might result in one thing that does. Authorized, then again, too usually seems to be for tactics issues received’t work. At CES, change is every little thing. Authorized? Change is anathema.
This 12 months’s Huge Matters
What are a few of the large subjects this 12 months? Final 12 months, the primary space of intersect highlighted by the attendees was in fact AI, based mostly once more on the CTA Audit Assertion. It was adopted by IoT, car expertise (it’s usually stated CES is the world’s largest automotive present, by the best way), and robotics.
This 12 months, CTA representatives imagine the transformative energy of AI and agentic AI together with well being and mobility will probably be large subjects for dialogue. Robotics will proceed to be scorching, together with good glasses, spatial computing, and power improvements, which may also be entrance and heart. The latter is of explicit curiosity given the potential challenges to the power infrastructure that AI might deliver, a crucial matter we’ve got recently discussed.
I’m notably in search of the challenges to AI and its implementation. I’m in search of how we as a society can handle the disruption AI may deliver. These points weren’t precisely entrance and heart on the latest AI Summit which I attended and discussed final month. We are going to see if they’re talked about right here.
Media Days at CES
CES all the time gives two days only for media. The media days kick off with varied press conferences, probably the most extravagant being that of Samsung and LG Electronics, together with a number of different well-known firms (Apple stopped attending the present years in the past). The press conferences are used for product bulletins and are full-scale productions unto themselves as a substitute of cut-and-dried lists of options and advantages.
However the spotlight of media days for me has all the time been the Tech Traits to Watch presentation on the primary day. The report relies on surveys, statistics, and analysis of CTA and is an effective option to see the place expertise goes and what’s on the horizon. I’ve written about this session and what it reveals earlier than.
It’s instantly adopted by Unveiled Las Vegas, the place media representatives are given a primary have a look at what most of the exhibitors and sponsors will probably be displaying and demoing on the primary exhibit ground in the course of the week. It’s smaller scale than the primary exhibit flooring and gives extra alternatives to speak to the distributors about what they’re doing and seeing.
The Keynotes
The checklist of keynote audio system reads like a who’s who of shopper electronics and for that matter, business. This 12 months consists of keynote displays by the CEOs of Siemens, Caterpillar (if you must ask why a tractor firm CEO is giving a keynote at a tech convention, you’re a little behind already), AMD, Vivendi, Basic Catalyst, and Lenovo, amongst others. There will probably be displays by the worldwide managing companion of the consulting agency McKinsey together with these of the CEO and President of CTA itself.
Networking and Training
To say CES is sort of a multi-ring circus is a little bit of an understatement. It consists of 10 cavernous exhibit halls — it’s the one present I’ve ever been to the place you must really wait in line to view the exhibit areas of some extra well-known distributors. With over 4,500 exhibitors, it’s nearly unattainable to see every little thing. The halls are divided up topically, in order that does make planning a bit simpler.
There are additionally ample networking prospects, a plethora of events, and ample different occasions. However one of many highlights for me are the quite a few academic classes that happen all through the week. As set out beneath, these classes will be enlightening, scary, informative, and entertaining.
However as in most years, I’m certain there will probably be branches and spin off classes that spotlight new and attention-grabbing points and challenges.
I’m moderately certain I’m going to listen to plenty of AI babble and hype. In some ways, that’s what CES is largely about: dreaming large, residing massive, and brief on particulars. However that’s another excuse I’m right here, to assist separate the hype from actuality.
One cautionary word: given the variety of attendees and a number of exhibit halls, the logistics of attending most of the classes could be a problem. Strive overlaying the roughly mile and a half from the Conference Heart to the Venetian Heart together with hundreds of different individuals all shifting in numerous instructions on the identical time. I will probably be making plenty of game-time choices based mostly on what’s scorching, what might pertain to authorized, and sometimes what’s logistically attainable.
As soon as Once more, Keep Tuned
So, this 12 months, identical to the final seven, I’ll be in Vegas bringing you what I study, see, and listen to. I’m certain I will probably be speaking about AI, agentic AI, the sensible challenges of AI, and the hype machine. I’ll be drawing the connection between what I hear and study and its potential affect on authorized.
Cling on, the social gathering’s simply starting. It’s going to be a complete huge world at CES.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and author. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a weblog dedicated to the examination of the strain between expertise, the regulation, and the follow of regulation.