CES 2024 Preview: AI Takes Center Stage in Next-Gen Computing and Beyond
The technology arms race for 2024 is going to get off to a fast start with CES, the January technology event formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show...and mostly still known as the Consumer Electronics Show.
If there's one big theme for CES in 2024, it's going to be Artificial Intelligence, and how AI is going to work its way into so much of the tech we use every day. The big CES keynote is going to be given by Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and he describes what we're going to see as "AI Everywhere." And from what I've seen so far, behind closed doors, of what's coming at CES, that's exactly right.
The computer industry is undergoing a significant transformation, largely driven by AI. Laptops and desktops at CES 2024 are going to showcase unprecedented levels of AI integration, not just in processing capabilities but also in user experience. Think laptops that adapt their performance based on your usage patterns, or a desktop that predicts your needs, like pre-loading a work presentation because it knows your schedule.
PC makers like Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, MSI, Razer and others are all going to show off new laptops and desktops with AI-forward components, including new CPUs and systems with NPUs, or Neural Processing Units. New PCs powered by Intel's just-announced Core Ultra line of chips will be a big part of the AI push. A handful of these new systems are out now, but many more are expected to be announced at CES 2024.
Why is AI built into hardware you'll carry around with you important? Because cloud-based AI, the kind used by chatGPT or Bard, is fine for casual use, but your corporate or personal AI assistant might be privy to your deepest secrets or most sensitive information.
Do you trust an easily tricked AI in the cloud to somehow keep that all compartmentalized? Or would you rather run your AI instance locally, on your own silicon, especially now that high-powered PCs can run powerful software like that with ease?
Gaming, TVs and more at CES
At CES 2024, we'll also see plenty of new PC gaming hardware, from gaming laptops and desktops to displays and accessories, and hopefully some new gear in 3D printing, smart home automation, networking and health tracking.
CES covers a lot of ground, but it's really largely a show about new laptops, big TVs and the quirky prototype-style gadgets that get everyone buzzing, from laundry-folding robots to cars with color-changing paint.
And I've certainly seen a lot of those quirky gadgets, having attended CES for about 20 years now. For context, when I first started attending CES, there was no iPhone. There was no Android. YouTube hadn't launched yet. Most people still had giant CRT TVs. But every year, there's one topic that everyone declares is the "next big thing."
Some ideas about the "next big thing" over the years have worked out better than others. One year it's connected appliances. Another it's health-tracking wearables. Or robots. Or virtual reality, 5G or smart assistants. One year it was even 3DTV.
Unlike a lot of those, AI clearly has legs, based on the major transformations we've seen across nearly every industry, just in the one year since chatGPT launched to the public.
Micro Center is going to be on the ground in Las Vegas at CES 2024, bringing you all the latest technology innovations and announcements, so stay tuned for our full coverage.
