Tech’s biggest show goes all in on AI

The annual CES 2025 consumer technology expo officially kicks off on Jan. 7, and it’s guaranteed to bring a variety of interesting, attention-grabbing, and downright strange new products to the famed Las Vegas Strip.

Each CES comes with its fair share of big-name announcements, whether that’s from chipmakers, automotive companies, or small startups. And this year won’t be any different. Of course, the biggest stories will undoubtedly focus, as they have for the past two years, on artificial intelligence.

There’s more to the show than just AI, though. Newer and better TVs, unique home appliances, and laptops as far as the eye can see — as well as a fair share of vaporware — are sure to flood the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) throughout the weeklong tech extravaganza. Here’s what to expect from this year’s event.

Chances are you’ve heard the terms AI agents or agentic AI over the past few months. If not, picture it as AI software that can complete multiple tasks for you. Think something like pulling information from your email and dropping it into a spreadsheet without you having to lift a finger.

Agents have taken over the AI discussion in Silicon Valley and Wall Street, which means they’ll likely be all over CES 2025. In fact, agents had already made somewhat of an impact during last year’s CES.

The Rabbit R1 AI gadget, which went viral at CES 2024, is designed to take actions on your behalf including navigating websites and user interfaces. And there’s little doubt we’ll see plenty of companies touting their own similar capabilities at this year’s show.

If past CESes are any indication we’ll likely hear about AI agents for everything from TVs to washing machines. Tech loves a good trend, and with no end in sight for the AI hype, this is one that looks too good to pass up.

It wouldn’t be CES without a few good chip stories. AMD (AMD), Intel (INTC), Nvidia (NVDA), and Qualcomm (QCOM) will all be in attendance, and each is expected to provide information about their own chip plans for the year ahead.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will host the company’s keynote on Jan. 6, during which the firm is expected to debut its latest generation of consumer graphics cards. AMD is similarly set to hold its own conference at the event complete with its own graphics chips.

Every chipmaker in the PC space is leaning heavily into the AI PC game to lure consumers and improve overall sales. And you can expect more of that at CES, as well. But whether AI PCs, computers designed to natively run AI applications, are enough to get consumers to pull out their credit cards is still an open question.

Story Continues

We’ll learn more about the companies’ strategies and what makes their respective AI PCs better than their competitors’ in just a few short days.

It’s hard to imagine CES without some wild new car tech, but years ago seeing a car roll into the LVCC would have been unheard of. Now there’s an entire wing dedicated to all things automotive and beyond.

Automakers from BMW and Toyota (TM) to Honda (HMC) are set to show off their latest technologies, and companies from across the tech spectrum are all but certain to debut new ways of interacting with our four-wheeled fortresses. Much of that will include how tech will enable advanced driver assistance features in the coming years. And you can bet at least one company is going to mention full self-driving cars, even if it’s still years from becoming a reality, if ever.

Cars aren’t the only modes of transportation that will pop up at CES. Everything from tractors and two-story tall dump trucks to private boats and flying taxis have graced the halls of the LVCC, and if I were a betting man, I’d say we’ll see more at CES 2025, as well.

Big Tech is bracing for President-elect Donald Trump’s promised tariffs, and exactly how those will impact everything from enterprise to consumer electronics is certain to be top of mind. Trump has said that he will levy tariffs on goods from China; expressed his distaste for the CHIPS Act, which is meant to reshore chip manufacturing; and said the added costs to companies would force them to bring their businesses to the US.

Still, there’s no guarantee that Trump will implement the tariffs as he’s said or when he’ll enact them. Regardless, the fact that the risk exists is enough to put Silicon Valley and investors on Wall Street on edge.

It’s not just tariffs, though. Tech firms across the spectrum are bracing for Trump’s second time in the Oval Office, with leaders of several of the “Magnificent Seven” companies, including Meta’s (META) Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos cozying up to the president-elect in an attempt to repair their frayed relationships.

It’s all sure to make for an interesting dynamic at CES, and an even more interesting year for tech overall.

Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance