LAS VEGAS (AP) — As the new year begins, the annual CES trade show is once again shining a spotlight on the latest tech companies’ plans for 2026.
The multi-day event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, kicks off this week in Las Vegas and will showcase advancements in robotics, healthcare, automotive, wearables, gaming and more.
As the tech industry continues to discover what products consumers want to buy, artificial intelligence will once again become ingrained in just about everything. AI industry heavyweight Jensen Huang will take the stage to showcase Nvidia’s latest productivity solutions, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will deliver a keynote speech “sharing her vision for delivering future AI solutions.” AI is expected to feature in other keynotes, such as Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.
The AI industry is working hard to solve problems in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on changing personal health habits to treat disease—Beyond Medicine’s prescription app focuses on specific jaw conditions, for example—or solving data shortages in subjects like breast milk production.
Expect more reveals about home robots to come. South Korean tech giant LG has announced that it will showcase an assistant robot called “CLOiD” that it says will handle a range of household tasks. Hyundai also announced a major push into robotics and manufacturing advancements. Extended reality, essentially a virtual training ground for robots and other physical artificial intelligence, is also generating buzz around CES.
In 2025, more than 141,000 attendees from more than 150 countries, regions and regions attended CES. Organizers expect roughly the same attendance at this year’s show, with more than 3,500 exhibitors this week.
The Associated Press spoke with CTA Executive Chairman and CEO Gary Shapiro about what to expect from CES 2026. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
What are the main themes we can expect this week?
Well, we have a lot of stuff at the show this year.
Obviously, use AI in ways that make sense to people. We see that a lot in robotics. There are more robots and humanoids than we have ever had before.
We’re also seeing health and longevity, and there’s a lot of focus on that. A variety of wearable devices are available for nearly every part of the body. Technology is quickly closing gaps in health care, which is good for everyone.
Mobility is important not just for self-driving cars, but also for boats, drones, and a variety of other modes of travel. This is very important.
Of course, content creation is always big.
Will we finally see humanoid robots in people’s homes in 2026?
What you’re looking at now is a humanoid robot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
But yes, there are more and more humanoid robots. When we talk about CES in 5, 10, 15, 20 years, we’re going to see a lot more types of humanoid robots.
Obviously, we saw a lot of interest in them last year. The show’s top product is a little robot dog that seems lifelike, funny, and affectionate towards those who need that kind of love.
Of course, humanoid robots are just one aspect of the industry. There are many specializations in bot creation, depending on what you want your bot to do. And robots can do many things that humans cannot.
Will we start to see more innovative applications of AI tools in entertainment?
Artificial intelligence is the future of creativity.
Of course, artificial intelligence itself can be said to be creative, but the human mind is so unique that you will definitely get new ideas this way. So I think the future is more of a hybrid approach where content creators are working with AI to make variations on themes or better monetize the content they have to a wider audience.
What interesting AI devices or services do consumers want to buy?
We are seeing artificial intelligence being implemented in a variety of different devices. But for the first time at this exhibition we are paying special attention to the disabled community. Verizon sets the whole stage for all the different ways we can leverage this technology and make it help people with disabilities and seniors.
Are you worried about a potential AI bubble?
Well, there is absolutely no bubble when it comes to the capabilities of AI. What artificial intelligence can do is create miracles and solve basic human problems in food production, clean air and clean water. Obviously in healthcare, it’s going to be overwhelming.
But it’s like the internet itself. There is a lot of talk about bubbles, and bubbles do exist. The difference is that there was basically no profit model in the late 1990s. The company raised a lot of money but had no revenue plan.
These AI companies now have significant revenue, and companies are investing in them.
To be honest, I’m more concerned about Wall Street and the bubble. Others may worry about this. I worry about whether there will be enough power to handle all the AI. At this show, for the first time, we had a Korean company showcasing the first small nuclear-powered energy creation device. We expect more and more people to rush to fill this gap because we need energy, we need clean energy, we need a solution that is all of the above.
