Attendees at CES on the Las Vegas Conference Heart in January 2024. (Photograph by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
The colossal shopper electronics present, CES, opened Sunday night, January 5, with a day and half of media days designed to acquaint the media with developments within the shopper tech world. The Client Expertise Affiliation (CTA) additionally supplies a Tech Traits media presentation on Sunday as nicely. The media will get a sophisticated peek on the exhibitors at CES in a Sunday night occasion known as Unveiled. (I beforehand authored a preview of this 12 months’s present and defined why CES is related to authorized).
Then on Monday, January 6, massive tech gamers resembling Samsung, Toyota (CES could be the world’s largest auto present as that trade more and more depends on electronics to work), John Deere (agriculture too is increasingly more tech-based), LG Electronics, TCL, and Sony provide subtle media press conferences.
Tech Traits
The present opens yearly with CTA’s media presentation entitled 2025 Tech Traits to Watch. The presentation focuses on the newest tech analysis and shopper tech traits anticipated at CES 2025 and past. Whereas it’s targeted, in fact, on shopper expertise traits, the ripple results of those traits within the authorized trade are actual. The expertise with among the most vital impacts on authorized has actually been these which legal professionals, as customers, undertake and start to make use of of their work. Smartphones. Laptops. Google. Even gen AI.
The traits presentation is at all times on the primary media day of CES. This 12 months, the presentation was given by Brian Comiskey, CTA director of traits, and Melissa Harrison, CTA senior vp. This 12 months’s recognized traits increase extra questions than they maybe reply for authorized, given the speedy evolution of AI and gen AI.
Gen Z Flexes Its Muscle groups
One of many high traits I reported final 12 months is simply as essential this 12 months, if no more so: Gen Z’s continued energy and impression on {the marketplace} and the world of labor. (Gen Z is mostly thought of to be made up of these born between 1996 and 2009).
Some essential statistics from this 12 months’s report:
- Gen Z employees will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025
- 86% of U.S. Gen Z members say expertise is crucial to them
- 60% label themselves as early tech adopters.
- Gen Z members are 2.5 occasions extra prone to buy tech that provides a number of sustainability attributes.
Comiskey identified that Gen Z is the primary utterly digital native era. Gen Zers by no means knew a time when the world was not totally on-line and on display screen. They by no means knew a time when the world’s data was not immediately and utterly accessible on-line on a regular basis.
The attitudes, alternative ways of accessing and viewing data, and expertise expectations of Gen Z may very nicely pose administration challenges for these in earlier generations. These challenges could possibly be significantly acute in authorized; in no different trade is age and expertise thought of so essential and revered by older members. Few companies have such a reluctance to undertake and embrace expertise as regulation. Few companies cling to a enterprise mannequin that penalizes the efficiencies and innovation potentialities expertise brings.
But, the implications of the Traits Report are fairly clear: The hesitancy to undertake and use expertise and being late adopters is anathema to Gen Z. Clearly, Gen Z has extra vital points on their minds than unquestionably working extra hours. How will older legal professionals handle and incentivize Gen Z after they view the world and their expertise experiences so otherwise?
Past administration, how can older legal professionals persuade Gen Z judges and juries after they come from such totally different worlds? All questions that authorized can sick afford to disregard. Gen Z’s reliance on cutting-edge tech will demand regulation companies present instruments that mirror this shopper expertise, or threat alienating younger expertise and purchasers.
Client Market and Client Expectations Are Altering
Comiskey identified that the retail shopper expertise income grew 3.2% final 12 months in each {hardware} and software program. Extra importantly, as AI and Gen AI have quickly developed, the improve cycle of customers has additionally elevated as customers search entry to the newest and biggest tech instruments. Shoppers use AI and Gen AI of their each day lives and wish the expertise that permits it. Folks count on to collaborate seamlessly with AI. CTA studies a staggering 93% of U.S. customers are acquainted with Gen AI, and 61% say they already use it at work.
However Comiskey and Harrison additionally sounded a troubling observe: Elevated tariffs on items manufactured in different nations may lead to an enormous decline in tech gross sales and income that might high $190 million.
What does all this imply for authorized? Once more, there’s a hole between what authorized does and the expectations of its employees and even perhaps purchasers. Final 12 months, a survey reported simply this hole as youthful associates complained about having to make use of antiquated tech to do work. Based on CTA, customers — youthful associates and even companions — are used to utilizing state-of-the-art tech and AI of their on a regular basis shopper lives.
