Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking center stage at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, United States, with companies exhibiting the latest advancements in everything from hair-drying robots to self-watering gardens, showcasing the future of technology.
The 2025 CES, which takes place from Tuesday to Friday, has attracted a record number of exhibitors, with over 4,500 companies from more than 160 countries and regions participating, including approximately 1,400 startups, according to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the event's organizer.
At CES, creating efficiencies in daily life is also the focus of numerous Chinese companies such as Laifen, which demonstrates the power of its hi-tech hair dryer that can blow dry this woman's hair in just a few minutes. Chinese company Yarbo shows of its autonomous snow blower that can help clear driveway without the owner lifting a finger.
Robots at the show are increasingly ubiquitous, often blending into the background until they're noticed in unexpected places. A notable illustration is Mi-Mo, a cutting-edge AI robot capable of thought, action, and adaptation.
"We want to use it to have this robot inside the house, and we are proud of it. So, we made this kind of design," said Yuki Ishikawa, CEO of Jizai.
Mi-Mo has AI built into the device, so that the moving piece of furniture can even talk. Other startups are also using AI in different ways to drive efficiency. Gardyn is a complete indoor hydroponic garden where the gardeners hardly have to do anything to make sure their crop grows.
"You just select what you want to grow and the system grows it for you. The system actually has cameras, sees the plants growing in your garden and is going to be able to detect what type of plant it is, how fast it's growing, and this way it's going to optimize the growth of your plants for you," said FX Rouxel, Founder and CEO of Gardyn.
While the AI-driven system can certainly help people with a busy lifestyle, Rouxel hopes his tech will go beyond that, helping communities around the world become more efficient in the way they grow healthy food.
AI-powered innovations grab limelight at CES 2025
The international community on Thursday continued to lash out at Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir for releasing a video which mocks the participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
On Thursday local time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that all foreign activists who had recently participated in the flotilla had been expelled from the country, and that Israel would not tolerate any violations of the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of members from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were brought to Israel's Ashdod Port on Wednesday, as Ben-Gvir released the video showing some of them shackled and forced to the ground.
In the video, released by Ben-Gvir on his social media channels, dozens of activists are shown kneeling on the floor, bent forward with their heads down and hands bound behind their backs with zip ties, as the Israeli national anthem is played loudly over speakers.
Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval vessels intercepted all ships in the convoy in international waters, about 250 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza. According to the organizers, 428 activists were "kidnapped" by Israel after the interception began on Monday morning.
On Thursday, the British government issued a statement saying that the Britain had summoned the charge d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy that day to express strong denunciation of the video released by Ben-Gvir on Wednesday.
Britain accused the relevant actions of violating the most basic principles of respect for human dignity and demanded that the Israeli government provide an explanation regarding the detention.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani on Thursday said on social media that he had requested the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir.
Tajani said that the Israeli side detained activists in international waters and subjected them to harassment and humiliation, describing such actions as "unacceptable" and "a violation of the most basic human rights."
On the same day, the Polish foreign affairs ministry issued a statement saying that Poland had summoned the charge d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Poland, demanding that Israel launch an investigation into the detention and issue an official apology to the detained activists.
Earlier that day, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski decided to seek a ban on Ben-Gvir's entry into Poland.
On Thursday, Polish Minister of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwinski also said that he had ordered the initiation of formal procedures to designate Ben-Gvir as a persona non grata.
Additionally, on Thursday, Danilo Della Valle, a member of the European Parliament, said that he had written to European Council President Antonio Costa, calling on the EU to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir. The letter was co-signed by nearly 30 members of the European Parliament.
Int'l community continues to slam Israel for maltreating Gaza aid flotilla members
