As CES 2026 officially opened its doors Tuesday (January 6) in Las Vegas, United States, breakthroughs and innovations brought forward by global ecosystem players have all been anchored to artificial intelligence (AI). Touted as the century’s biggest transformation, AI, without a doubt, dominated the themes and discussions across all exhibition floors of the annual tech event.

The mood among global players have shifted from AI being a concept to actual integration and real-world applications. In the State of the Industry Address, Gary Shapiro, Executive Chair and CEO of Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes the annual tech event, said how AI is transforming and enhancing the future will be visible at CES 2026 exhibition floors.

“AI is the catalyst for a once in a century transformation. All across the show floor this week, you’ll see AI on display, innovation everywhere, and we believe deeply the companies that can scale AI into the physical world will define the next era of human progress,” said Shapiro.

On the other hand, Kinsey Fabrizio, President of CTA, said, “This year at CES, AI is everywhere, from early disease detection and personalized medicine to robotics that bridge precision and emotional intelligence. From smarter, safer mobility to accessibility breakthroughs and creativity tools powering new entertainment and storytelling.”

Next-Generation of Technologies

CTA said the four-day tech event covers about 2.6 million square feet spread across multiple locations with the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) as the main venue. Initial estimates place total exhibitors to about 4,100 showcasing innovation across accessibility, AI, digital health, energy, enterprise solutions, immersive entertainment, mobility, quantum, robotics, and other topics.  

The 2025 edition of CES has drawn about 4,500 exhibitors, including 1,400 startups with 142,465 attendees. The organizer usually releases its audited figures weeks after the culmination of the event.

One of the key highlights of CES every year are the keynote speeches. For this year, AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su opened the keynote stage and presented the company’s AI portfolio, highlighting AI is everywhere and for everyone. Su unveiled new AI-focused products, including the Ryzen AI 400 Series for next-gen AI PCs, the MI440X GPU for enterprise, and the Ryzen AI Halo developer platform. She also provided an early look at its “Helios” rack-scale platform.

Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch also took the keynote stage and spoke on technologies that will accelerate the industrial AI revolution. Another highlight of Busch’s speech was the presence of NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who joined him on stage to expand partnership.

Another major keynote was of Lenovo, where CEO Yuanqing Yang spoke on the transition from traditional AI to agentic AI.

Critical Topics

A recent study by the CTA through its U.S. Consumer Technology Industry Forecast said the U.S. consumers are still purchasing tech equipment despite the prevailing economic challenges and rising financial pressures. Specifically, CTA projected the industry to reach US$565 billion in revenue in 2026, growing 3.7 percent year-on-year from 2025’s US$545 billion.

CES 2026 are riding on this growth momentum and several top trends will take the spotlight across the event’s showfloors during its four-day run.

One important topic is AI and CES 2026 exhibitors are expected to tackle more AI agents, digital twins, and AI on devices to enhance productivity, customer experiences, and medical advancements. Therefore, the event’s digital health section is expected to drive the next wave of digital health breakthroughs.

Another topic at the show is energy, where CES 2026 exhibitors will showcase its innovations in solar, wind, nuclear and other initiatives to meet the growing demand for high-power technologies like AI, quantum and cloud.

Other important topics that will hover the show floors are mobility, featuring latest innovations across agricultural, automotive, construction, industrial, and marine sectors, focusing on automation and connectivity. Robotics will be another important topic, tackling on improving efficiency, safety, and accessibility.

New for this year is the CES Found section, featuring compelling AI and quantum content through panels, fireside chats, and thought leader conversations.

06 January 2026