What to expect from CES 2026, the annual show of all things tech?

LAS VEGAS– With the start of the new year behind us, it’s once again time for the annual CES show to highlight the latest things tech companies are planning to offer in 2026.

The multi-day event, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, kicks off this week in Las Vegas, where advancements in industries including robotics, healthcare, vehicles, wearables, gaming and more will be on display.

Once again, artificial intelligence will be ingrained in almost everything, as the tech industry explores what offerings consumers will want to purchase. 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 to “share her vision for delivering future AI solutions.” Expect AI to appear in other speeches, like that of Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang.

The AI ​​industry is tackling health issues in force, with a particular focus on modifying individual health habits to treat conditions – like Beyond Medicine’s prescription app focused on a particular jaw disorder – or to address the lack of data on topics like breast milk production.

Also expect more revelations around domestic robots. Korean tech giant LG has already announced that it will introduce an assistant robot named “CLOiD”, which will allegedly handle a series of household tasks. Hyundai is also announcing a major effort in robotics and manufacturing advancements. Extended reality, essentially a virtual training ground for robots and other physical AI, is also creating buzz around CES.

In 2025, more than 141,000 participants from more than 150 countries, regions and territories attended CES. Organizers expect roughly the same numbers for this year’s show, with more than 3,500 exhibitors spread across the floor this week.

The AP spoke with Gary Shapiro, executive chairman and CEO of CTA, about what to expect for CES 2026. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Well, we have a lot of them at this year’s show.

Obviously, it’s about using AI in a way that makes sense to people. We see a lot of this in robotics. More robots and humanoid-looking robots than we’ve ever had before.

We also see longevity in health, there is a lot of attention paid to it. All kinds of wearable devices for almost every part of the body. Technology is responding very quickly to gaps in healthcare and that’s great for everyone.

Mobility is important not only with autonomous vehicles, but also with boats, drones and all sorts of other means of travel. This is very important.

And of course, content creation is still very important.

You currently see humanoid robots. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

But yes, there are more and more humanoid robots. And when we talk about CES in 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now, we’ll see an even wider range of humanoid robots.

Obviously, last year we saw a lot of interest in them. The number one product in the series was a little robotic dog that looks so realistic, fun and affectionate for people who need that type of affection.

But of course, humanoid robots are only one aspect of this industry. There are many specializations in robot creation, depending on what you want the robot to do. And robots can do a lot of things that humans can’t do.

AI is the future of creativity.

Sure, AI itself is arguably creative, but the human mind is so unique that you definitely get new ideas that way. So I think the future is more of a hybrid approach, where content creators work with AI to create variations on a theme or to better monetize what they have to a broader audience.

We see all kinds of different devices that implement AI. But we’re giving this show a special focus on the disability community for the first time. Verizon has set up this whole scene where we all have different ways to use this technology and have it help people with disabilities and older people.

Well, there is certainly no bubble when it comes to what AI can do. And what AI can do is perform miracles and solve fundamental human problems in food production, air quality and clean water. Obviously, in health care, it’s going to be overwhelming.

But it was like the Internet itself. There was a lot of talk about a bubble, and there was indeed a bubble. The difference is that in the late 1990s there was virtually no revenue model. Companies were raising a lot of money without forecasting revenue.

These AI companies today have significant revenues and companies are investing in them.

Honestly, what concerns me most is not Wall Street and a bubble. Others may worry about it. I’m afraid I have enough energy to process all this AI. And at this show, for the first time, we have a Korean company presenting the first ever device for creating small-scale nuclear energy. We expect more and more people to rush to fill this gap because we need energy, we need it clean, and we need some sort of comprehensive solution.