What we’re looking for at CES

Morning Brew is debuting an Enterprise Tech team to deeply cover the intersection of business and technology across the Extended Brewniverse.

To kick off this new endeavor, our whole crew is headed to Las Vegas for CES 2026. Unlike in years past, we haven’t scheduled back-to-back meetings and jammed our calendars full of demos. We’ve penciled in a few test runs and plan to attend a few panels, sure, but we’re mostly just going to walk around and see what intrigues us to gather string for our reporting in the New Year.

Here’s what we’ll have our eyes on.

Tricia Crimmins, Enterprise Reporter, Tech: For my first go at CES, I’m excited to learn more about recycling tech. I recently spoke with Ivan Arbouzov, the CEO of Clear Drop, a company that makes a soft plastic compactor. The machine compresses and slightly melts soft plastic—like grocery bags, plastic wrap, etc.—into a solid brick, which users then ship to Clear Drop recycling partners via USPS.

Arbouzov told me that in addition to selling the product, he feels that Clear Drop gives customers a way to assuage some of the guilt they might feel about so much plastic getting produced and wasted. I’m looking forward to finding more products that help individual consumers contribute to processes with public benefit.

Jordyn Grzelewski, Senior Enterprise Reporter, Tech: This will be my second consecutive year at CES. In 2025, I spent much of my time in the West Hall, home to lots of the auto and mobility tech on display at the show, and noted the focus on trends like software-defined vehicles, how GenAI was being integrated into vehicles, and advancements in AV tech.

This time around, I’ll be curious to see how the renewed hype around robotaxis is reflected at CES, especially given the acceleration in deployments in 2025. I’ll be keeping an eye out for cool mobility tech beyond the automotive realm (I have some interesting pitches in my inbox related to electric RVs and boats). And with the GenAI hype cycle reaching a fever pitch between CES 2025 and CES 2026, I’ll be interested to see just how real and compelling some of the in-vehicle integrations of AI chatbots and other AI-powered features appear to be.

Patrick Kulp, Senior Enterprise Reporter, Tech: Having mostly covered AI in the 1s and 0s realm, I’m interested to see how companies are trying to give the tech a physical interface at a show best known for gadgets. Last time I was there, in 2024, a little red AI assistant device called the Rabbit R1 was all the rage. Lots of bad reviews later, a report last month said the startup has had trouble paying employees. Other flash-in-the-pan AI-native devices have similarly faded.

But there’s a whole world now of AI PCs, wearables, and robotics that are attempting to make AI physical in various ways. I’m curious to see how many of these AI elements are actually worthwhile. Last time I was at CES, a lot of generative AI-infused devices felt gimmicky or unpolished. But two years is an eternity in the fast-moving AI world.

Annie Saunders, Enterprise Editor, Tech: I’ll have my eyes peeled for tech that aims to increase accessibility. While often geared toward individuals with disabilities or other limitations, accessibility tech ultimately benefits everyone at some point. (Ever turn on subtitles when watching a show with whispered dialogue, or zoom in on text? That’s accessibility tech!)

I’m already planning to test out a few bionic footwear devices, including one called Sidekick from Dephy. But I’ll be on the lookout for similar tech as I stroll across the Vegas convention floors—with or without bionic assistance.