Tech Giants Test Consumer AI Interest at CES

Ed Ludlow, Co-Host of Bloomberg Tech, discusses the latest innovation coming out of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Lenovo Group Ltd. unveiled a new artificial intelligence platform and several proof-of-concept devices, an attempt by the world’s best-selling PC maker to show it can be a serious player in AI. The platform, called Qira, was designed to work across products from Lenovo and its Motorola brand, the company said Tuesday at a CES keynote in Las Vegas. The AI is incorporated at the system level, Lenovo added — what it calls “ambient” artificial intelligence. Because of the deep software integration, users will not need to open a separate app to use it, as they would with popular chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Beijing-based Lenovo made the announcements in a presentation hosted from the Sphere, one of the marquee events of the weeklong CES trade show schedule. Many other tech giants, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., have also used the occasion to make the case for AI as a must-have in the next generation of laptops, TVs, phones, wearables and other consumer devices. In addition to the AI platform, Lenovo showed off a new Legion laptop prototype that includes a display that rolls out sideways to provide a widescreen experience. It was part of a lineup of boundary-pushing design ideas from Lenovo that also included another laptop with an expanding screen. Lenovo Qira is at the heart of Lenovo’s AI glasses concept, which would work wirelessly with a connected smart device and provide features like live translation, image recognition and context. Although the glasses were on display at a media event during CES, they were not operational. Lenovo didn’t share many specifics, other than that the device weighs 45 grams, has a camera and two microphones and projects information onto the lens. Battery life is rated for as much as eight hours, which would put it on par with recent smart glasses from Meta Platforms Inc., the category leader. At the CES trade show in Las Vegas this week, robots poured coffee, played ping pong, dealt poker hands and folded laundry — all within a few feet of one another. Human-inspired robots, aptly called humanoids, have emerged as the tech industry’s big bet on what comes next. They stand erect, like people, although they can’t always walk. And they can move through the world as people do, use the same tools and perform similar tasks — but ultimately more efficiently. Or at least that’s the goal. When LG Electronics Inc.’s new robot, CLOiD, rolled onto the CES stage earlier this week, the real surprise wasn’t its human form – it was that the company attempted a live demo at all. Humanoids are often kept tucked away in warehouses, with companies offering little proof they work outside of tightly controlled experiments. And those that do attempt public presentations often find the risk outweighs the reward. But CLOiD – which stands at slightly less than five feet tall and has a digital display for eyes – trundled across the stage on wheels and waved to conference attendees with its two hands. It then slowly loaded a single piece of clothing into a washing machine — almost painfully slowly. “LG’s AI home envisions a seamlessly connected flow between devices, spaces and human behavior, ultimately achieving our goal of a zero-labor home that saves both time and comfort,” said LG executive Brandt Varner during a press event on Monday, pitching a vision of domestic automation so seamless that CLOiD might one day toast a croissant for you before you head out to work. The concept robot, which uses artificial intelligence and vision-based technology to perform household tasks like laundry, is part of LG’s broader push into what it calls “ambient care” — the promise of machines quietly helping daily life flow more smoothly. It’s a bold attempt to reshape how robotics fit into the home, not necessarily through spectacle but through mundane, repetitive chores.