CES Tech Talk

As we count down the days to CES, we’re preparing for a phenomenal show. With exhibits, events and programming that will span more than 2.5 million square feet from the Las Vegas Convention Center to ARIA, the Venetian Expo, Mandalay Bay and beyond, we’ll welcome 4000 exhibitors in 40-plus product categories. The greatest minds. The most powerful brands. The most impactful technology. In this episode of CES Tech Talk, hear all about it from CTA’s Gary Shapiro, president and CEO; Kinsey Fabrizio, SVP for CES and Membership; and John T. Kelley, VP and CES Show Director: They discuss topics including:

• The tech defining AI, transportation, startups, smart cities, digital health and solutions for a better, more sustainable planet.
  
  
• Must-see places and spaces at CES 2024 including Eureka Park, where breakthrough technologies are showcased, and C Space with the C Space Studio for a look into the future of advertising, entertainment and more.
  
  
• Who’s coming to CES 2024, with an anticipated 130,000 in attendance and 1200-plus startups at Eureka Park. Find out what else is brewing as excitement builds for the most powerful tech event in the world.

With a global workforce of 730,000, Accenture knows how businesses in virtually every market sector are getting work done, and how they’re investing their tech dollars. As Accenture’s Paul Daugherty explains, this mammoth consultancy knows companies’ backstories because Accenture is helping to write them. In this episode of CES Tech Talk, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Daugherty discusses how generative AI is being used, and how space-oriented technologies are rolling out. He also introduces the cinema-worthy terms “quantum supremacy” and “metaverse continuum.” Listen closely to catch Daugherty’s rapid-fire insights that include these:

• In the health sector, generative AI applications include delivering lifesaving therapies in months versus years. Daugherty details how this may become reality sooner than many thought possible.
  
  
• Space technologies are emerging to address applications that include satellite collision avoidance, Earth imaging, and even interstellar financial transactions.
  
  
• Accenture’s brilliant strategies and solutions often take root among its special teams based in the company’s Accenture Labs and Accenture Ventures organizations. There are more, as Daugherty explains.

Kohler reveals the future of bath and kitchen technology in sleek products that also optimize accessibility and wellness. Discover the Kohler approach to unobtrusive, futuristic products that prioritize self-care and cleanliness. From voice-activated showers to touchless faucets and more, learn about personalized shower experiences and energy-efficient designs that cater to consumers who value efficiency without sacrificing quality. Kohler's Stephanie Knuth unveils the company's innovations in sustainable solutions, as well as what's new for spa-like experiences at home in the bath. Don't miss the conversation about Kohler's commitment to comfort, convenience and healthful living through luxurious, energy-efficient and sustainable products. For example:

• The toilet of tomorrow, the Numi 2.0, blends sleek design with automation. As Kohler will demonstrate at CES 2024, it incorporates touch-free tech with self-cleaning wands, a lid that opens and closes automatically and more.
  
  
• Your shower experience can be controlled almost to the last detail through simple voice commands. Kohler leverages Amazon, Google and Apple platforms so that you need only say, “Hey, Alexa, start my morning shower.” The water will be the temperature you want, and the spray pressure will be to your specifications. You can also pre-set water output to limit waste.
  
  
• Unknot tight muscles without a trip to the spa. The Kohler Stillness Experience is designed for self-care in the bath through a blend of bathtub design, light and sound. Sprig by Kohler adds aromatherapy for a Zen escape in the bathroom.

A fun and collaborative space for every type of digital consumer, TikTok has also become a preferred destination for gaming enthusiasts. Players and publishers spend hours a week connecting with the platform’s gaming community and innovations. In fact, video views of TikTok gaming content exceeded 3.6 trillion in 2022, alone. According to TikTok’s Rema Vasan, gaming audiences are looking for the platform’s blend of community, culture and new gaming content to experience. This episode of CES Tech Talk takes a deep dive into how and why TikTok is increasingly the platform of choice for finding and trying new gaming challenges. Here's a snapshot of insights from this episode:

• With more than 1 billion active users monthly, TikTok is the destination for millions seeking new games through exceptionally entertaining content that’s refreshed daily. Rema gets specific.
  
