The CES 2026 Media Days, an exclusive media-only event taking place right before the show floor opens, has been filled with product launches and announcement-filled press conferences by some of the biggest names in technology. Notable among the Media Days sessions is the Trends to Watch presentation, where this year, Brian Comiskey, Senior Director of Innovation and Trends at CTA and Melissa Harrison, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at CTA offered an overview of a technology landscape no longer defined by discrete product categories, but by interconnected, adaptive systems reshaping how we live and work. The presentation outlined three megatrends—Intelligent Transformation, Longevity, and Engineering Tomorrow—against a backdrop of projected global tech market revenues reaching $1.3 trillion by year's end.

Intelligent Transformation marks the decisive shift from digital to cognitive infrastructure. AI adoption has accelerated dramatically, with 63% of US workers now using AI tools, saving an average of 8.7 hours weekly. This evolution spans multiple frontiers: agentic AI that takes proactive initiative, vertical AI specialized for specific industries, and industrial AI embedded directly into manufacturing and logistics.

Physical AI dominated the show floor, with next-generation humanoids from the K Humanoid Alliance and consumer robots gaining sophisticated capabilities like robotic arms for complex tasks. Autonomous vehicles from Waymo and Zoox demonstrated that self-driving technology has moved from moonshot to engineering reality.

Longevity technology is reframing healthcare as continuous, proactive systems rather than episodic interventions. The GLP-1 ecosystem is expanding beyond weight management, while precision medicine leverages AI and genomics for personalized treatment. Devices like the Withings Body Scan 2 bring comprehensive health monitoring—including ECG, body composition, and nerve health analysis—into the home, transforming patients into "executives of their own health."

Engineering Tomorrow addresses fundamental global challenges in mobility, energy, and food production. Vehicles are evolving into "software-defined ecosystems—smartphones on wheels," while heavy industry adopts AI-powered automation. Energy innovation spans grid modernization, electrification acceleration, and experimental power sources including advanced nuclear and hydrogen technologies.

As CTA's Brian Comiskey emphasized, "CES is the window to tomorrow"—and this year, that window reveals intelligent systems quietly reshaping the world's fundamental infrastructure.