Attendees
at
CES
at
the
Las
Vegas
Convention
Center
in
January
2024.
(Photo
by
FREDERIC
J.
BROWN/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
The
colossal
consumer
electronics
show,
CES,
opened
Sunday
evening,
January
5,
with
a
day
and
half
of
media
days
designed
to
acquaint
the
media
with
developments
in
the
consumer
tech
world.
The
Consumer
Technology
Association
(CTA)
also
provides
a
Tech
Trends
media
presentation
on
Sunday
as
well.
The
media
gets
an
advanced
peek
at
the
exhibitors
at
CES
in
a
Sunday
evening
event
called
Unveiled.
(I
previously
authored
a
preview
of
this
year’s
show
and
explained
why
CES
is
relevant
to
legal).
Then
on
Monday,
January
6,
big
tech
players
such
as
Samsung,
Toyota
(CES
may
well
be
the
world’s
biggest
auto
show
as
that
industry
increasingly
relies
on
electronics
to
work),
John
Deere
(agriculture
too
is
more
and
more
tech-based),
LG
Electronics,
TCL,
and
Sony
offer
sophisticated
media
press
conferences.
Tech
Trends
The
show
opens
every
year
with
CTA’s
media
presentation
entitled
2025
Tech
Trends
to
Watch.
The
presentation
focuses
on
the
latest
tech
research
and
consumer
tech
trends
expected
at
CES
2025
and
beyond.
While
it’s
focused,
of
course,
on
consumer
technology
trends,
the
ripple
effects
of
these
trends
in
the
legal
industry
are
real.
The
technology
with
some
of
the
most
significant
impacts
on
legal
has
in
fact
been
those
which
lawyers,
as
consumers,
adopt
and
begin
to
use
in
their
work.
Smartphones.
Laptops.
Google.
Even
gen
AI.
The
trends
presentation
is
always
on
the
first
media
day
of
CES.
This
year,
the
presentation
was
given
by
Brian
Comiskey,
CTA
director
of
trends,
and
Melissa
Harrison,
CTA
senior
vice
president.
This
year’s
identified
trends
raise
more
questions
than
they
perhaps
answer
for
legal,
given
the
rapid
evolution
of
AI
and
gen
AI.
Gen
Z
Flexes
Its
Muscles
One
of
the
top
trends
I
reported
last
year
is
just
as
important
this
year,
if
not
more
so:
Gen
Z’s
continued
power
and
impact
on
the
marketplace
and
the
world
of
work.
(Gen
Z
is
generally
considered
to
be
made
up
of
those
born
between
1996
and
2009).
Some
important
statistics
from
this
year’s
report:
-
Gen
Z
workers
will
make
up
27%
of
the
workforce
by
2025 -
86%
of
U.S.
Gen
Z
members
say
technology
is
essential
to
them -
60%
label
themselves
as
early
tech
adopters. -
Gen
Z
members
are
2.5
times
more
likely
to
purchase
tech
that
offers
multiple
sustainability
attributes.
Comiskey
pointed
out
that
Gen
Z
is
the
first
completely
digital
native
generation.
Gen
Zers
never
knew
a
time
when
the
world
was
not
fully
online
and
on
screen.
They
never
knew
a
time
when
the
world’s
information
was
not
instantly
and
completely
available
online
all
the
time.
The
attitudes,
different
ways
of
accessing
and
viewing
information,
and
technology
expectations
of
Gen
Z
could
very
well
pose
management
challenges
for
those
in
previous
generations.
These
challenges
could
be
particularly
acute
in
legal;
in
no
other
industry
is
age
and
experience
considered
so
important
and
revered
by
older
members.
Few
businesses
have
such
a
reluctance
to
adopt
and
embrace
technology
as
law.
Few
businesses
cling
to
a
business
model
that
penalizes
the
efficiencies
and
innovation
possibilities
technology
brings.
Yet,
the
implications
of
the
Trends
Report
are
pretty
clear:
The
hesitancy
to
adopt
and
use
technology
and
being
late
adopters
is
anathema
to
Gen
Z.
