EDITORIAL: Robots, physical AI shift the focus at CES

The automotive spotlights shone slightly less bright at CES this year, focused instead on various “physical AI” technologies, best illustrated by all the robots, co-bots and whatever other ‘bots a million exhibiting companies came up with. I lost count of how many knee-high automatons I saw wandering the convention center or crossing Paradise Road with a pack of weary, badge-wearing attendees, repeated examples of how AI is moving away from its digital-only beginnings and into the physical world.

By the time I left town, I didn't even bother pulling out my phone to capture scenes like this. Blasé comes easy when it's not your first, second or even third time at CES. I did, though, take a few shots of the “Welcome, Carol” words on the sign at the Westgate Hotel, smiling to myself that the best-timed and most effective commercial at the tech show (this one for the TV show Pluribus) used what looked like an old-school, monochrome screen.