Toolbox

CES 2024 kicks off in Las Vegas this week. The multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association is set to feature swaths of the latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care, sustainability and more — with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.
We will be keeping a running report of everything we find interesting from the floor of CES, from the most interesting developments in vehicle tech, to wearables designed to improve accessibility to the newest smart home gadgets.

YOUR OWN PERSONAL BARTENDER
Ryan Close loves a good cocktail, but he's the first to admit that he is a terrible bartender.

That's why, he said, he created Bartesian, a cocktail-making machine small enough to sit on your kitchen counter. Its newest iteration, the Premier, can hold up to four different types of spirits. It retails for $369 and will be available later this year.

On a small screen, you pick from 60 recipes — like a cosmopolitan or a white sangria — drop the cocktail capsule into the machine, and in seconds you have a cocktail over ice.

Lemon drop is Bartesian's most popular recipe, according to Close.

LETTING THE RIGHT ONES IN
It can be tricky to keep track of your furry friends in and out of the house — but a new pet door might make it a little easier.

Tech startup Pawport has unveiled a motorized pet door that will let your pet come and go as they please — while keeping other critters out. An accompanying collar tag that will open the door when your pet is near. But there's also customizable guardrails.

The product, which can slide directly onto existing pet door frames, can be temporarily locked for specific pets or set to "curfews" using the Pawport app or with remote-control through compatible virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant.

Pawport's pet door and app are currently available for preorder and are set to make their ways into homes during the second quarter of 2024.

SMART LOCKS GO BIOMETRIC
It's 2024, of course your face can unlock your phone. And your front door is next.

Lockly, a tech company that specializes in smart locks, is showcasing a new lock with facial recognition technology that allows consumers to open doors without any keys. The new smart lock, dubbed "Visage," is set to hit the market this summer. In addition to facial recognition, this lock will feature a biometric fingerprint sensor and secure digital keypad for alternative ways of entry -- similar to past Lockly products. Visage is also compatible with Apple HomeKey and Apple Home.

AI TWINSIES
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a twin? Rex Wong, CEO of Hollo AI, says his company has created "AI personalization technology" that can create your digital twin in mere minutes after uploading a selfie and voice memos in a phone app expected to launch later this month.

Wong said he wanted to create a technology that could help digital creators and celebrities connect with their fans in a new way.

Standing next to a television screen projecting her AI clone, Los Angeles-based content creator McKenzi Brooke told AP that her digital twin will allow her to interact 24 hours a day with her followers across various social media platforms – and make money off of it.

"It's not a 9-to-5 job. It's a 24-hour job. There's no break," she said, noting that she posts more than 100 times a day just on Snapchat, a photo-sharing social media platform. "Now I have my AI twin who is able to talk to my audience, but it talks the way I would talk."

PLAYSTATION CONTROLLER MAKES A CAMEO APPEARANCE AT SONY ANNOUNCEMENT
Sony Honda Mobility returned to the CES this year with some updates to its Afeela EV. While the car itself may not be any closer to moving out from being a concept, Sony had some fun with it: they drove it onto the stage with a PlayStation controller.

President of Sony Honda Mobility Izumi Kawanishi was quick to point out that Afeela owners likely won't be driving cars using controllers in the future.

HYUNDAI SEES A FUTURE IN HYDROGEN
Hyundai on Monday spotlighted its future plans for utilizing hydrogen energy. Beyond hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, the South Korean automaker pointed to the possibilities of moving further into move further into energy production, storage and transportation — as Hyundai works towards contributing to "the establishment of a hydrogen society." Company leaders say this sets them apart from other automakers.

"We are introducing a way to turn organic waste and even plastic into clean hydrogen. This is unique," José Muñoz, president and global Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Company, said in a Monday press conference at CES 2024.

Hyundai also shared plans to further define vehicles based off of their software offerings and new AI technology. With so-called "software defined vehicles," that could include opportunities for consumers to pay for features on demand — such as advanced driver assistance or autonomous driving — down the road. Hyundai also aims to integrate its own large language model into its navigation system.

SAMSUNG AND HYUNDAI TEAM UP TO ADD AI TO YOUR CAR
Samsung has announced that they are collaborating with Hyundai to develop "home-to-car" and "car-to-home" services to all Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

What that means is that people will be able to use Samsung's SmartThings service to set your car's cabin temperature or open its windows, and when you're in your car, you'll be able to control your home's lights and interact with any of your connected smart devices.

Samsung also announced a team-up with Microsoft to bring more Copilot AI functions to their flagship Galaxy smartphones.

A 'PAWFECT' COMPANION FOR YOUR PET?
Busy families with dogs may want to be on the lookout for a new AI-powered robot that promises to play with, feed and even give medicine to your furry best friend.

Consumer robotics firm Ogmen was at CES 2024 to show its new ORo pet companion, an autonomous robot designed to assist with pet care by feeding, providing medicine and even playing with your dog using a ball launcher built into its chest.

TRANSPARENT TVs ARE HERE
Consumer electronics giants LG and Samsung have unveiled transparent TVs at the show, with LG having just announced its OLED-powered display will go on sale later this year.

Almost invisible when turned off, LG's 77-inch transparent OLED screen can switch between transparent mode and a more traditional black background for regular TV mode.

"The unique thing about OLED is it's an organic material that we can print on any type of surface," explains David Park from LG's Home Entertainment Division.

"And so what we've done is printed it on a transparent piece of glass, and then to get the OLED picture quality, that's where we have that contrast film that goes up and down."

Content is delivered wirelessly to the display using LG's Zero Connect Box which sends 4K images and sound.

Why would you need a transparent TV?

When not being watched as a traditional TV, the OLED T can be used as a digital canvas for showcasing artworks, for instance.

Samsung's transparent MICRO LED-powered display showed off the technology as a concept.

ADS COMING TO SHOPPING CARTS
Food companies advertise all over the grocery store with eye-catching packaging and displays. Now, Instacart hopes they'll start advertising right on your cart.

This week at CES, the San Francisco-based grocery delivery and technology company is unveiling a smart cart that shows video ads on a screen near the handle. General Mills, Del Monte Foods, and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream are among the companies who will advertise on the carts during an upcoming pilot at West Coast stores owned by Good Food Holdings.

Instacart says a screen might advertise deals or show a limited-edition treat, like Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios. It might also share real-time recommendations based on what customers put in the cart, like advertising ice cream if a customer buys cones.

Instacart got into the cart business in 2021 when it bought Caper, which makes smart carts with cameras and sensors that automatically keep track of items placed in them. Instacart says it expects to have thousands of Caper Carts deployed by the end of this year.

CES, the Consumer Technology Association's annual trade show of all-things tech, is kicking off in Las Vegas this week.

The multi-day event, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is set to feature swaths of the industry's latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care and more — with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.

The Consumer Technology Association bills CES as the world's largest audited tech event held in-person. Organizers hope to bring in some 130,000 attendees this year. More than 4,000 exhibitors, including over 1,200 startups, are also expected across 2.5 million net square feet of exhibit space.

That's still below the headcounts of pre-pandemic years and would mark a 24% dip in attendance compared to the show held in early 2020, just before COVID-19 consumed much of everyday life. But 2024 is on track to beat more recent years. The anticipated numbers would surpass 2023's nearly 118,000 attendees, for example.

"People are pumped for this. They're pumped because it's post-COVID (and) they're coming back," Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said. "And the CEO level support from around the world has been amazing."

Big names set to exhibit at CES this year range from tech giants and automakers to leading cosmetics brands — including Amazon, Google, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and L'Oreal. The show will also spotlight the Consumer Technology Association's partnership with the United Nations Human Security for All campaign, which recently added technology as its eighth human security pillar.

After two days of media previews, CES will run from Tuesday through Friday. The show is not open to the general public -- it's a business-to-business event often used for industry professionals to network and connect.

We spoke with Shapiro about CES 2024 and what to expect this week. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

CES 2024 IS HERE. WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES OF THIS YEAR'S SHOW?
The overall theme of the show, in a sense, is sustainability. It's green. It's the U.N. human securities — including those that focus on clean air, clean water, food as well as health care. And the U.N. just added a new one, which is technology itself. The show is built around these human securities.

From mobility to health care, the exhibiting companies are providing solutions in the post-COVID world. We're also getting older, we're living longer and there's fewer people to take care of us. Technology is the answer.

AI IS EVERYWHERE THIS YEAR. HOW MUCH SAFETY OVERSIGHT IS THERE ON THE DEVICES WE'LL SEE IN THE COMING DAYS?
AI is like the internet itself. It's a huge ingredient that will propel so much innovation. The difference is now generative AI, which can learn from what you've done. And you can apply that to so many different aspects of what we do that will make our lives better — especially in a health care area.

Like any tool since the invention of fire, the government plays a very big role in making sure there are certain safety barriers. We've been working with the U.S. Senate and they've been hearing from every interested party about what we need — including a national privacy law. AI is a tool and it can be used for doing tremendous good, or it could be used for doing harm. And we want to focus on the good.

AUTOMAKERS ALSO HAVE A BIG SPOTLIGHT AT CES. CAN WE EXPECT ANY IMPACT FROM THE RECENT UAW STRIKE?
In terms of a trade event, this is like the biggest car event in the world. We see car companies from all over the world on the floor.

They will be there in different ways, and some choose not to be here for one reason or another. Certainly the strike had an impact for some of the Detroit companies, but the rest of the companies from around the world are very strong — notably from Europe, Vietnam and Japan.

WE SAW VIDEO GAME EXPO E3 BITE THE DUST LAST MONTH. WHAT ROLE DO TRADE SHOWS PLAY TODAY AND HOW CAN CES'S FUTURE BE ENSURED?
Since COVID, trade shows have actually become more important for business leaders — because they understand and appreciate that relationship-building. That face-to-face time is very important. A person who goes to CES, for example, has on average 29 different meetings. What is more efficient than that?

