Amid the Gadgets, Walking Into the Light

LAS VEGAS — About 170,000 people gathered here for CES 2018, the largest electronics show on earth, where an electricity snafu left thousands in the dark.

Despite the brief but virally shared moment — rain condensation on transformers caused the several minute delay on Day 2 — CES didn’t fail to please the evangelists and their faithful. Advances in artificial intelligence, smartening up the smart home, the continued rise of over-the-top video, and the next technology chapter for broadcast television dominated the show.

While the show floor glimmered with tricked-out TVs, intuitive robots, agile drones and other new gadgets, there was plenty of deep discussion on the outskirts about how those products will impact multiple industries in the year ahead. Here’s a roundup of insights from some of the industry’s biggest thinkers.

For even more CES 2018 coverage, go to multichannel.com/Jan15.