Tech Tent goes to CES

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: BBC Tech Tent reports from CES 2023 in Las Vegas, highlighting a full-scale return of the show and the tech industry’s shift toward practical innovation amid layoffs, cost pressures and geopolitical tensions. The episode spotlights gadgets from smart baking mixers to wireless EV charging, then turns to major themes: sustainability, AI ethics, AR/VR’s uneven progress, and the global tech-policy debate.

Main Topics: CES 2023 returns at full scale (Priority: 5/5): Gary Shapiro describes CES as back in full force, with major attendance, a large exhibition footprint, and broad international participation after a reduced pandemic-era show. Sustainability and energy efficiency in tech (Priority: 5/5): The show emphasizes designs that reduce energy use, improve recycling, and support the transition to electrification, while acknowledging trade-offs in hardware production and infrastructure. Practical innovation on the show floor (Priority: 3/5): Demonstrations include a smart mixer for baking, a wireless EV charger, and a temporary tattoo printer, showing CES’s mix of novelty and utility. AR/VR progress remains uncertain (Priority: 4/5): A hands-on test of Meta’s Quest Pro suggests immersive mixed reality is impressive but still not intuitive or universally compelling, with the reporter and guest agreeing patience is needed. AI ethics and regulation (Priority: 5/5): Sony’s AI ethics lead explains a design-first approach to mitigating bias, transparency, and data representation issues, while noting the lack of clear global standards. Big tech’s wobble and the rise of ChatGPT (Priority: 4/5): The discussion with James Clayton focuses on layoffs across Silicon Valley, uncertainty around VR adoption, and the disruptive potential of AI search tools such as a possible Bing-ChatGPT integration. Geopolitics and the absence of Russia (Priority: 3/5): CES excludes Russian exhibitors in solidarity with Ukraine, while showcasing a Ukrainian delegation focused on recycling and resourcefulness.

Key Arguments: CES is returning to a pre-pandemic scale, which signals renewed industry confidence despite broader economic headwinds. Sustainability is becoming central to product design, with companies asking whether devices can be recycled, reused, and made more energy-efficient. Wireless EV charging could remove practical barriers to adoption by eliminating cables and improving convenience for users with weather, disability, or infrastructure challenges. AR/VR has not yet achieved mass adoption; even improved hardware remains complex and requires user patience before it becomes everyday tech. AI ethics must be built into products from the beginning because biased data, false positives/negatives, and black-box systems create risks that are hard to fix later. The absence of standards means companies are largely self-regulating AI practices until formal rules, such as the EU AI Act, mature. ChatGPT has made AI a mainstream consumer topic, and a potential Bing integration could seriously challenge Google’s dominance in search. Silicon Valley’s layoffs may continue as firms imitate the efficiency narrative seen at Twitter and cut staff amid a downturn.

Data Points: CES exhibitors: 3,200 - Gary Shapiro says CES 2023 is hosting about 3,200 exhibitors. Expected attendees: 100,000 - CES organizers expect roughly 100,000 visitors. Journalists attending: 5,000 - Gary Shapiro notes about 5,000 journalists are signed up. Exhibition footprint: 2.2 million square feet - CES 2023 footprint is nearly 2.2 million square feet. Last year’s footprint: 1.4 million square feet - Compared with the reduced pandemic-era CES footprint. Countries represented: 160 - CES participants come from about 160 countries. Wireless EV charger power: 7-kilowatt system - Current prototype described by the French EV charging startup. Future EV charger target: 50 kilowatt - Company hopes to scale charging to faster levels. Wireless EV charging time: 10 to 30 minutes - Target charging time at 50 kW, comparable to fast chargers. Energy savings from wireless charging: up to 27% - Company claims its induction system can save energy versus cable charging. Annual savings per vehicle: 50 to 100 euros - Estimated yearly savings compared with cable charging. Meta Quest Pro price: $1,500 - The VR/AR headset tested during the episode. Ukrainian delegation: a dozen exhibitors - Gary Shapiro says Ukraine has around twelve exhibitors at CES.

Pivotal Quotes: "What I see is a consciousness that's focused on the fact that we are humans, we have kids, we'll have grandkids, and they should inherit a better world." — Gary Shapiro: On why sustainability is gaining importance in tech product design. "AI ethics by design where AI ethics is not just something we check at the very end of the process but at the beginning." — Alice Yang: Explaining Sony’s approach to responsible AI development. "If 2023 isn't the year, then when is the year?" — James Clayton: On whether AR and VR will finally break through to mass adoption.

Implications: CES 2023 suggests tech is moving from hype toward utility, ethics, and efficiency. For listeners and the industry, the key takeaways are: sustainability is now a design imperative, AI governance is becoming urgent, and immersive tech still needs real-world usefulness to win broad adoption.