i3 - January/February 2018 - 107

By Steve Koenig

Business

M A R K E T B E AT

Tech Trends: What to Expect at CES 2018

ES is a mosaic of B2B and B2C technologies that add up
to an industry impacting virtually every commercial and
industrial sector around the globe. This year we anticipate learning about the next evolutionary step in what I describe
as "ingredient technologies" like artificial intelligence that operate
behind the scenes, but play an increasing role in our digital experiences. We'll also get an update on technologies in the market
today such as AR/VR; learning about technical advances and new
use cases. Here are some major trends to expect at CES 2018:

5G: As the next step in wireless communications, 5G promises higher bandwidth,
lower latency and greater speed. 5G's initial
deployment in about 2019 will be alongside
4G LTE delivering enhanced mobile broadband in the consumer market. Into the next
decade, 5G will stand alone and we'll begin to
see applications in commercial sectors and
realize the full potential of technologies in
development today like self-driving vehicles.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): This is
likely to be the defining narrative of
CES because AI will pop-up everywhere.
Machine-learning is an increasing attribute
of consumer-facing technologies and
services. At CES, we'll discover how broad
AI applications are, but also how this key
technology is evolving. Enabling contextual
conversations with humans and reducing
bias in AI systems is a major focus we'll
learn more about at the show.

C TA . t e c h / i 3

Robotics: Rapidly moving beyond taskbased systems, the vanguard of robotics
involves service-oriented systems that can
perform many functions-often autonomously. Companion robots are an emerging
breed of robots designed for family life,
but other robots are entering the market
to serve in a commercial capacity, such
as a concierge. Expect to find these innovations among major brands like LG, but also
start-ups in Eureka Park.

mobile devices to digital health solutions.
Driven by the need for greater security,
technologies like voice recognition, iris scanning and fingerprint ID will appear in more
devices to deliver best-in-class authentication to protect consumers.
Realism Redefined: While virtual reality
(VR) has been a major focus of CES for
the past two years, expect augmented reality
(AR) to grab the spotlight at CES. The latest
crop of mobile devices along with AR development kits are the catalyst for a wave
of innovation that will change the mobile
device experience from heads-down
to heads-up. Meanwhile, we expect VR to
continue to push into new use cases (like
travel, medicine, and marketing) as the
virtual world becomes more real - and
more accessible (lower costs) to consumers
- thanks to technical advances.

Smart Cities: If you're looking for the next big
thing, smart cities is your trend. Grand summations of technology, connectivity, and data,
smart cities projects are underway in hunNative Interfaces and Digital Senses:
dreds of communities around the world. With
Voice is becoming more common as an
66 percent of the world's population forecast
interface with technology thanks to digital
to live in urban areas by 2050, the need for
assistants. In fact, 2018 will be the year
intelligent communities that improve the lives
voice emerges as the fourth sales channel,
of citizens could not be more urgent. CES will
in addition to stores, online and mobile.
feature a number of technologies underpinCES will show new capabilities for these
ning smart city projects addressing energy
solutions and new places to find them,
conservation, environmental protection, and
namely cars. Biometric solutions will be
transportation issues. Ironically, the challenges
more prevalent than ever at CES from
facing smart cities are not technological, but
political and budgetary. At CES, we'll learn how
different countries are approaching
these challenges to unleash the
promise of smart cities.
Expect to find the
vanguards of robotics
Consumer Behavior:
among major brands,
but also among startThe B side of any technology
ups in Eureka Park.
trend is the impact to consumer
behavior. Taking in all the trends
CES has to offer, how will our society and
culture be changed by these innovations?
What technology behaviors today will seem
archaic tomorrow? As the physical and
digital worlds merge with AR; as more
decisions are made "artificially"; and as conversations with digital assistants turn into
relationships, it's fascinating to think about
what's possible. CES will give us a taste
of that future. See you on the show floor!
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

107

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i3 - January/February 2018

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