CES 2025: AI everywhere, 'NextG' and the specter of more tariffsCES 2025: AI everywhere, 'NextG' and the specter of more tariffs

The consumer electronics world is about to converge on Las Vegas for CES 2025 and, as usual, there will be plenty of technologies, products and trends to sift through as CE companies commandeer the Strip.

As he did last year, Brian Comiskey, senior director and futurist at the Consumer Technology Association, CES's showrunner, recently joined the Light Reading Podcast to dig into some of the big topics and trends he expects to see and offer some expectations on the size and scope of this year's big show.

Connectivity will again be a common thread as just about every device has some sort of smarts built in, as will artificial intelligence, the continued emergence of digital health services and the work being done on sustainability and the CE industry's broader "energy transition."

"Artificial intelligence is going to be a major theme of the show," Comiskey said. "It's really just this reflection of just how much that technology already underpins a lot of digital health services and a lot of different entertainment devices today."

He points out that exhibitors focused on digital health, which historically has been concentrated in the Las Vegas  Convention Center, are shifting this year to the CES Venetian campus, which houses the show's contingent of smart home companies.

CES was home to keynotes and demos during the infancy of 5G, and that topic, along with emerging 6G capabilities, will be part of the discussion at this year's show. While there's still innovation occurring in the 5G sector and there will be chatter about 6G, "it's becoming clear that we should probably start using the phrase 'NextG'," Comiskey said. "That's one that I prefer because, really, it reflects how iterative the connectivity story is and that the processes [and] these standards are constantly in motion."

CES 2025 gets underway amid a shift to new US government administration and the likelihood of another wave of tariffs under President-elect Donald Trump. CTA was vocal about the potential harms tariffs can have on the CE industry during Trump's first term, and probably will be again this time around.

Comiskey acknowledges that he's not a policy expert, but believes there is cause for concern amid expectations of across-the-board tariffs and even heavier tariffs on Chinese imports.

"Tariffs are a significant headwind in a lot of ways," he said. "That's a tax that goes right to the consumer. They're paying for that out-of-pocket versus it's not a tax on the country that's brining [products] in … And it's not just China. There's the impact that could be felt with Canada and Mexico, who are major trading partners."

As for the size of the show itself, CTA expects to support about 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space across Las Vegas. Notably, the Las Vegas Convention Center's South Hall will be online at CES for the first time since 2020.

It's too early to predict CES 2025's final tally, but CTA hopes to build on some of last year's results, which included more than 4,300 exhibitors (including a record 1,400 startups). Heading into the show, CTA has already seen a rise in registrations and hotel bookings, Comiskey said.

Here's a snapshot of what was covered (click the closed captioning button in the player for a lightly edited transcript):