Pragmatism is the keyword representing CES 2023 and it is characterized by cost reduction, energy reduction, digital transformation, expansion of connectivity and technology convergence amid economic uncertainty, according to speakers who joined CES 2023 Debriefing Live Seminar jointly prepared by Maeil Business Newspaper and HR firm Multicampus Co. on Thursday.

This event is a special lecture to wrap up the key lessons from the world’s most influential tech show held in Las Vegas last week. CES 2023 was held in person for the first time in three years after COVID-19 disrupted previous gatherings.

Key speakers included Jung Young-hoon, founder and chief executive officer of XL8 Inc., Kong Kyoung-rok, founding managing partner of K2G Tech Fund, John Ha, chief executive officer of Bear Robotics Inc., Bang Sung-yong, chief executive officer of Grinergy Co., and Lee Sang-duk, Silicon Valley correspondent at Maeil Business Newspaper.

Maeil Business Newspaper is the only Korean media outlet that has partnered with CES organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), for six consecutive years, and Lee participated in a judging panel for CES 2023 Innovation Awards.

According to the CTA, U.S. tech companies are expected to see their sales drop significantly to $485 billion this year from $512 billion in 2021. Exhibiting companies at CES 2023 focused on introducing technology that are actually helpful rather than presenting a rosy vision.

The main theme this year is “enterprise technology innovation,” and innovation accelerated even more during economic downturns such as the financial crisis in 2008, said Steve Koenig, Consumer Technology Association’s vice president of research.

The speakers commonly cited “pragmatism” and “realism” as the keywords for CES 2023. Kong predicted artificial intelligence transformation this year as business will rely on AI technology to increase productivity and reduce cost as part of measures to overcome high inflation and economic recession.

The robotics trend at CES 2023 was products engineered to solve real problems, and the number of futuristic robots for exhibition purposes were greatly reduced compared to the past, said John Ha.

Bang, who worked at Tesla and Hyundai Motor, explained that automobiles are more often seen at CES, and this means the technology of home appliances is used in automobiles, and now self-driving technology is expanding into other fields such as strollers and agricultural machinery.

Jung, who leads an AI startup, said that AI has been incorporated into many everyday products, and companies dedicated to generative AI began to be seen at CES.

By Lee Duk-joo and Minu Kim

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