CES 2025: 6 biggest trends to watch
Sure, that coffee you’re drinking is good. But wouldn’t it taste better with some AI in it? That’s the underlying message you’re bound to hear loud and clear from CES 2025, when the world’s technology companies get together in Las Vegas to unveil their newest inventions and innovations and dazzle us all with the power and possibility of technology.
And this year, it’ll be hard to dodge AI, which will power your next bicycle, help you grill the perfect steak, sort your trash, keep your heart ticking away, and even translate your dog’s whining (yep, BarkGPT).
Last year, the message was clear: AI is in everything. This year, the message will be Digital Coexistence, Brian Comiskey, futurist and top trend watcher with the CTA, told me. Meaning how do AI and technology live and learn side by side with us, amplifying and enhancing our lives?
There’s a whole lot going down in the tech world: Let me help you understand it all. After talking to countless companies and colleagues, and reading through hundreds of press releases and news announcements, here are the biggest trends we’ll see at this year’s CES. And to underscore its importance, I’ve detailed exactly how AI is impacting each one.
1. A seismic shift is underway in the PC market
It’s no secret that computers are being reshaped by AI, with the advent of the Copilot PC, NPUs able to handle local AI, and an entirely new CPU maker in the form of Qualcomm. Expect the rate of change to accelerate at CES 2025.
Qualcomm will use the show to highlight the power of the Snapdragon X platform, but it might not challenge AMD and Intel alone.
Rumors suggest Nvidia has been building a CPU too. While we’re not anticipating this to launch at CES (the keynote seems to be dead set on telling us all about RTX 50-series GPUs for all your gaming goodness), it would be a good time to Jensen to tell us a little more about its new chip.
I think we’ll see a new era of design and fashion in computers as well, to match the gorgeous hues seen in the latest Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Mint! Peach! How delicious!).
But don’t get it twisted. I’m not just saying that because of the beautiful blue Surface Laptop 7 I bought on Black Friday. Laptop makers will show off models in teal, sand, and charcoal. I’ve also heard of new PCs evoking fancy autos, and small form factor PCs might be staging a huge comeback this year. And rumors of a crazy rollable laptop screen from Lenovo just emerged. Finally, handheld gaming will be the one thing you probably take away from CES: I suspect we’ll see a slew of new handheld gaming devices at the show, and new gaming accessories to boot.
How’s AI helping?
AI sparked the rebirth of the PC, thanks to the NPUs built into chips from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm. Apple and Microsoft are only just getting started taking advantage of them.
2. The self-driving vehicle is here at last
Autonomous cars are the epitome of CES hype, the sort of pie-in-the-sky nonsense that it’s easy to get caught up in. Reality check — don’t expect to buy one from Honda or Ford anytime soon.
And with few exceptions, Waymo self-driving taxis have yet to reshape our lives. Yet digital coexistence will shape your next car nonetheless: Voice assistants will become prevalent and as powerful as the ones in your smartphone.
Plus self-driving vehicles are big news at CES, thanks to industrial companies. John Deere has spent years working on self-piloting tractors to help farmers precisely drop seeds, spread fertilizer, and more. It’s one of the most fascinating technology companies around.
Other heavy equipment makers were on display last year too, such as HD Hyundai, which showed an absolutely enormous autonomous earth mover. This year marks the first time defense industry giant OshKosh will be at the show, and I anticipate autonomy will be on everyone’s lips at that booth as well.
How’s AI helping?
AI-powered assistants will shortly be built into every dashboard, and self-driving tractors, earth movers, and other construction site equipment are the cutting edge of AI.
3. The smart home actually makes your life easier
About a year ago, I turned my back on Matter, a newish technology backed by Amazon, Samsung, Google, Apple, and basically everyone else important in tech, which nevertheless struggled to live up to its promise.
Maybe I jumped the gun. Maybe Matter finally matters. Who knows! The new tech may not have changed your life, but I’ve seen it pop up in product announcements and press releases from companies like Igloo (which makes beautiful smart biometric padlocks) and Nuki, a European smart lock maker coming to US shores soon.
There’s just a different vision for smart homes: No one talks about automating the heck out of your life through seamless, futuristic integrations with Alexa or Google Home. But a slew of products nonetheless aim to revamp your home. It’s all about digital coexistence, remember?
