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The Future in Focus: Cutting-Edge AI and Robotics Showcased at CES 2024
Attending a CES event was A long overdue experience on my bucket list that I finally had the opportunity to cross off. It’s the only convention where you can see keynotes from some of the most influential Tech Industry leaders while checking out voice-commanded toilets. Intelligence was infused into every gadget in this landscape, though not always with a clear purpose.
At CES 2024, it was as if the entire tech world had synchronized their watches to the tune of AI. From the moment you stepped onto the show floor, the buzz around Artificial Intelligence was inescapable, integrated into every conceivable gadget and product. Amidst a sea of innovation, one couldn't help but notice a curious trend: the ubiquitous presence of AI, not just in groundbreaking tech but also in everyday items like vacuum cleaners and coffee makers.
This phenomenon presented a dichotomy of technological advancement. On one hand, there were genuinely groundbreaking applications of AI, offering solutions to complex problems and enhancing user experiences in ways previously unimagined. On the other, a wave of gadgets emerged, brandishing the 'AI-enabled' tag, seemingly more for the buzzword's allure than for any meaningful functionality. It became clear that discerning the genuinely transformative innovations from the gimmicky add-ons would be key to understanding the future trajectory of technology. This reflects our times in the AI gold rush – a blend of substance and spectacle, where the line between revolutionary and superfluous was as thin as the newest smart display.
Here, I unpack notable advancements in two prominent industries, AI and Robotics, amidst a diverse spectrum of topics covered at CES, including 5G, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Cryptocurrency, Digital Health, Gaming, Smart Home, Sustainability, Vehicle Technology, and many more topics.
The Rise of On-Device AI: Revolutionizing Personalized Tech
As I meandered through the sprawling CES 2024 convention, a consistent theme emerged, prominently featured in the keynotes of industry giants like Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, and AMD. This theme was the rise of on-device AI, a groundbreaking shift that promises to redefine our interaction with technology.
Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger confidently declared Intel as a pivotal player in AI personal computing, stating, "We’re the driving force behind it." His keynote highlighted Intel's strategy for revolutionizing AI integration within everyday devices. Intel focuses on 'inferencing workloads,' which are typical AI applications like voice recognition and image analysis, efficiently managed by standard CPUs without specialized hardware. However, while CPUs are apt for consumer-level AI tasks, Gelsinger acknowledged that they fall short in training complex large language models – a domain reserved for specialized tech firms and researchers. This differentiation is Intel's focus to embed AI in a way that enhances accessibility, speed, and privacy for the average user, making AI processing more private and faster by shifting from cloud dependency to local processing.
In the same vein, NVIDIA announced its foray into AI PCs, highlighting the broadening of the AI landscape in consumer electronics. Qualcomm expanded on this concept, not to be outdone, illustrating a future where on-device AI and cloud-based services like ChatGPT converge. Qualcomm's vision, as articulated by its CEO, Cristiano Amon, is a hybrid model where the cloud's extensive knowledge base meshes seamlessly with the on-device AI's real-time processing and personalization capabilities. This approach points to a future where our gadgets become more intelligent and more attuned to our individual needs, blurring the lines between cloud intelligence and local processing in an increasingly connected world.
This hybrid approach brings the best of both worlds. The cloud offers a broad, ever-updating knowledge base, while the on-device AI provides a personalized, immediate experience. Imagine a scenario where your device understands your query and anticipates your needs based on personal data it has processed locally. This could revolutionize industries from automotive – where cars become more than vehicles but intelligent companions – to consumer electronics that adapt to our lifestyles in real time.
In essence, the theme of AI on devices is not just about technological advancements but about a future vision. A future where AI is not a distant, cloud-based entity but an integral, personal part of our daily digital interactions, embedded right into the devices we use. This is more than a technological evolution; it's the dawn of a new era in personal computing.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger interviewed by Kristina Partsinevelos from CNBC
Humanoid Robotics: A Glimpse into the Future
Transitioning from the advancements in on-device AI to the realm of robotics, CES presented a fascinating showcase of human-like robots and intelligent machines. Among these, Unitree's H1 humanoid robot was a standout, challenging my preconceived notions about the capabilities of such robots. Previously, I had viewed humanoid robots like Tesla's Optimus and Boston Dynamics' Atlas with a degree of skepticism, assuming they were more hype than reality. However, witnessing the Unitree H1 in action was a game-changer. Priced under $90,000, with deliveries slated to begin in the first quarter of 2024, the H1 represents a significant step towards making advanced robotics accessible for research and potential practical applications, though their exact use cases remain to be clearly defined.
