Key Takeaways from CES 2026: How AI Is Becoming the Infrastructure of Technology and Commerce

Starting the year in Las Vegas once again felt like the right way to reset perspective.

Kicking off the new year at hashtag#CES 2026, surrounded by rapid technological change and real-world innovation, was genuinely energising and eye-opening.

Attended hashtag#CES with a clear purpose. I closely follow the digital transformation of the ecommerce ecosystem. As Mentor Amazon Platform heavily investing in AI-driven systems, data infrastructure, and decision intelligence, hashtag#CES allows me to stay grounded in real-world developments, not just trends.

My focus is on continuously evolving the systems we build so we can deliver more data-driven, effective, and scalable solutions to the brands I work with.

✨ Highlights from hashtag#CES 2026

hashtag#CES this year felt less like a showcase of individual products and more like a five-year roadmap unfolding in real time.

• 🎯 The core theme was very clear: AI is no longer a feature; it is becoming infrastructure.
• 🧠 AI systems are moving beyond execution, increasingly stepping into decision-making roles.
• 🎯 Interaction is shifting from command-based to intent-based; systems are starting to understand what you want, not just what you say.
• 🚗 In automotive, we’re no longer talking about cars, but computers on wheels, driven by software and intelligence rather than hardware alone.
• 🔗 The most compelling players were those who successfully combined hardware with AI, instead of treating AI as an add-on.
• 🤖 Robotics, especially humanoid robotics, has moved closer to real-world use, beyond concepts and controlled demos.
• 📈 Across marketing and ecommerce, the focus shifted from “AI showcases” to questioning whether AI actually delivers real value and measurable results.
• ⚙️ Agentic AI is now taking on responsibility across planning, activation, and measurement, not just support.

📊 CES 2026 reinforced one key message: AI is no longer living behind screens. It is embedding itself into products, systems, workflows, and everyday life.

🤖 From chips and devices to agents and machines, intelligence is moving closer to the physical world.

🛒 For ecommerce, this leads to a major shift. We are officially entering the era of Agentic Commerce. We’re moving from AI as an assistant to AI as the customer.

CES remains valuable not for what is launched, but for the concentration of people actively rethinking their next chapter.

Curious what others heard or saw in Las Vegas that stuck with them.