CES 2024 Exhibition Will Remain Lively Even Though Sam Altman Is Not Present, AI Is In The Spotlight

CES will be held on January 9 in Las Vegas. (photo: x @ces)

JAKARTA - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will not be present at this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) exhibition. However, the artificial intelligence (AI) fever initiated by the startup last year will still feel strong. Hundreds of companies are competing to find consumer applications for this technology.

Various devices for the visually impaired, weapons-related security systems in schools, facial recognition software that can assess vital conditions, and cabin monitoring systems in autonomous cars, will be in the spotlight of dozens of companies planning to announce their AI innovations at the exhibition.

OpenAI's influence remains strong at the exhibition, although Sam Altman was not physically present, reminiscent of Apple's style and its founder, Steve Jobs, who remained influential despite avoiding similar exhibitions. Altman is seen as an icon of the AI Febris that has hit the tech industry over the past year.

OpenAI, in addition to other projects, is working on a secret AI hardware project with Apple's famous designer, Jony Ive, according to media reports.

Funding for generative AI projects jumped more than fivefold to US$23.78 billion (Rp368.9 trillion) as of early December from 2022, according to PitchBook data.

"This is AI year in everything," said Maribel Lopez, technology analyst at Lopez Research. "If your product doesn't use AI, it's better not to appear, because it's not worth talking about."

Germany's Bosch, who recently won the CES award for their nearly invisible weapons detection system, will talk about AI and cybersecurity in panels at the exhibition.

NEC from Japan will launch an AI software that allows mobile devices to analyze facial patterns and pupil conditions to estimate human vitality and mental state.

Many companies are expected to show how the use of AI in vehicles makes it smoother and safer for drivers through virtual assistants in vehicles and better cabin monitoring.

A new focus for automotive manufacturers, after years of investing in autonomous technologies that use AI, is a technology that allows a "personal hyper" buying and driving experience that can distinguish them in the market.

"Many automotive manufacturers are also adopting AI in various production stages to reduce costs," said Wendy Bauer, vice president of automotive and manufacturing at Amazon Web Services, which owns BMW and Toyota as customers.

AI can help automakers save money by accelerating vehicle development and ensuring better quality checks during manufacturing.

PC and smartphone manufacturers are also likely to show how their products use AI, which is at stake for chipmakers like Intel and AMD to offer new sources of revenue. Microsoft announced that PCs with new AI buttons on Windows keyboards will be exhibited at the exhibition.

However, it is not clear whether consumers will be willing to pay more for the AI capabilities on their computers because these developments carry out less clear tasks than OpenAI's ChatGPT bots.

"Consumers like ChatGPT, but the benefits of consumers having it on devices are unclear," said Jay Goldberg, CEO of D2D Advisory. "That's why everyone will talk about it - because everyone is racing for consumer benefits."