CES sets an agenda around AI and 5G

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) might have been overshadowed by the decision to include Ivanka Trump on a panel about the future of work but the main theme the event is trying to share is that this decade offers the industry plenty of opportunities.

The annual get together in Las Vegas captures the headlines because of some of the cutting edge tech, including flying cars and large screen TVs, but it also gets the chance to set down some of the trends that should dominate 2020 thanks to its timing as the first major event of the year.

In his keynote slot at the show, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said that IoT had been one of the main technologies in the past decade but looking forward there were more possibilities.

There is a sense of optimism that's hard to describe," he added "We are starting another decade of profound transformation, the roaring 2020's. In the 2020's IoT now stands for the Intelligence of Things."

"Every company has to be a tech company," he added "Technology is helping us to become safer and more resilient."

Karen Chupka, executive vice president, CES Consumer Technology Association, said that the  artificial intelligence as going to be the star of the event.

“AI is one of the key ingredients that we are going to see for the coming decade,” she added that it would be involved with smart cities, vehicles, digital health and robotics.

“There are also going to be 5G innovations throughout the show. 5G is a critical ingredient and platform technology. It is the ability to deliver access and information anywhere and anytime that is enabled by the 5G connectivity that sis really going to help drive innovation,” she added.

Blockchain and digital health are also other topics that vendors have turned up to talk about and VR/AR is also continuing to pitch for attention.

“All of these technologies, from AI, to 5G to digital health, all hold the promise of a better future to people all around the world,” said Shapiro.

But he called for more collaboration in the industry to make sure that some of the big issues coming out of the emerging tech, like privacy and AI standards, gained standards to make it easier for them to flourish more widely.

HS Kim, president and CEO of the consumer electronics division at Samsung, used his time on stage to talk about how the firm is looking to improve the user experience.

"2020 is a big year, the start of a new decade, and a decade full of possibilities for our industry," he added "I see 2020 as a start of a new era in technology."

He said that the user was driving change and was looking for experiences, rather than product, looking for convenience, peace of mind and enjoyment.

That translated into the portfolio in personalised services, fast chips and robust infrastructure to ensure a smooth customer experience.

"This could be a challenge and an opportunity but we will be ready for the age of experience," he said.