CES24 Media Days: Transparent TVs, AI Everywhere & Smart Everything

January 2024

Sustainability & Smart Cities

Tony Crabtree

Founder & CEO

Unsurprisingly, everything seems to be prefaced by the acronym ‘AI’ at this year’s CES. This follows the years when ‘metaverse’, ‘sustainability,’ and ‘VR’ were the buzzwords to include in any self-respecting product announcement.

While each of these areas remains highly important, particularly sustainability, AI is different. We’ve all been using AI for the last few years, thanks to Siri and Alexa, but now it has gained mass awareness and real potential – and at CES, is already a key ingredient in almost all new tech product and service announcements.

Case in point, Samsung and LG’s press conferences prior to the official opening of the main event.

Both Samsung and LG led with home assistants, the Smart Home AI Agent in the case of LG, and Ballie for Samsung. These ‘cute’ robots act as hubs for connected devices around the home. They now claim to be affectionate and can offer empathy – something that’s in short supply these days! This is a great idea and will be important in areas such as elder care I imagine, but they have been around for a few years now, and not yet hit the big time. One to watch for the future, I think.

AI-enabled hyperpersonalisation was also a big subject, with LG announcing that their new smart home solution, ThinQ UP 2.0, would make their products smarter and more tailored to customers’ needs; a process that apparently begins even before customers receive their products!

The most striking non-AI product announcement for me, at least so far, was LG’s new transparent TV: the OLED Signature T. Despite sporting an impressive 77-inch display, this TV doesn’t dominate in size and presence, and seamlessly merges into any living room – and with the Zero Connect box, there are no cables either. Could be a big winner for LG.

The other thing that stood out from these companies were their strategic moves into becoming service-based businesses, with subscription options and services that allow consumers to curate their own appliances. This, alongside other advancements in smart domestic appliances (an
AI-powered refrigerator anyone?), means that after years of hype, the smart home might finally be here – maybe.

Tony Crabtree – Founder & CEO, Juniper Research