There will be at least half a dozen autonomous lawnmowers at CES, for example, and a variety of smart battery companies will take you off the grid, including the Backup by Biolite, winner of a CES Innovation Award for 2025 for its fresh vision of how to integrate backup batteries.
Heading indoors, the vacuum cleaner market has exploded with innovation (hopefully not all over your rug). This year, we’ll see the X50 Ultra robot vacuum from Dreame, the first robovac that can literally climb stairs — albeit small ones, not the carpeted monsters that lead to the second floor of your house. Still, it’s one small step for … you get the picture.
How’s AI helping?
There’s room for AI to play an as-yet untapped role in automation: detecting when you’re in and out of rooms, predicting your arrival, and so on. That’s the real smart home promise. Today, AI is a small but key part of devices, mapping spaces for mowers and cleaners and helping them dodge pets, for example.
4. Why you’ll definitely buy wearable tech in 2025
Amid the silly smart shoes and questionable brainwave-altering gizmos live a variety of real health innovations: I expect to hear everyone talking about smart rings, for example. The Samsung Galaxy Ring was released over the summer, and I’ve heard of at least two other new entries.
But other wearables are far more interesting. A Swiss startup called Nutrix has already won a CES Innovation Award for CortiSense: Spit on the dongle, plug it into a USB port, and the device measures your cortisol levels to monitor for stress and burnout.
Meanwhile, those who deal with diabetes are familiar with wearable patches to detect and monitor their glucose levels; Dexcom recently came out with an over-the-counter, affordable biomonitor that does just that. It’s called Stello, and when you slap the patch on, you’ll have a continuous monitor good for two weeks.
The company recently partnered with smart ring pioneer Oura. At CES, I’m looking forward to seeing Myant’s Skiin Generation 2 – the world’s first-ever device capable of both clinical-grade arrhythmia detection and continuous blood pressure monitoring. While there are myriad ways to measure your blood pressure, a continuous system that also searches for anomalies could be a lifesaver. Expect loads of other innovations at the show.
Finally, this will be a big year for smart glasses, thanks in no small part to Google’s recent announcement of Android XR — the most exciting new version of Android in years. Will we finally see more prototype glasses like Meta Orion make their way to market? I can’t wait.
How’s AI helping?
Google debuted Glass over a decade ago. The integration of AI in Google XR will finally make this form of wearable tech meaningful … and vastly more powerful.
5. AI will find diseases before your doctor — and help you deal with them
CES also showcases b2b technologies to help health professionals, and doctors will be thrilled to see how AI really shines here, particularly in the early diagnosis of disease.
For example, I’ve been reading about The AI Doc, which claims to detect and diagnose cervical cancer in real-time, and neuroClues — which aims to revolutionize early diagnosis of neurologic diseases. Using AI-driven eye-tracking technology, neuroClues can help clinicians identify and monitor brain health issues.
Meanwhile, robots (another perennial CES favorite!) may finally have their moment in the sun. CES always sees a slew of robotics, both silly and practical, and too often far-fetched. With the power of AI behind them, bots may shine this year.
In particular, I’m watching for companion bots to care for our elders and support us as we recover from illness or injury. Robotics tech also means assistance, such as WIM, a simple robotic device to aid in mobility.
How’s AI helping?
Parsing the terabytes of health data wearables produce will yield countless life-saving advances, and only AI can do it. Last month, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital used fitness trackers to detect bipolar disorder with more than 80% accuracy — an astonishing discovery.
6. TVs are evolving
It wouldn’t be CES without new television technology, whether it’s eye-searingly bright OLED and micro-LED screens or room-filling sizes. At CES 2025, look for improvements in what those sets can do rather than fresh advances in TV tech.
Last year, companies touted the integration of new AI chips –this year we’ll learn what their next-generation platforms are capable of. Will we see smart ads, for example, that let you pause a TV show to shop from the individual frame? This brings new meaning to “I’ll have what she’s having.”
The real question will be, can these innovations come to existing televisions, or must we all upgrade (again)? Today, it’s not just your laptop that can be upgraded: It’s your phone, your car, your alarm system, and more. And Tesla has proven time and again that meaningful features and updates can be pushed via software. Will LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL, and others take a similar approach? That’s something we’d all appreciate.
How’s AI helping?
AI chips are being baked into everything these days, TVs included. We’ll see how well manufacturers unlock their power at CES 2025.
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