Creepier CES: sex bots and uncanny valley

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor.

In Friday’s first episode, Ed is joined by author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow, YouTuber and CEO of Clicks Michael Fisher, Cherlynn Low of Engadget, Edward Ongweso of the Tech Bubble Newsletter and Garrison Davis of It Could Happen Here to talk about the Clicks Communicator, Amazon’s surveillance tech, the advances in tech in eyeglasses, engadget’s best tech of CES and why we’re worried about the future.

EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025:
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Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social 

Cory Doctorow http://pluralistic.net/ https://www.eff.org/ 

Michael Fisher - https://www.clicks.tech/

Cherlynn Low - https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/cherlynn-low/
https://bsky.app/profile/cherlynn.bsky.social

Garrison Davis: https://bsky.app/profile/bishonentype.bsky.social

The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/

Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/

https://bookmaniac.org/

https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/09/quantity-break/#so-many-chips

Cyber Fidget: https://youtube.com/shorts/JEEmhcTscP8?si=7_1O-GARnnBeSGuK

https://petewarden.com/2025/10/16/why-does-a-local-ai-voice-agent-running-on-a-super-cheap-soc-matter/

https://petewarden.com/2025/11/29/i-know-were-in-an-ai-bubble-because-nobody-wants-me-%f0%9f%98%ad/

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