Clearly,
Gen
Z
has
more
significant
issues
on
their
minds
than
unquestionably
working
more
hours.
How
will
older
lawyers
manage
and
incentivize
Gen
Z
when
they
view
the
world
and
their
technology
experiences
so
differently?
Beyond
management,
how
can
older
lawyers
persuade
Gen
Z
judges
and
juries
when
they
come
from
such
different
worlds?
All
questions
that
legal
can
ill
afford
to
ignore.
Gen
Z’s
reliance
on
cutting-edge
tech
will
demand
law
firms
provide
tools
that
mirror
this
consumer
experience,
or
risk
alienating
young
talent
and
clients.
Consumer
Marketplace
and
Consumer
Expectations
Are
Changing
Comiskey
pointed
out
that
the
retail
consumer
technology
revenue
grew
3.2%
last
year
in
both
hardware
and
software.
More
importantly,
as
AI
and
Gen
AI
have
rapidly
developed,
the
upgrade
cycle
of
consumers
has
also
increased
as
consumers
seek
access
to
the
latest
and
greatest
tech
tools.
Consumers
use
AI
and
Gen
AI
in
their
daily
lives
and
want
the
technology
that
enables
it.
People
expect
to
collaborate
seamlessly
with
AI.
CTA
reports
a
staggering
93%
of
U.S.
consumers
are
familiar
with
Gen
AI,
and
61%
say
they
already
use
it
at
work.
But
Comiskey
and
Harrison
also
sounded
a
troubling
note:
Increased
tariffs
on
goods
manufactured
in
other
countries
could
result
in
a
huge
decline
in
tech
sales
and
revenue
that
could
top
$190
million.
What
does
all
this
mean
for
legal?
Again,
there
is
a
gap
between
what
legal
does
and
the
expectations
of
its
workers
and
perhaps
even
clients.
Last
year,
a
survey
reported
just
this
gap
as
younger
associates
complained
about
having
to
use
antiquated
tech
to
do
work.
According
to
CTA,
consumers
—
younger
associates
and
even
partners
—
are
used
to
using
state-of-the-art
tech
and
AI
in
their
everyday
consumer
lives.
How
will
it
be
when
they
can’t
do
the
same
in
their
work
lives?
And
if
tariffs
substantially
increase
the
cost
of
up-to-date
tech,
how
will
legal
respond
when
it
doesn’t
seem
eager
to
adopt
the
newest
and
best
hardware
and
software?
Other
Trends
Comiskey
and
Harrison
talked
about
some
other
trends
that
will
impact
legal.
More
and
more
tech
is
being
devoted
to
longevity
and
healthier
living
opportunities,
precision
medicine,
and
remote
care.
All
these
tools
open
up
possible
legal
issues
as
the
nature
and
standard
of
care
due
to
technology
shifts.
Longevity
means
diseases
that
take
longer
to
manifest
—
like
asbestosis
—
will
have
longer
to
develop,
resulting
in
additional
claims.
Another
trend
is
the
blurring
of
audio,
video,
and
gaming
platforms
into
a
seamless
product
displayed
on
screens
such
as
televisions.
Gaming,
for
example,
may
pivot
from
a
static
platform
to
live-action
and
real-life
settings
for
a
more
immersive
and
active
experience.
Again,
the
expectations
of
consumers
for
receiving
information
and
being
persuaded
will
be
important
for
lawyers.
Lawyers,
especially
litigators,
need
to
continually
update
their
storytelling
techniques
to
be
sure
that
they
use
the
tools
their
audience
expects.
Tech
is
moving
too
rapidly
to
safely
conclude
that
old
tools
will
still
work
as
well.
Lawyers
also
need
to
understand
that
the
tools
needed
to
reach
Gen
Z
may
differ
from
those
to
reach
Baby
Boomers.
Another
thing
that
is
more
and
more
obvious:
Driving
is
changing
and
changing
quickly.
It’s
long
been
believed
that
we
are
far
away
from
self-driving
cars,
for
example.
Yet
Comiskey
and
Harrison
pointed
out
that
the
fully
autonomous
Waymo
taxis
may
have
reached
a
tipping
point
with
over
100,000
rides.
