Innovation Policy

Tuesday’s session Administration’s Approach to Innovation and Tech Policy was a fireside chat between CTA’s SVP of Government Affairs Michael Petricone and Deputy Assistant to the President Michael Kratsios as they ran down the White House Office of Science and Technology’s ambitious agenda. More specifically, Kratsios touched on how the government can best serve rural Americans with tools to succeed in the 21^st Century – pointing to President Trump’s rural broadband announcement yesterday – and removing regulatory hurdles for emerging technologies. “We need to push government to have more sense of urgency” said Kratsios. The OSTP leader gave nods to the FAA and DOT for delivering on aggressive timelines to allow emerging technologies to succeed.

During the Future of Work for both Humans and Machines, Bridget Karlin, CTO and VP, IBM Global Technology Services noted,“This is about man plus machine. Not man versus machine.” Moderated by CTA’s VP of Government and Political Affairs Tiffany Moore and including Ned Finkle, VP of External Affairs, NVIDIA and Evelyn Remaley, Deputy Associate Administrator, NTIA the session focused on the challenges and opportunities surrounding AI and machine learning. “We’re in a transitional period and the pace of the transition can make people nervous. But good employment can happen if policymakers can lean in,” said Finkle.

During the 2018 Preview: FCC Commissioner Roundtable, moderated by CTA’s VP of Regulatory Affairs Julie Kearney, FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr, Mignon Clyburn, and Mike O’Rielly shared their respective opinions on net neutrality, the future of the Telecom Act, and other regulatory reforms in the coming year. The three represented widely different policy views across the spectrum. Despite the clear and sharp disagreements among the Commissioners, Clyburn noted that at the end of the day “we want to see what’s best for the country, providing the best platform for innovation and tech that is open for business.”

Digital Money Forum

Tuesday’s Digital Money Forum’s panel, A Robot Worth Talking To, featured Sophia, a robot capable of making realistic, human facial expressions, and focused on how AI bots like Sophia can impact digital money. The robot, created by Hanson Robotics, spoke about blockchain technology and how AI can influence the world of cryptocurrency. Afterwards, David Hanson, Sophia's creator and Hanson Robotics CEO, spoke with MIT Media Lab's Michael Casey about how Sophia can use state-of-the-art algorithms and machine learning to respond to any question an interviewer may have.

The Leaders in Digital Money panel focused on digital wallets, which are becoming a seamless consumer experience, eliminating the need to carry cash, checks – or even credit cards. Leaders from Payscout, IBM Blockchain Labs and Clinc discussed the future of payments, including the use of virtual reality payments in digital storefronts and conversational AI, which can be used for setting up bank accounts.

Sports Technology Innovation

During the panel Making Better Decisions with Sports Tech, Jessica Gelman, CEO of the Kraft Analytics Group, noted that the sports industry is at the precipice of leveraging technology and data to get better across all aspects of the business - but the industry is still “in the very early days.” To explore the intersection of technology and sports, Sports Innovation Lab CEO and Co-Founder Angela Ruggiero says her team is objectively looking at the market across five key areas: the quantified athlete, smart venues, immersive viewing, sponsorships and e-sports.

Tuesday also featured Exploring Smart Buildings and Connected Infrastructure, which discussed advancements in smart city planning. “Intelligent buildings are here and they are very real,” said Charlie Kindel, Director, Alexa Smart Home, Amazon, summing up the first day of Smart Cities programming at CES 2018. Senior executives from Amazon, Deloitte Consulting, Zigbee Alliance, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Philips Lighting and Schneider Electric discussed how smart buildings are changing the way we live and what the future holds for sustainability, enhanced experiences and new connections. Smart buildings and smart spaces are now everywhere, allowing for a connected ecosystem with no boundaries.

Day one of CES 2018 concluded with the Women in CT Awards, hosted by CTA. Six recipients were honored for transforming the consumer technology industry through leadership in the retail, sales and marketing, integration, publishing and trade association segments. Honorees included: HP’s Stephanie Dismore, InMotion Entertainment Group’s Eden Goldberg, Milestone AV’s Bonnie Perella and Southtown Audio Video’s Heather Sidorowicz. The Woman to Watch Award recipient was System Contractor News editor Megan Dutta, and the Carol Campbell Inspiration Award honor was given to CTA’s Ellen Savage.

CES 2018 runs through Friday, January 12. For the latest breaking news and product announcements, visit CES.tech.

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Take a look at three new areas at CES 2018 . High-definition video b-roll from CES is available for easy download on CESbroll.com . See exclusive photos from the CES show floor, keynotes, conference sessions, events and award ceremonies in the CES photo gallery .

Produced by the Consumer Technology Association, Inside CES 2018 – Trends and Takeaways provides a complete overview of the entirety of CES, including exclusive CTA research and trend analysis not available anywhere else. Ensure you understand the most important trends impacting the tech industry in the year ahead. Learn more and order your copy today .

About CES:

CES® is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)^TM, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

About Consumer Technology Association:

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ is the trade association representing the $351 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES^® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• CES 2018 - Register
  January 9-12, Las Vegas, NV

• CES Asia 2018
  June 13-15, Shanghai, China

• Digital Patriots Dinner
  April 17, Washington, DC

• CES on the Hill
  April 18, Washington, DC

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