CES 2026 Wrap-up: AI Gains a Body (Physical AI)

The main program of CES concluded on January 9, 2026, with analysts unanimously dubbing it the "Year of Physical AI." Unlike previous years dominated by software solutions, the focus shifted to hardware: humanoid robots, autonomous companion agents, and next-generation AI PCs.

The key trend is the integration of multimodal models (VLA — Vision-Language-Action) directly into hardware. Robots are no longer hard-coded but learn through observation. TechCrunch experts note that the industry is moving from the "text generation" phase to the "physical work execution" phase, opening massive markets in logistics, elderly care, and household management.

Source: TechCrunch / CES