“If you thought it was an AI (artificial intelligence) wave last year, it will be a tsunami this year.” In a sentence in the American magazine Wired, Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights
Cars, washing machines, headphones, smartphones, cameras, speakers, mobility devices, medical devices, televisions… All the manufacturers of this equipment want to ride the dynamic that began in November 2022 with the technological breakthrough that constituted ChatGPT output. An earthquake whose magnitude the previous edition of CES, which was held a month later, had barely been able to absorb. No less than 130,000 curious people are expected in the bays of hotels and the Las Vegas exhibition center from January 9 to 12. The wait is also measured by the arrival of giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Samsung, LG, Sony, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Honda, who have announced their presence on site and will redouble their announcements on AI.
“From major chipmakers to home or medical appliance brands, the main theme will be how AI can deliver new experiences for consumers,” predicts Thomas Husson, principal analyst and vice president at Forrester. The challenge for manufacturers consists in particular of embedding this artificial intelligence directly in devices (Edge AI), whereas today it is used rather through requests made in the cloud and its data centers, which are very energy-intensive. “So-called local AI makes it possible to reduce computing power (compared to a query in the cloud, Editor’s note), and therefore consumption. It allows for a reduction in latency (transmission time) and therefore new associated uses, and maximizes data security,” indicates Steve Babureck, director of strategy for French company Soitec.
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Smartphones are among the natural candidates to accommodate embedded AI. This will improve the capabilities of cameras, gaming functionalities, augmented reality and even real-time translation and image and text generation without always needing a connection. “It’s the equivalent of Siri on steroids,” insists Steve Babureck. But in the absence of a major announcement from phone manufacturers during CES, the entire electronics industry in the broad sense will try to pull the plug on itself. Starting with PC manufacturers, who are boosting all their models with increasingly powerful chips enabling the use of AI. Virtual reality and augmented reality headsets and glasses promise ever more immersive experiences.
In robotics and household appliances, for example, manufacturers promise nothing less than a new era in the relationship between machine and man, thanks in particular to ever more intelligent assistants. Such as LG, which will present its Smart Home AI robot, an android that moves autonomously around the house for surveillance tasks but also to chat with those who live there.
Televisions that can adjust their resolution themselves, vacuum cleaners that can switch from dry to wet mode by detecting stains on the floor using intelligent cameras, refrigerators that can identify fresh food and are equipped with systems to alert them of their expiration date, etc.
The range of solutions is endless. “It’s a new paradigm. We are witnessing a democratization of AI, with devices that learn from our uses and provide a better connection between products and consumers,” says Guillaume Rault, vice-president of Samsung Electronics France. The Korean group promises numerous announcements around AI.
The mobility players, who have become essential at CES, will not be left out, and in particular the automotive equipment manufacturers, who will come in full force: Valeo, Forvia (Faurecia and Hella), Plastic Omnium, Bosch, Magna… All have put in artificial intelligence in their products to offer new services to drivers. “AI will allow you to speak instead of pressing a button, offering you more comfort in the man-machine interface. The driving aids (Adas), already present, will be improved and respond in an increasingly relevant manner to complex situations,” lists Éric Kirstetter, automotive consultant at Roland Berger. The expert gives the example of a series of simultaneous voice instructions given to the vehicle: turn on the radio, the headlights, close the windows, etc.
The AI will respond by giving priority to the most urgent functions. “Today, there is no real revolution in the car,” recalls Éric Kirstette. No revolution, but a lot of innovation on the program. Whether it is the generalization of personal assistants in the cars exhibited by BMW with Amazon, demonstrations of remote vehicle travel with your smartphone on the Mercedes side, games and “infotainment” on board… Even without being present in Las Vegas, Stellantis is also expected to make announcements in the area of the virtual cockpit thanks to a partnership with BlackBerry and AWS, Amazon’s cloud division.
In addition to these functionalities that are very visible to the consumer, the breakthrough of AI in the automobile is also and above all happening behind the scenes of the R
He indicated that he intended to reduce the costs of R by 50%
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The rise of ChatGPT, which brought together 100 million users in less than two months, has clearly shown this. The current wave of AI has something palpable for the consumer. The presence in Vegas of two consumer goods giants – Walmart and L’Oréal -, who will each give an opening keynote, is therefore not a surprise.
The French group will present a new flagship product, dedicated to beauty and powered by AI, as well as a summary of all its other intelligent products already present in past years, such as intelligent lipstick (Red on measure) or its intelligent home coloring solution (Colorsonic). “We’re sitting on 115 years of research and mountains of data. AI allows us to improve the performance of our products,” summarizes Adrien Chretien, augmented beauty development manager at L’Oréal. “Contrary to the craze for the metaverse, where innovation happens behind the scenes of industrial worlds, AI has the power to reshape consumer experiences much faster,” analyzes Thomas Husson, from Forrester.
Of course, no embedded AI in products without chip manufacturers. From Nvidia to Qualcomm to Mediatek, the semiconductor giants will be in majesty at CES. It is their components, thanks to the computing power associated with them, that make machines intelligent. Their role will be decisive in supporting the rise of this AI for all. From 15 million, the number of objects with embedded AI could increase to 2.5 billion by the end of the decade, according to a study by ABI Research.
As for the fears and threats that these objects could represent, they should not be omnipresent at a show renowned for its optimistic vision of technologies. Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes the show, is keen to ask for “safeguards” for AI – a panel will also focus on the threats posed by the technology. But we understand: in Las Vegas, the dark scenarios of AI will be put aside.
