Hi Mum! Said Dad's 3 key insights from CES

There is a lot of noise that comes with CES . Many of the products demoed won’t see the light of day.

We’ve taken a closer look and identified a few things that we think really matter.

#1 Making AI more human

We know what you're thinking.

Not another piece about AI.

But it is the defining trend of our time and we would be remiss not to talk about it.

Almost every product demoed at CES had AI in it - pillows, mirrors, office chairs and even stethoscopes. Some of it was bordering on a little silly if we're honest.

What stood out to us though was something that we've been exploring in our work.

We all know that LLMs have unlocked a period of rapid transformation not just in technology but possibly in human civilisation as a whole. The performance is incredible. The use cases are vast. But efficiency and efficacy aren't enough.

As with any product, the way the customer feels when they use it matters.

We've seen in our own conversations with consumers that how an AI interfaces with them counts for a lot and these expectations can be vastly different across regions.?

Generally, western consumers would like AI to be more natural but tend to prefer clear human-machine separation whilst those in the East are more open to AI agents transcending boundaries and becoming another 'person' in their lives.

Companies are beginning to explore this space - e.g. home robots from LG and Samsung, Mercedes-Benz's in-car virtual assistant or WeHead's talking head which gives a face to LLMs like ChatGPT.

We believe this is the next big challenge in the space - what is the layer on top of the impressive model? What should an AI look like? How should it sound? Do we want people to treat it like software or should it be something more and to what extent?

#2 Healthcare for the underserved

Not enough companies think about who is underserved or not served at all.

This is particularly true in healthcare where countless people are excluded or have to make do with substandard solutions.

That is why we were excited to see a whole host of healthcare products targeting women, senior citizens and those who don't have sufficient healthcare insurance:

1. Evie Ring - a health tracker for women that has a slight open gap in its design which allows for the ring to be taken off easily when fingers swell due to hormonal changes
2. Zoe Fall - a device which you plug into a standard wall outlet that detects when someone nearby has fallen and sends an alert to nominated individuals through an app. This is primarily targeted at senior citizens who live independently giving both them and caregivers peace of mind.
3. Dexcom Stelo - a more affordable continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for people who have Type 2 diabetes but don't require insulin. There are ~25m people in the US whose insurance doesn't cover such devices.

If a segment is underserved then by definition there will be demand. All companies would benefit from asking "Who are we not serving that we could be?"

It's not just the revenue and the growth opportunities.

Positively impacting the lives of the neglected is just as important.

#3 An autonomous, modular future for automotive?

Drivers are eagerly anticipating the autonomous future.?

We know because we’ve spoken to many over the last year. They see this as a new kind of ‘third space’ where they can reclaim time, relax, get work done or be entertained.?

And this was why our interest was piqued when Kia presented their ‘Platform Beyond Vehicles’ strategy. These vehicles can go from a taxi during the day to a delivery van at night and then a personal recreation vehicle in the evening (it can turn into a living room or an office with the steering wheel acting as a desk lamp).?

Uber has already signed a deal with Kia to use these vehicles for ride-hailing but what intrigues is whether there is a consumer vehicle play here from Kia or someone else.?

We can totally see consumers being interested in modular vehicles as long as it meet 3 key tests:?

1. Is the cost palatable? - i.e. the upfront vehicle cost and/or any ongoing subscription costs that this might involve (subscriptions are particularly contentious where vehicles are concerned)
2. Is it easy to store and/or access different modules?
3. Is it fast and straightforward to swap modules in and out?

We believe these 3 tests could make or break this.

This is a space to keep an eye on.