(Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)
I’m leaving for Las Vegas for CES. Like every year for the past seven years, I start my month of January by attending the world’s most important technology event where, among other things, AI can be discussed. I will bring you my observations, my thoughts and my usual skepticism. And explain why CES is not only important for consumer technology, but also for legal and legal technology.
CES in January
January. The holidays are over. It’s back to work. Back to school. When I was a practicing attorney, this meant starting all over again with 0 billable hours and 0 origination credits. It’s winter.
And you think the party’s over
But it’s only just begun
“The Whole World” – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
But for some 150,000 of us, it means it’s time to THESEthe huge conference, show, parties and non-stop sales pitches that stretch from one end of Las Vegas to the other. It is described as “the world’s first technology fair” by the show’s producer, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), North America’s largest technology trade association. I can’t dispute that CES is the largest and certainly the most well-known technology show.
The show begins on January 4 with two full media days, followed by four days of educational sessions, keynotes, press conferences and multiple exhibit halls that will likely feature products from more than 4,500 exhibitors as well as some 140,000 or more attendees. (See the CTA 2025 audit statements hosted on the CES Media Website for last year’s numbers.) I’ll be there as much as possible for Above the Law and offer my ideas and thoughts along the way.
(As an aside, as someone who co-chaired a top legal tech show, ABA TechShowI can only imagine what the holidays must be like for CES event organizers watching this show.)
Why am I here?
Now for the big question: what is a legal tech lawyer/journalist doing here? Legal technology is legal technology, it’s not consumer technology, right? Fake. Many developments in consumer technology ultimately find their way into all kinds of technology used in business, including legal.
It’s important to know where technology is going in general because it also impacts legal technology. It’s important to hear what people outside of legal tech are doing and thinking. It’s essential to hear how they see things and what they’re passionate about. And yes, a lot of what they’re showing off at CES is pipe-dream technology that won’t happen…until it does.
It is also enlightening to hear what concerns and challenges them as well. Legal technology is not a technology in itself. It’s a technology aimed at a particular market, but it’s still technology.
In the past I have written about topics such as the upcoming impact of Agentic AI, deep fakes, personnel management in the age of AI, the metaversehow to do it legal technology decisions, quantum computing and cybersecurityamong other topics, all relevant to everyday law.
But beyond all that and perhaps more importantly, as I said written beforeit’s also a question of attitude and atmosphere. People at CES are looking for ideas that might, might, or might work. And even if they don’t, that’s okay too, because they might lead to something that does. The legal department, on the other hand, too often looks for reasons why things won’t work. At CES, change is essential. Legal? Change is anathema.
The big topics of this year
What are the big topics this year? Last year, the main area of intersection highlighted by participants was of course AI, based again on the CTA audit statement. Then come IoT, automotive technology (it is often said that CES is the largest auto show in the world) and robotics.
This year, CTA representatives believe that the transformative power of AI and agentic AI, as well as health and mobility, will be important topics of discussion. Robotics will continue to be trendy, as will smart glasses, spatial computing and energy innovations, which will also come to the forefront. This last point is particularly interesting given the potential challenges that AI could bring to energy infrastructure, a crucial topic we have recently discussed.
I particularly research the challenges of AI and its implementation. I’m looking at how we as a society can deal with the disruption that AI might bring. These questions weren’t exactly at the forefront at the recent AI summit I attended and discussed last month. We will see if they are mentioned here.
Media days at CES
CES always offers two days reserved for the media. The media days kick off with various press conferences, the most extravagant being from Samsung and LG Electronics, as well as several other big-name companies (Apple stopped attending the show years ago). Press conferences are used for product announcements and are large-scale productions in themselves instead of simple lists of features and benefits.
But the highlight of media days for me has always been showcasing the tech trends to watch out for on day one. The report is based on CTA surveys, statistics and research and is a good way to see where technology is going and what’s on the horizon. I have writing about this session and what it reveals beforehand.
It is immediately followed by Unveiled Las Vegas, where media representatives will get a first look at what many exhibitors and sponsors will be showing and demonstrating on the main expo floor during the week. It is smaller in scale than the main exhibit floors and provides more opportunities to talk to vendors about what they are doing and seeing.
The keynotes
The list of keynote speakers reads like a who’s who of consumer electronics and, therefore, the industry. This year includes keynote presentations from the CEOs of Siemens, Caterpillar (if you have to ask why the CEO of a tractor company is giving a speech at a technology conference, you’re already a little late), AMD, Vivendi, General Catalyst and Lenovo, among others. There will be presentations from the global managing partner of consulting firm McKinsey as well as those from the CEO and Chairman of CTA himself.
Networking and Education
To say that CES is like a multi-ring circus is an understatement. It features 10 cavernous showrooms – it’s the only show I’ve been to where you have to queue to see the showroom spaces of some more well-known sellers. With more than 4,500 exhibitors, it is almost impossible to see everything. The rooms are divided by theme, which makes planning a little easier.
There are also plenty of networking opportunities, a plethora of parties, and many other events. But one of the highlights for me are the many educational sessions that take place throughout the week. As shown below, these sessions can be enlightening, scary, informative and entertaining.
But like most years, I’m sure there will be branches and spinoff sessions that highlight new and interesting questions and challenges.
I’m reasonably sure I’m going to hear a lot of chatter and hype about AI. In many ways, that’s largely what CES is all about: dream big, live big, and miss the details. But that’s another reason I’m here: to help separate the hype from reality.
One caveat: Given the number of attendees and multiple exhibit halls, the logistics of attending many sessions can be a challenge. Try walking about a mile between the Congress Center and the Venetian Center with thousands of other people all moving in different directions at the same time. I will make a lot of decisions during the match based on what is hot, what may be legal, and often what is logistically possible.
Once again, stay tuned
So this year, like the last seven, I will be in Vegas to bring you what I am learning, seeing and hearing. I’m sure I’ll talk about AI, agentic AI, practical AI challenges, and the hype machine. I will make the connection between what I hear and learn and its potential impact on the law.
Wait, the party has only just begun. It will be a crowd at CES.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger and writer. He publishes Carrefour TechLawa blog dedicated to examining the tension between technology, law and the practice of law.