5 AI takeaways from CES for enterprise business

Since CES is owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, it makes perfect sense that it is focused on consumer tech. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t significant enterprise business takeaways, particularly around artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

That is particularly true in a year when few technologies are garnering as much hype as AI and ML — particularly when it comes to generative AI, including DALL-E and ChatGPT.

We asked for feedback from vendor experts about the most important AI and ML takeaways they saw coming out of CES 2023.

1. AI at the edge

“With the maturity and performance of edge AI hardware, coupled with the advancements in computer vision, we saw at CES not just innovative consumer products empowered by AI, but also business products that are AI-based to enable automation, scaling-up and improvement of many business processes across market verticals.

“There were many examples of AI transformation at CES 2023 and its impact on enterprises at large. Examples include autonomous robots handling a wide array of tasks, AI powering agricultural machines for more efficient and sustainable farming, advanced mobility applications, sophisticated smart home devices and more.

“Yet there are still many industries on the verge of AI transformation. AI at the edge can completely overhaul our conception of how the world around us works – by powering devices such as intelligent cameras, smart vehicles, autonomous robots, advanced traffic management tools, smart construction, etc., to run AI at their source. AI at the edge has the power to change anything and everything, enabling new applications to make our world smarter and safer.”

— Orr Danon, CEO, Hailo

2. An AI tipping point for marketers

“CES this year made it clear that AI is at a tipping point – not only in its inclusion in exciting consumer products, but also in how it integrates into the day-to-day workflows of marketers. It’s clear that these tools are quickly shifting from being seen as futuristic nice-to-haves to powerful must-have tools that advertisers need to embrace.

“Already there is an impressive number of tools that can assist with everything from streamlining personalization, to predictive analysis of trends in rapidly changing markets, to ensuring that marketing remains privacy compliant. This year, CES was definitely more compacted than other years and this gave us the opportunity to hone into how these tools can offer companies greater efficiency, effectiveness and transparency, allowing marketers more blue-sky thinking time, and ultimately strengthening their reputation and connections with their customers.”

— Neil Smith, VP, enterprise platforms, TripleLift

3. AI and data governance and IoT

“One key takeaway for business tech leaders from this year’s CES event is the growing importance of data governance in the AI and ML space. With the increasing amount of data being generated and collected by businesses, it is crucial for organizations to have clear policies and procedures in place for managing and protecting that information. To mitigate the risk of sensitive personal data being inadvertently disclosed or misused, robust security and privacy policies are required to ensure that this data is handled responsibly and ethically, and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

“Another trend that became evident at CES is the increasing convergence of AI and ML with other emerging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT). This has the potential to unlock a wide range of new use cases and business opportunities for organizations that are able to leverage it effectively. Businesses that are able to use these technologies effectively will be well positioned to drive innovation and gain a competitive advantage in their markets.”

— Amey Dharwadker, machine learning technical lead, Facebook

4. Conversational AI will become even more integral to customer experience (CX)

“In the AI space, the technology on show at CES reinforces our belief that conversational AI will become even more integral to great customer service in 2023. We see a continuing move away from talking about products and a greater focus on conversations, whether they be multimodal, chat or voice.

“Multimodal is going to be a big deal as it provides a great self-service option that can guide customers through a flow just like a live agent would via voice and onscreen guidance, but without the need for an agent. It’s a similar engagement, but without needing to wait on hold.

“We are seeing over half of potential customers looking to leverage a multimodal experience as the first implementation. They are also seeing 90% of customers leveraging two or more channels — often starting with voice and then moving to WhatsApp, web chat or SMS. We expect that to grow in 2023.”

— Andrei Papancea, CEO and cofounder, NLX

5. AI and ML was everywhere at CES

“A common thread among much of what I saw this year at CES was a focus on AI and ML. Tech leaders on the showroom floor exhibited everything from the use of AI in advertising and marketing, to autonomous applications for vehicles, drones and deliveries. There were also examples of AI software helping stakeholders in healthcare, consumer technology, digital content moderation and many other industries.

“While tech leaders continue to iterate technologies for specific applications, they should see this AI disruption as an indication of where the industry is headed. AI will be critical in automating solutions and imitating human likeness to enable better user experiences for humans.”

— David Finkelstein, CEO, BDEX