These
developments
will
completely
change
car
accidents
and
disputes,
with
fewer
but
different
types
of
cases.
The
capacity
of
increased
sensors
in
cars
and
cloud
storage
opens
up
new
privacy
issues
that
range
from
traffic
violations
to
insurance
ratings.
The
Future
Comiskey
and
Harrison
also
tried
their
hands
at
predicting
where
we
were
headed.
Of
course,
both
cited
the
potential
for
AI-based
agents
working
alongside
us
to
reform
various
tasks,
as
I
have
written
before.
Digital
twins
and
“enchanted”
(aka
cute)
robots
will
proliferate.
Comiskey
believes
that
tech
will
become
more
and
more
human-centric
as
data
and
AI
are
used
to
personalize
outcomes.
Harrison
cited
quantum
computing
as
perhaps
upending
our
world
even
more
than
AI
and
Gen
AI.
Unveiled
Tech
Trends
to
Watch
is
always
immediately
followed
by
Unveiled
Las
Vegas,
which
provides
media
with
a
sneak
peek
at
many
of
the
CES
exhibitors
in
advance
of
the
show’s
formal
opening.
Unveiled
is
a
more
intimate
setting
than
that
of
the
exhibit
floors
in
general
(CES
is
the
only
show
I
know
of
where
you
have
to
stand
in
line
to
visit
a
vendor’s
main
exhibit
space).
By
my
count,
over
200
exhibitors
had
small
booths
in
the
Unveiled
space
in
the
Mandalay
Bay
Convention
Center
for
two
and
a
half
hours
of
time
with
the
media.
Since
all
of
these
exhibitors
then
break
down
and
set
up
in
other
exhibit
locations
for
the
rest
of
the
show,
the
booths
are
small
and
less
overwhelming
—
more
information
sharing
and
less
glitz.
So what did
I
see
at
this
year’s
Unveiled?
Lots
of
things
that
were
consistent
with
the
Trends
Report,
which
highlights
the
consumer
tech/legal
tension.
Things
like
electric
skates
that
would
enable
legal
professionals
to
move
faster
and
save
time.
(Oops.
I
forgot.
That’s
not
necessarily
the
goal
of
many
of
us).
Lots
of
health-related
products
that
would
enable
remote
monitoring
by
medical
professionals.
Lots
of
cute-looking
little
pet-like
robots
(not
sure
if
these
will
ever
hit
the
mainstream,
but
as
someone
pointed
out,
you
don’t
have
to
let
these
little
critters
out
to relieve themselves
over
and
over).
Sensors
designed
to
replicate
human
touch
to
enhance
digital
experiences
(feel
tech).
AI
learning
tools.
Neurotechnology
tools,
which
I
previously
discussed.
Flying
cars.
Everyday
AI
glasses.
Devices
to
eliminate
the
need
for
humans
to
vacuum,
clean
pools,
and
do
other
drudge
work.
Hologram
technology
to
replicate
human
images.
Tools
and
devices
designed
to
blur
the
digital
world
with
the
real
world.
Yes,
lots
of
pie
(er,
tech)
in
the
sky.
But
we
can’t
dismiss
the
possibilities.
What’s
the
So
What?
So,
what
does
all
this
mean
for
lawyers
and
legal
professionals?
It’s
hard
to
say
there
is
one
big
thing
that
we
in
law
need
to
be
thinking
about.
Instead,
it
is
clear
that
tech
is
advancing
so
fast
and
in
so
many
unpredictable
ways,
now
more
than
ever
legal
professionals
need
to
be
alert.
We
need
to
understand
more
than
ever
the
risks
and
benefits
of
technology.
That’s
why
conferences
like
CES
are
so
important,
although
largely
ignored
by
the
profession. Lawyers
must
actively
monitor
consumer
tech
trends
to
anticipate
the
expectations
of
their
clients
and
colleagues.
Stephen
Embry
is
a
lawyer,
speaker,
blogger
and
writer.
He
publishes TechLaw
Crossroads,
a
blog
devoted
to
the
examination
of
the
tension
between
technology,
the
law,
and
the
practice
of
law.