  
• Companies like the Pokemon GO creator Niantic Labs, launch exclusively on TikTok for the customized and collaborative support they receive. Rema explains the process, step by step.
  
  
• The platform’s content and communities set TikTok apart as a highly inclusive and multi-generational platform for gaming enthusiasts. Baby Boomers and Gen X users are joining with Millennials and Gen Z players to discover new gaming opportunities.

What if you could customize and update your car’s features and operations as quickly, securely and easily as you can for your smartphone? That vision drives Apex.AI, a CES 2024 exhibitor that’s innovating software designed to simplify connection to consumer-ready electric and autonomous vehicles. This company is breaking new ground as an enabler of the software-defined vehicle. Apex.AI President, CEO and Co-Founder Jan Becker observes that the software-defined vehicle is similar to smartphones in that the operating-system and app updates are quickly, simply and securely executed without a system redesign or costly trip to the dealer. Summarizing the Apex.AI vision in this episode of CES Tech Talk, Becker offers insights that include these:

• The OS for a smartphone employs a software development kit (SDK) that contains all the functionality common to apps for downloading data, creating a virtual keyboard and so on. Apex.AI has developed an SDK for software-defined vehicles.
  
  
• With Apex.AI, developers have a toolbox of pre-configured software with a modular, predefined and pre-certified design. They can use these to more quickly and easily implement a wide range of builds.
  
  
• Today’s cars include hundreds of small computers that essentially perform one task such as controlling the lights or radio. This architecture slows innovation, forcing update cycles that can last a year. In the future, a central core will control these features, as is the case with smartphones. Apex.AI software enables that central architecture.
  
  
• Apex.AI will demonstrate the future of software-defined vehicles, and how its software will enable them, at booth 6810 in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. A press conference is also planned.

It wasn’t magic that allowed Moderna to launch its COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year. In fact, the company successfully designed its coronavirus vaccine with dizzying speed thanks to artificial intelligence. According to Moderna CIO Brad Miller, once the company attained the sequence of the virus, it completed the design for its highly effective vaccine in a mere two hours. Miller has a lot more to say about AI, machine learning and other technologies as pharmaceutical businesses race to save lives threatened by cancer and scores of other critical illnesses. In this episode of CES Tech Talk, key takeaways include these:

• Developing medicines is like building software; for example, both employ platforms as the foundational operating system.
  
  
• Because Moderna is a platform company, it used the mRNA platform built for earlier research to speed delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. The highly efficient approach is also used for investigational mRNA medicines that could treat diseases ranging from flu to cancer.
  
  
• AI is programmed into Moderna platforms, and is used extensively across the company. Because the tech is so central to Moderna’s work, Miller offers best practices gleaned from long experience. Check out his comments on the company’s “AI Academy” and Moderna's AI application, mChat, for improving employees’ understanding of AI.

Moderna is ALL ON for CES 2024. Stephen Hoge, Moderna president, will discuss AI in a speaking engagement on Thursday, January 11. Don’t miss his session, “The Future of Medicine: Individualized Treatments,” at 9:00 a.m. PT.

Think of high-speed gaming and esports with almost imperceptible latency levels of about .5 milliseconds. Then, remove the wires and add virtually impregnable security. That’s what Li-Fi, or light fidelity, delivers. Now, PhotonFi is making the tech available in the U.S. With a host of applications and performance advantages over Wi-Fi and wired options, PhotonFi and Li-Fi are poised to change the gaming, esports and streaming landscape. Find out how it works in this episode of CES Tech Talk with PhotonFi COO Mike Fasulo and Gamer World News CEO Gayle Dickie. Here’s a sneak peek:

• To gauge the market opportunity for PhotonFi and the Li-Fi tech, consider that: Some 3.2 billion gamers around the world are growing the sector to about $4 billion in revenue. The U.S. has more than 45 million esports viewers with total prize money in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
  
  
• Li-Fi is deployed primarily in Europe for mostly military, aerospace, financial and transportation purposes but is moving to gaming markets.
  
