It Could Happen Here AI Robot Slaves and other CES Miracles
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Jan 12, 2026 Ben Roseporter, a sociologist and CES expert, shares his insights on the explosion of AI-driven products showcased at the convention. He critiques the staged demonstrations of chatbots and robotics, emphasizing the disparity between marketing claims and actual performance. The discussion touches on the uncomfortable rise of LLM-powered sex robots, privacy considerations with on-device processing, and the ethical implications of empathy in marketing. Roseporter also highlights how many innovations seem more focused on capturing data than truly benefiting users.
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LLM Wrappers Flood CES
- CES was dominated by physical products wrapping ChatGPT-style LLMs into gadgets and robots.
- Robert Evans observed most of these devices failed to function well on the crowded show-floor network.
Memory And Personality Are Marketing
- Vendors combined old robotics with LLMs and marketed "memory" and personality as the selling points.
- Garrison Davis and Robert Evans noted these claims were mostly performative and nonfunctional.
Staged Emotional Robot Demo
- Ben Roseporter described a staged demo where an actor pretended to have an emotional relationship with a kids' robot.
- The team found the interaction produced by the robot minimal and largely theatrical.