And then there's something you can't get online, which is serendipity. It's discovery. It's learning what you don't know and it's being inspired. Someone said to me on the way here, "I love going to CES because I come back optimistic for the world. I come back with 50 ideas and it energizes me." And that's what's so important. I think we have a great future, and innovation is going to be what fuels us. And we will get there by gathering the world's innovators together.

Video producer James Brooks contributed to this report.

The New York Times is striking back against the threat that artificial intelligence poses to the news industry, filing a federal lawsuit Wednesday against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using its stories to train chatbots.

The Times says the companies are threatening its livelihood by effectively stealing billions of dollars worth of work by its journalists, in some cases spitting out Times' material verbatim to people who seek answers from generative artificial intelligence like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The newspaper's lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan and follows what appears to be a breakdown in talks between the newspaper and the two companies, which began in April.

The media has already been pummeled by a migration of readers to online platforms. While many publications — most notably the Times — have successfully carved out a digital space, the rapid development of AI threatens to significantly upend the publishing industry.

Web traffic is an important component of the paper's advertising revenue and helps drive subscriptions to its online site. But the outputs from AI chatbots divert that traffic away from the paper and other copyright holders, the Times says, making it less likely that users will visit the original source for the information.

"These bots compete with the content they are trained on," said Ian B. Crosby, partner and lead counsel at Susman Godfrey, which is representing The Times.

An OpenAI spokesperson said in a prepared statement that the company respects the rights of content creators and is "committed" to working with them to help them benefit from the technology and new revenue models.

"Our ongoing conversations with the New York Times have been productive and moving forward constructively, so we are surprised and disappointed with this development," the spokesperson said. "We're hopeful that we will find a mutually beneficial way to work together, as we are doing with many other publishers."

Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.

Artificial intelligence companies scrape information available online, including articles published by news organizations, to train generative AI chatbots. The large language models are also trained on a huge trove of other human-written materials, which helps them to build a strong command of language and grammar and to answer questions correctly.

But the technology is still under development and gets many things wrong. In its lawsuit, for example, the Times said OpenAI's GPT-4 falsely attributed product recommendations to Wirecutter, the paper's product reviews site, endangering its reputation.

OpenAI and other AI companies, including rival Anthropic, have attracted billions of dollars in investments very rapidly since public and business interest in the technology exploded, particularly this year.

Microsoft has a partnership with OpenAI that allows it to capitalize on the company's AI technology. The Redmond, Washington, tech giant is also OpenAI's biggest backer and has invested at least $13 billion into the company since the two began their partnership in 2019, according to the lawsuit. As part of the agreement, Microsoft's supercomputers help power OpenAI's AI research and the tech giant integrates the startup's technology into its products.

The paper's complaint comes as the number of lawsuits filed against OpenAI for copyright infringement is growing. The company has been sued by several writers — including comedian Sarah Silverman — who say their books were ingested to train OpenAI's AI models without their permission. In June, more than 4,000 writers signed a letter to the CEOs of OpenAI and other tech companies accusing them of exploitative practices in building chatbots.

As AI technology develops, growing fears over its use have also fueled labor strikes and lawsuits in other industries, including Hollywood. Different stakeholders are realizing the technology could disrupt their entire business model, but the question will be how to respond to it, said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute.

Kreps said she agrees The New York Times is facing a threat from these chatbots. But she also argued solving the issue completely is going to be an uphill battle.

"There's so many other language models out there that are doing the same thing," she said.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday cited examples of OpenAI's GPT-4 spitting out large portions of news articles from the Times, including a Pulitzer-Prize winning investigation into New York City's taxi industry that took 18 months to complete. It also cited outputs from Bing Chat — now called Copilot — that included verbatim excerpts from Times articles.

The Times did not list specific damages that it is seeking, but said the legal action "seeks to hold them responsible for the billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages that they owe" for copying and using its work. It is also asking the court to order the tech companies to destroy AI models or data sets that incorporate its work.

The News/Media Alliance, a trade group representing more than 2,200 news organizations, applauded Wednesday's action by the Times.

"Quality journalism and GenAI can complement each other if approached collaboratively," said Danielle Coffey, alliance president and CEO. "But using journalism without permission or payment is unlawful, and certainly not fair use."

In July, OpenAI and The Associated Press announced a deal for the artificial intelligence company to license AP's archive of news stories. This month, OpenAI also signed a similar partnership with Axel Springer, a media company in Berlin that owns Politico and Business Insider. Under the deal, users of OpenAI's ChatGPT will receive summaries of "selected global news content" from Axel Springer's media brands. The companies said the answers to queries will include attribution and links to the original articles.

The Times has compared its action to a copyright lawsuit more than two decades ago against Napster, when record companies sued the file-sharing service for unlawful use of their material. The record companies won and Napster was soon gone, but it has had a major impact on the industry. Industry-endorsed streaming now dominates the music business.

AP Technology Writer Matt O'Brien contributed to this story.

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