CES 2026 recap: AI everywhere.
Walking CES 2026, it was the year AI quietly became the default layer under everything. From agentic AI to smart appliances, here is what stood out to me as a founder walking the floor.
The takeaway first, the tour after.
Three things I would tell a founder who could not make it.
The real winners at CES 2026 were not the flashiest booths. They were the companies quietly turning AI into dependable infrastructure for everyday life.
Physical AI was the theme. Intelligence embedded in hardware, robotics, and autonomous systems that can navigate the real world, not just digital generative tools.
For founders, the message is simple: the hardware race is crowded, but the opportunity to build vertical AI agents and service layers on top of this new device fabric is just getting started.
Too big to see in a week.
CES 2026 sprawled across the convention center and two resorts.
From established giants to Eureka Park startups.
Siemens kicked off with a keynote announcing its Industrial AI Operating System with NVIDIA. Lenovo took over the Sphere for an immersive showcase of its new Qira AI platform.
The message was clear: if you are not building with AI, you are already behind.
Six things on every aisle.
Generative and agentic AI
Agentic AI was the recurring narrative: systems that plan and execute across workflows, not just answer prompts.
Smart home, screens and devices
AI-first TVs and appliances, smart glasses, rings and wearables as edge devices.
EVs, mobility and autonomy
The Mercedes-Benz CLA became the first passenger car with NVIDIA Alpamayo. AI-defined driving launches in the U.S. this year.
Digital health
Wearables moved from step counters to diagnostic tools and early-warning systems.
Connectivity, chips and IoT
Inference Context Memory Storage: 5x tokens per second, 5x performance per TCO dollar.
Robotics and physical AI
Humanoids, robot dogs and practical helpers moving from prototype to production this year.
Couldn’t make it to CES 2026?
Get the full recap, key takeaways and presentation slides in your inbox. Everything you missed, condensed into one resource.
- Event recap: key insights and takeaways
- Presentation slides (PDF)
- Links to tools and resources mentioned
Other rooms I have been in.
The dominant themes at CES 2026 were: Generative & Agentic AI embedded in everything from TVs to cars, AI-first smart home devices, autonomous vehicles and EVs reaching commercial maturity, digital health wearables with predictive AI, and advanced infrastructure (5G, Wi-Fi, new chips) powering it all.
Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can understand tasks, plan, and execute autonomously across workflows, not just respond to prompts. At CES 2026, this showed up as digital workers, autonomous orchestration layers in devices, and AI assistants that can get things done end-to-end without constant human input.
Standouts included: Samsung and LG's AI-first TVs and appliances with 'affectionate intelligence', NVIDIA's AI software stack announcements, smart glasses and AR wearables from XREAL and others, health wearables moving from tracking to diagnostics, and humanoid robots and AI-powered home helpers.
Key opportunities include: building vertical AI agents for specific industries, creating AI-native services that leverage embedded device AI, developing integration layers connecting AI-powered devices, and applying consumer AI innovations to enterprise and B2B use cases.
You can book a strategy call with Girish at gkotte.com/calendar to discuss how the CES 2026 trends apply to your business. He helps founders with AI product go-to-market strategy, AI integration planning, and identifying AI opportunities for their specific industry.
Girish Kotte is the founder of Wysera (now FoundersHub AI), AI/DevOps Architect at QliqSOFT, and AI Advisor at Startups.com. He's helped 100+ founders with AI go-to-market strategy and is the author of 'It Started with a PROMPT'. He attended both CES 2025 and CES 2026.
Girish's key takeaway: the hardware race is crowded, but the real opportunity is building vertical AI agents and service layers on top of the new AI-embedded device fabric. The winners weren't the flashiest booths. They were companies turning AI into dependable infrastructure for everyday life.
Visit gkotte.com/daily-mix for daily AI tips, tools, and prompts. You can also check out gkotte.com/prompting for AI prompt templates, or follow Girish on X (@gkotte1) and LinkedIn for ongoing insights from CES and the AI industry.
Build on the new device fabric.
Vertical agents, service layers, integrations. Bring the idea; leave with the next three steps.