Practical artificial intelligence that lifts revenue and cuts costs is set to dominate CES 2027, the world's largest consumer electronics show, when it opens early next year. If CES 2026 demonstrated the potential of agentic AI and physical AI, next year's edition is expected to serve as a stage for verifying actual business results. Humanoid robots will compete on their ability to handle objects with their hands rather than simply walk, while the AI chip race is expected to widen into memory, data transmission and power efficiency.
Brian Comiskey, vice president of innovation and trends at the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES, laid out the outlook on the 13th in a keynote address at the CES Asia Unveiled Seoul session of the Korea Electronics Show 2026, held at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam district. The remarks offered an advance look at the main technology trends for CES 2027, which opens in Las Vegas in January.
"The AI industry will move through adoption and maturity toward creating real impact," Comiskey said. He said that over the next two years, the key yardstick for companies will be how much they have improved revenue growth and operating efficiency rather than how widely they have deployed AI.
Survey results the CTA released for the first time at the event supported that shift. In a study covering seven markets worldwide, workplace AI usage in South Korea stood at 70%, tied with the U.S. for the highest rate. Korean workers who use AI on the job said the technology saves them about 8.2 hours of work time a week. That suggests AI is moving beyond a tool for answering questions or drafting documents to become a means of raising actual productivity.
Agentic AI and vertical AI, which illustrate that trend, are expected to draw attention at CES 2027. Comiskey said companies are expanding the use of agentic AI into actual operations, moving past pilot deployments. He also expects vertical AI, built around the workflows and expertise of specific industries, to reshape competition in the existing software-as-a-service market, as AI goes beyond supporting conventional software to handling the work itself.
In robotics, dexterity was cited as a key competitive factor. As precise hand movements, tactile sensing and object manipulation improve, robots will be able to move beyond simple repetitive tasks to perform a range of jobs in factories, logistics warehouses and homes. Korea's Rainbow Robotics, China's AgiBot and U.S.-based Agility Robotics were among the companies named as likely to showcase such technology.
The AI chip race is also expected to broaden from processors to advanced memory, interconnect chips and application-specific integrated circuits, as the ability to process vast amounts of data quickly and with less power grows in importance. SK hynix (000660.KS), Marvell of the U.S. and NXP of the Netherlands were mentioned as leading companies set to unveil related innovations at CES 2027.
The CTA framed next year's show around three themes: foundation, transformation and exploration. Under that framework, AI, semiconductors and energy build the foundation, robots, self-driving cars and smart homes apply it in the real world, and quantum computing and space technology open up future industries.
"What matters for companies is what results AI delivers for revenue growth and operating efficiency," Comiskey said. "Over the next few years, the spotlight will be on AI moving past adoption to maturity and real impact."