CES 2026 Sees Record Attendance And AI Dominance In Consumer Electronics

The Consumer Technology Association reported that CES 2026 closed as one of the largest editions recently, with over 4,100 exhibiting companies, roughly 148,000 attendees, and close to 7,000 members of the global media in Las Vegas. The event saw significant international participation, with over 40% of total attendance coming from abroad, particularly from Asia. Notably, China dominated the show, overshadowing American manufacturers.

This marked a shift from previous years, where Japan and Korea had a stronger presence. The absence of tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta was notable, as they typically have their own invitation-only developer conferences later in the year. Despite this, CES 2026 pointed to major trends in consumer electronics.

Artificial intelligence (AI) was a pervasive theme, appearing across nearly every major product category. Televisions, appliances, wearables, vehicles, robots, and infrastructure systems all relied on on-device or hybrid AI models for perception, control, and adaptation. The show’s focus on AI was echoed by industry experts.

Dean Takahashi of GamesBeat noted that “we’re still in the middle of this AI product explosion.” Ted Schilowitz, a former Fox and Paramount technology executive, characterized the event as “a year ← →