Ambient, Screenless AI and Voice Assistants

After years of chatbots and image generators, AI is finally leaving the screen. At CES 2026, that shift became impossible to ignore. 

The annual tech showcase in Las Vegas was dominated by "physical AI" and robotics, from Boston Dynamic's newly redesigned Atlas humanoid robot to AI-powered ice makers (yes, really). The companies in attendance clearly want consumers to know: AI isn't just capable of answering questions anymore. It's ready to movecar parts in factories, catchcatching drones with net guns, and dance in automaker booths. 

Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane break down everything we saw at CES 2026 and more deals from the week that caught our eye. 

Listen to the full episode to hear about:  

• Discord’s rumored IPO, years after shutting down a Microsoft acquisition 

• xAI's massive $20 billion raise and the dark side of Grok's content moderation failures 

• How Mobileye is getting into the humanoid robotics game with its acquisition of Mentee Robotics 

• OpenAI's potential shift toward audio-first, screenless AI experiences 

Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Discord's surprise IPO filing 03:24 - xAI's $20B raise amid CSAM controversy 11:06 - Mobileye's pivot to humanoid robotics 14:41 - Physical AI takes over CES 18:31 - Why humanoid robots still don't make sense 24:26 - OpenAI's war on screens and ambient computing 29:56 - Wrap-up

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices