CES 2024 buzzword of the show: AI

For the last 15 years after the CES tech trade show, I’ve chosen the buzzword of the show. This year, for the first time, the buzzword was a repeat.
The overwhelming choice for the buzzword of CES 2024 was AI, or artificial intelligence. Excitement this year was driven by generative artificial intelligence and edge AI devices.
AI was also the buzzword of the CES 2018 show. Back then, AI was in vogue because of the rise of autonomous vehicles, smart devices, and voice-response personal assistants.
At this year’s show, consumer electronics firms, PC makers, semiconductor companies and others touted AI features of their new products.
CES 2024 was the coming-out party for AI PCs, with new chips for running AI applications locally instead of in the internet cloud.
Plus, the most talked-about gadget at the show was the Rabbit R1 pocket AI device from Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup Rabbit. It’s a small device that works with voice commands and interacts with your smartphone to simplify tasks.
LG Electronics tried to make artificial intelligence seem less scary by calling their approach to AI “affectionate intelligence.”
Runners up for buzzword of CES 2024 included “spatial computing” and “software-defined vehicle.”

CES buzzwords through the years:

2010: Green
2011: Smart
2012: Ultra
2013: Super
2014: Curved
2015: Wearable
2016: HDR (high dynamic range)
2017: Voice
2018: AI (artificial intelligence)
2019: 5G
2020: Streaming
2021: Pandemic
2022: Metaverse
2023: Augmented reality
2024: AI

Photos: Samsung CEO JH Han speaking at CES 2024 press conference (Consumer Technology Association; LG Electronics press conference at CES 2024 (Patrick Seitz); and Rabbit R1 AI Assistant (Rabbit).