How will it’s after they can’t do the identical of their work lives? And if tariffs considerably enhance the price of up-to-date tech, how will authorized reply when it doesn’t appear wanting to undertake the latest and greatest {hardware} and software program?
Different Traits
Comiskey and Harrison talked about another traits that may impression authorized. An increasing number of tech is being dedicated to longevity and more healthy dwelling alternatives, precision drugs, and distant care. All these instruments open up doable authorized points as the character and customary of care resulting from expertise shifts. Longevity means illnesses that take longer to manifest — like asbestosis — could have longer to develop, leading to further claims.
One other pattern is the blurring of audio, video, and gaming platforms right into a seamless product displayed on screens resembling televisions. Gaming, for instance, could pivot from a static platform to live-action and real-life settings for a extra immersive and energetic expertise.
Once more, the expectations of customers for receiving data and being persuaded will probably be essential for legal professionals. Legal professionals, particularly litigators, want to repeatedly replace their storytelling strategies to make certain that they use the instruments their viewers expects. Tech is shifting too quickly to soundly conclude that outdated instruments will nonetheless work as nicely. Legal professionals additionally want to grasp that the instruments wanted to succeed in Gen Z could differ from these to succeed in Child Boomers.
One other factor that’s increasingly more apparent: Driving is altering and altering shortly. It’s lengthy been believed that we’re far-off from self-driving automobiles, for instance. But Comiskey and Harrison identified that the totally autonomous Waymo taxis could have reached a tipping level with over 100,000 rides.
These developments will utterly change automotive accidents and disputes, with fewer however various kinds of circumstances. The capability of elevated sensors in automobiles and cloud storage opens up new privateness points that vary from site visitors violations to insurance coverage scores.
The Future
Comiskey and Harrison additionally tried their fingers at predicting the place we have been headed. In fact, each cited the potential for AI-based brokers working alongside us to reform numerous duties, as I’ve written earlier than. Digital twins and “enchanted” (aka cute) robots will proliferate.
Comiskey believes that tech will develop into increasingly more human-centric as information and AI are used to personalize outcomes. Harrison cited quantum computing as maybe upending our world much more than AI and Gen AI.
Unveiled
Tech Traits to Watch is at all times instantly adopted by Unveiled Las Vegas, which supplies media with a sneak peek at lots of the CES exhibitors prematurely of the present’s formal opening.
Unveiled is a extra intimate setting than that of the exhibit flooring generally (CES is the one present I do know of the place you must stand in line to go to a vendor’s major exhibit area). By my rely, over 200 exhibitors had small cubicles within the Unveiled area within the Mandalay Bay Conference Heart for 2 and a half hours of time with the media. Since all of those exhibitors then break down and arrange in different exhibit areas for the remainder of the present, the cubicles are small and fewer overwhelming — extra data sharing and fewer glitz.
So what did I see at this 12 months’s Unveiled? Numerous issues that have been per the Traits Report, which highlights the patron tech/authorized rigidity. Issues like electrical skates that will allow authorized professionals to maneuver sooner and save time. (Oops. I forgot. That’s not essentially the purpose of many people).
Numerous health-related merchandise that will allow distant monitoring by medical professionals. Numerous cute-looking little pet-like robots (undecided if these will ever hit the mainstream, however as somebody identified, you don’t need to let these little critters out to relieve themselves again and again).
Sensors designed to copy human contact to reinforce digital experiences (really feel tech). AI studying instruments. Neurotechnology instruments, which I beforehand mentioned. Flying automobiles. On a regular basis AI glasses. Gadgets to remove the necessity for people to hoover, clear swimming pools, and do different drudge work. Hologram expertise to copy human photographs. Instruments and units designed to blur the digital world with the actual world. Sure, plenty of pie (er, tech) within the sky. However we will’t dismiss the chances.
What’s the So What?
So, what does all this imply for legal professionals and authorized professionals? It’s onerous to say there’s one massive factor that we in regulation must be serious about. As an alternative, it’s clear that tech is advancing so quick and in so many unpredictable methods, now greater than ever authorized professionals must be alert. We have to perceive greater than ever the dangers and advantages of expertise.
That’s why conferences like CES are so essential, though largely ignored by the career. Legal professionals should actively monitor shopper tech traits to anticipate the expectations of their purchasers and colleagues.
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 regulation, and the apply of regulation.
