CES 2023 preview: 4 big questions that will shape the week

CES stays the most important week of the yr in tech. Each January, the present connects the world’s greatest tech corporations, the subsequent technology of startups chasing disruptive concepts, tech reporters and influencers, huge field retailers on the lookout for merchandise to fill their cabinets, and tens of hundreds of tech fans attempting to get a glimpse of what is subsequent. 

Additionally: CES 2023 tech you can actually buy now

Whereas it will not attain the heyday of a decade in the past, this yr’s present could have exhibitors, the worldwide press, and attendee numbers that look much more just like the pre-pandemic tech trade. There can even be plenty of elements of the present that will probably be live-streamed to a world viewers — a welcome remnant from the pandemic-dominated exhibits of the previous two years.

This yr’s 2023 model will look much more just like the flashy CES you’ve got seen in numerous information experiences and web movies over the previous couple a long time. 

Nonetheless, there will probably be 4 huge questions that loom massive. Control these themes as experiences roll on this week.

1. Will the large tech corporations give us greater than gimmicks?

At CES, huge tech corporations are infamous for displaying off ideas nobody will ever purchase resembling 100-inch TVs, roll-up shows, foolish robots, and single-rider helicopters parading as flying automobiles. Whereas stingy customers hit laborious by inflation might actually use some leisure, it will be a welcome improvement at this yr’s CES if the large tech corporations did not depend on their previous parlor tips however put the highlight on helpful improvements with extra substance.

2. Can anybody persuade us to care in regards to the metaverse?

Proper now, the metaverse is lots like a misplaced pet wandering round and smelling all the pieces. There are sure to be plenty of corporations — from {hardware} makers to NFT peddlers — angling for a spot within the metaverse ecosystem, simply in case it does pan out.

We have got our eye on Thursday, January 5 for HTC Vive’s subsequent huge unveil. Will HTC’s new headset make the metaverse extra interesting? We’ll see. Apple’s long-expected headset looms massive over 2023, after all, however Apple will not be on the present and nobody is aware of how lengthy we’ll have to attend to see what they’ve put collectively.

3. Will AI begin to automate helpful issues?

AI burst into the patron consciousness in 2022 with Lensa, Dall-E, ChatGPT and different instruments. It wowed us with its capabilities to supply human-like work and it raised troubling moral questions on mental property and truthful attribution.

These moral considerations will solely deepen in 2023. However AI’s larger wins are more likely to come from the best way smarter AI and machine studying are going to attach the dots behind the scenes to automate work and make life less complicated. That is the place plenty of most impactful alternatives await and we’ve to hope this yr’s CES will floor some thrilling initiatives and startups that may make people smarter and extra environment friendly.

Additionally: CES 2023 tech I’m watching: Metaverse, ER of the future, food tech, NFTs

4. Will the most effective stuff come from sudden locations?

Over 3,000 corporations will probably be exhibiting at CES 2023 and a 3rd of them are coming to the present for the primary time. Whereas the large TV distributors, PC corporations, and automakers will hog plenty of the highlight, it is most of the smaller startups and entrepreneurs who could have probably the most disruptive tech on the present. In years previous, I’ve seen tiny startups with tech years forward of the large corporations – together with stuff that later confirmed up as options in mainstream merchandise.

The underside line is that probably the most revolutionary stuff at CES 2023 will probably come from corporations you’ve got by no means heard of. ZDNET is on a mission to search out them. So keep tuned.

You may watch our quick video summing the 4 huge themes of CES 2023 as a YouTube Short (embedded under), Instagram Reel, or on TikTok.