Attendees at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. (Photograph by Artur Widak/Anadolu through Getty Pictures)
Properly, it’s a wrap for CES 2025. 5 and a half days of keynotes, instructional periods, strolling exhibit flooring, networking, and, effectively, partying have come to an finish. I’m pooped.
I coated the present for Above the Regulation final week and have been posting my opinions about what I’ve seen and, most significantly, how what I’ve seen impacts the legislation.
The Prime 10
Now that I’ve returned to actuality and had an opportunity to catch my breath, listed here are my high 10 total impressions — each legal-related and basic.
1. First, the numbers: The ultimate statistics, courtesy of CES, are themselves fairly staggering. 4500+ exhibitors and 141K+ attendees, together with 6K+ media. No marvel I’m worn out. The variety of exhibitors and attendees was barely up over final 12 months. See my 2024 Wrap-Up.
2. As anticipated, AI was entrance and middle, in every single place, on a regular basis. Whereas many presenters went out of their technique to set up that AI was changing into embedded in merchandise and what all of us do, identical to the web or electrical energy, you couldn’t inform it from the exhibit flooring. The AI capabilities of each product have been being shouted from the rooftops, whether or not AI really had a big function in what was being provided or not. We aren’t over the hype cycle in shopper merchandise or in authorized by any means.
3. It did appear clear to me that there’s a recognition that the enterprise workforce (and, for that matter, authorized workforce) is altering. It’s trending youthful (assume Gen Z), and employees come to work with expectations of how expertise ought to empower and help them, simply as expertise does in residence life. Regulation agency administration and older companions want to comprehend these expectations and attitudes towards expertise in supervising employees, coaching employees, and within the {hardware} and software program they supply.
4. AI, spatial computing, and the elevated blurring of the actual and digital worlds are coming issues. Whereas I’m unsure we see it but within the workforce to the extent many presenters declare, the truth that we’re witnessing this blurring in deepfakes and misinformation suggests we are able to’t ignore it.
5. I used to be impressed by what number of girls and other people of coloration have been presenters and provided keynotes. Keynote audio system and key girls presenters included:
I want to assume these audio system replicate a crack within the glass ceiling. The truth, in fact, is white males nonetheless maintain a disproportionate variety of C-suite positions, significantly within the tech trade and authorized. Kudos to CTA, although, for making an effort to showcase girls and minorities.
6. Ahh, the merchandise. With over 4,500 exhibitors, it’s unimaginable to see even the tip of the proverbial iceberg in the case of the merchandise displayed. Right here’s the factor, although. I might guess some 75-80% of the merchandise displayed won’t ever see the sunshine of day once more. They’re simply too experimental and pie within the sky to go mainstream, a minimum of not but. Some 15-20% of the merchandise displayed do one thing that different, extra established merchandise already do. That leaves a small share of merchandise that we’ll really see within the market. Why trouble with the exhibit halls, then? It’s to see potentialities. It’s to see ideas and concepts. It’s to see merchandise that will morph into merchandise that really do make it.
What product did I see that I believe might go mainstream? Eyeglasses that double as listening to aids. It’s too a very good match between practicality and vainness to not work. One different finish of the spectrum was the flying automotive that was touted as the primary flying automotive to slot in your trunk. WTF?
Strangest product expertise? The golden retriever service canine making an attempt to get its head across the natural-looking golden retriever robotic.
7. Robots. There was an elevated emphasis on robots this 12 months. Most match within the enchanted cute pet class. Just a few exhibitors displayed human-looking robots that might carry out meeting line kind duties. My guess is {that a} extra environment friendly robotic could be much less human-looking and extra sensible oriented. I don’t assume we’re past the lovable stage for human robots fairly but.
8. One factor I didn’t report on: the Yaccarino Keynote. Why? She mentioned every part you’ll count on somebody who works for Elon to say. Everyone seems to be on X. All of the advertisers are again. One of the best ways to fact-check is to let the “neighborhood” determine what’s true; impartial fact-checking be damned. DOGE ought to be one thing each American ought to applaud. (Until, I suppose, you’re on Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Safety and occur to love NPR). Transfer alongside; nothing to see right here.
9. One other factor I didn’t report on is quantum computing. I did go to a number of periods and tried to get my head round it. (One presenter mentioned traditional computing is predicated on math, and quantum computing is predicated on physics. I form of get it.) The most effective I can inform from all of the shows is that quantum computer systems shall be supercomputers that exponentially enhance what can now be finished by traditional computer systems. However most agree the expertise is just not but far sufficient alongside to know exactly what functions will be developed to work with these computer systems.
Using quantum computing in authorized is unclear aside from with the ability to do some issues higher and sooner. One factor that each one the quantum presenters did speak about (and about which they have been visibly involved) was the affect of quantum on cyber safety. The sheer energy of those computer systems may very effectively render most cyber safety protections out of date. And valuable little seems to be being finished about it.
10. Covid? What Covid? Only a few individuals have been carrying masks. Only a few references have been made to Covid wherever. I acquired the distinct impression that the worry of Covid has light into the woodwork. I acquired the impression that this present, greater than every other, has solely returned to the pre-Covid regular. We will see post-show, I suppose. Pre-Covid, it was a regular joke that the majority attendees got here down with the “CES crud” put up present. It could be that even when Covid hits attendees, we gained’t hear a lot about it.
What About Authorized?
What did I see and listen to that may have probably the most important affect on authorized? Three issues:
1. Whereas I’m unsure agentic brokers will advance as far and as quick as some at CES appear to assume, I do imagine we are going to see LLMs advance over the subsequent 12 months to the purpose that they will efficiently reply to prompts with a number of duties and questions. And make choices and proposals based mostly on the prompts. This skill will allow attorneys and authorized professionals to cut back time on nonproductive work and improve efficiencies. I wrote a put up on the present on this topic.
2. The deepfake issues and potential are actual and getting worse. It’ll bedevil attorneys and judges. We don’t have a systemic technique to cope with this disaster and the hole between what’s actual and what isn’t. It’s going to have an effect on litigation and authorized.
3. Regulation agency administration and supervising attorneys must cope with the totally different expectations of the workforce in the case of expertise. Regulation agency administration wants to consider learn how to cope with the workforce disruption that’s coming as AI does an increasing number of duties that people now do. If administration doesn’t plan, it will likely be confronted with changing present employees who know and perceive agency tradition with employees who might have the abilities however not the institutional information and dedication.
The underside line is that it’s time for legislation companies and in-house authorized departments to cease chasing shiny new AI objects and get a greater imaginative and prescient of what the expertise means and the way it will affect what we do and the way we do it.
CES: all the time an important and invigorating Present. Thanks Above the Regulation for the chance to cowl it.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger and author. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a weblog dedicated to the examination of the strain between expertise, the legislation, and the apply of legislation.