  
• PhotonFi’s Mike Fasulo notes that the tech is ideal for larger-scale IT, enterprise and gaming organizations. It’s not yet feasible for at-home or individual use.
  
  
• Good news for when the tech is more consumer-ready for gamers and esports athletes: Activating it will be as simple as inserting a dongle into any standard gaming device and selecting Li-Fi for the network connection.

The waves, the spray, the exhilaration that typify the boating lifestyle are within reach with technology Brunswick is applying to maritime experiences. The company has leveraged a range of innovations to become the largest recreational marine company in the world. CEO David Foulkes explains how Brunswick’s systems, sensors, joystick controls, GPS and more give boaters what they want, whether they’re beginners, seasoned seafarers or weekend water warriors. For example:

• Brunswick’s autonomous tech uses sensors and controls familiar to gamers to head off, among other issues, docking complexities that can plague even experienced boaters. That’s important when the docking site is a tight fit or located in choppy water.
  
  
• The connected and electric components of the ACES (autonomous, connected, electric and shared) framework mean, respectively, that boats can be monitored and secured remotely, and propelled more sustainably with electric outboard motors.
  
  
• Through Brunswick’s Freedom Boat Club, which is the largest of its type in the world, membership affords access to some 400 boating locations and 5000 vessels across the U.S., Europe and beyond. With more than 100,000 members, club participants benefit from variety, convenience and carefree maintenance.
  
  
• Look for the marina of the future by Brunswick at CES 2024. The exhibit will demonstrate the diversity of Brunswick boats, as well as the accompanying technology, and new formats including e-foils and e-surfboards.

Can investing in technology for the good of humankind really pay off? Discover how companies that embrace human security principles not only contribute to a better world but also thrive in their markets. In this episode of CES Tech Talk, great minds from the worlds of diplomacy, finance, education and technology discuss how the aims of the UN-supported Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign can be tangibly realized. Hear from former New Zealand Ambassador to the U.S. Amanda Ellis and Jonathan (Jon) Miller, former chairman and CEO of AOL and News Corp Digital Media, as they detail how the tech industry can measurably improve sustainable development goals (SDGs) specified by the United Nations. Highlights include these points:

• Human security plays a crucial role in how well lives are lived, globally.
• CES 2024 will demonstrate solutions that show how tech can counter climate, healthcare, economic and other challenges.
• As the Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign extends into another year, look for its themes across CES 2024.
• When businesses invest in the types of human security initiatives that reflect the HS4A mission, they can compete more powerfully. The guests explain how.
• Regarding competitive advantage, Ambassador Ellis discusses research showing that millennials prefer to work for companies that are purpose-driven, and whose brands are associated with a cause. She points out that HS4A is the next big idea that can inspire this and other generations.

With America’s 330 million farmed acres faced with climate and resource challenges, every seed is precious. Fortunately for Earth and its crops, John Deere is the champion heavyweight for sustainable and highly productive agriculture. Using robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced connectivity and automation, this company is constantly inventing new ways to maximize yields as economically and sustainably as possible. The tech is necessary to help farmers coax as much return as possible from the land they also must nourish and preserve. Discover in this episode of CES Tech Talk how John Deere, a 186-year-old enterprise, innovates futuristically for an ancient profession. John Deere’s manager for tech stack architecture Crystal Wells explains that:

• Farmers, who are overwhelmingly 55-plus years old, are among the most tech-forward professionals in the U.S. They have to be, given their daily struggles with weather and other variables.
• John Deere prioritizes AI and robotics in its advanced-tech arsenal. AI underpins sensors that track conditions to constantly adjust machine settings. Robotics counter a shrinking labor force by automating equipment.
• With 500,000 machines connected today, John Deere intends to connect 1 million more. The data gathered will be used to further improve productivity.
• For those interested in a tech career, agriculture is a gold mine of opportunity. The sector’s challenge is surpassed only by the importance of its mission, and success depends on diverse perspectives.