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  James Kotecki (00:07): 

  This is CES Tech Talk. I'm James Kotecki, exploring the trends shaping the world's most powerful tech event, CES 2025 in Las Vegas. And we are diving back in for another insider look at what's creating buzz on the show floor. And once again, who better to keep us in the know than our official CES hosts, the content creators bringing us show floor highlights across social media at CES. And joining us here for an exclusive look at the trends and themes defining the show, Justine Ezarik, AKA iJustine and Brian Tong are hosts with the most. Welcome again to CES Tech talk. 

  Brian Tong (00:47): 

  What's up, James. 

  Justine Ezarik (00:48): 

  Thank you. So excited to be back. 

  Brian Tong (00:49): 

  Back again. Back at it, J. 

  James Kotecki (00:51): 

  Back at it for another round and let's go with AI as our topic du jour because it's the topic everyone's talking about. No surprise there. But let's evolve the conversation a little bit beyond the gee whiz and actually talk about what's interesting, what's practical here at CES 2025. What's real? Brian, let's start with you. 

  Brian Tong (01:11): 

  You. I always think about this when we first talk about AI is that AI has been around for a while behind the scenes in technology, but it is becoming more to the forefront and also from a consumer standpoint and a productivity standpoint. So I think maybe AI feels like a more buzz-worthy word now over the past, I guess we would say three or four years. But there is a lot of things that happening that has moved the conversation forward. 

  (01:37): 

  I think a lot of times what we see here at CES when someone says, "Okay, how is AI going to help me?" Easily, productivity is going to be one of them, just from a standpoint of taking care of maybe some of the more mundane tasks to make things more efficient, to allow us as humans maybe do more creative or higher-level thinking when it comes to random daily tasks versus creative tasks. I think that is a big way it can help us. But also from a standpoint, when I think about CES, a lot of the pitch when I see AI is just how to make things more streamlined, more efficient for us the consumer. And a lot of times, sometimes, we don't even need to see it. We just have to experience and feel it and know that there's something working behind the scenes. 

  James Kotecki (02:22): 

  Justine, I'm curious from your perspective how the messaging and the positioning and the understanding of AI has evolved as you've covered and thought about CES through the years. When I do interviews at the C Space Studio, for example, I noticed these trends and buzzwords bubbling up, and a few years ago, of course, everyone really started to talk even more about AI than they already were. But I wonder, are we headed towards a point where AI just becomes ubiquitous, it just becomes assumed and part of the fabric of technology? Where do you think we are right now in the trends here? 

  Justine Ezarik (02:53): 

  Yeah, I think we're kind of overemphasizing and just using the buzzwords, like Brian was saying. AI this, AI that. It's been around. It's happening. It's all around us. And so I think now it's kind of just normalizing it. We're not going to say, "Oh, this uses AI." It just is what it is. 

  (03:09): 

  And I think what I have been focusing a lot on this past year is health tech and how AI is kind of going to be really changing the game as far as that's concerned. So for example, I have this app that connects to a glucose monitor, and while I'm tracking all of my foods, it uses AI. I just can talk to it. I'm like, "Oh, I just had a Turkey sandwich with this, this." And then using AI, it analyzes the meal, tells me how many carbs is in it, sugar, all of this, and then it'll link to the glucose monitor and it'll determine how this affects basically the rest of my day. And it's been so fascinating. 

  (03:43): 

  And this is just such a small piece of it, and that's why I'm so hyped this year for CES because I feel like people are finally really kind of understanding what AI can do for you. And there's so many things in the health space that I think it's going to be more efficient for doctors because we're already managing these day-to-day boring vitals and being able to have that stuff tracked ourselves, AI can detect if there's any abnormalities and immediately contact your doctor. So this is just a small kind of thing, but there's so much that can be done with that. 

  James Kotecki (04:17): 

  Brian, what does the health tech space mean to you at CES 2025? 

  Brian Tong (04:22): 

  It's one of the most exciting places, hands-down. There's things that I remember when earlier on, just going to CES and seeing health tech, things like where it may not seem as impressive right off the gates, but then it is. I remember taking a face scan and then it had a thermal reading on it, and then they were able to analyze some health metrics on me within seconds. And this is years ago, and I was just like, "Wow, okay." And now we have different types of wearables. Justine, is it a glucose... Are you wearing a physical patch that measures your vitals? Right? 

  Justine Ezarik (04:56): 

  Yeah. Yeah. It keeps it there for like 10 to 14 days and everything is in your phone and the data is all there. So I think that's going to become the normal, not even just testing glucose, but your entire vitals. As soon as there's an implant, I'm ready for it. If there's one, sign me up. I will get it done on the CES show floor? 

  Brian Tong (05:15): 

  Yeah, it's the wearable products. And even you'll see, whether it's Eureka space or even some of these bigger booths in the health tech area, you'll see nuggets of things that you can start connecting the dots and seeing how health tech and how artificial intelligence, the trends... It's all about the trends that it can see and detect and then recommend different changes of lifestyle or diet. That's where it's really exciting. The fact that we care about what goes in and out of our bodies more than ever before, I think that's why health tech is just so important at CES. 

  Justine Ezarik (05:47): 

  Yeah, and I like that they're calling them digital twins now. So there's this other website that I just have been testing out, so I basically am linking my Oura Ring score, my glucose monitor, all of these things. So it basically is giving you sort of this digital representation of your health and then pair that with blood tests, pair that with full-body MRI scans. You're getting this comprehensive data that you never could get before, and it's just really, really cool. 

  Brian Tong (06:13): 

  Well, yeah, even with digital twins, whether it's the human body, which is fascinating, a lot of companies have been using digital twins, whether it's to model a car and test aerodynamics before they actually make the car to actually simulate it and do it in those spaces and apps, and that's saves so much time and resources for these companies before they actually put something together, print it out, model it, sculpt it, and then have to go back to the drawing table. That's how it used to be done just from a standpoint of just efficiency, whether it's planes and transportation and even things from smart crops and just do climate tests. There's a lot of different ways that digital twins just in that space can give us so much more data and information about how these really happen in the real world without putting out that investment right out of the spot. So companies are using them in so many different ways. 

  James Kotecki (07:07): 

  Speaking of Eureka Park, and this is the area of the show, of course, that startups go, could be a one or two person company with a booth and a dream. This is really kind of where some of these ideas that we're talking about start out and may be in their most embryonic and maybe idealistic form. Justine, tell me more about the relationship between Eureka Park and the rest of the show and the energy that exists in Eureka Park. 

  Justine Ezarik (07:35): 

  Eureka Park is so exciting. You walk in and it's interesting because sometimes you just see these small little tables that look like it might be so insignificant, but they could potentially be showcasing the next massive thing. A lot of these are startups. They don't have huge budgets at this current point in time. So do not sleep on those small little tables because you never know what you're going to see. 

  (07:56): 

  And this is kind of the future of what will be on the show floor in future years. And there's so much tech, there's so much innovation. And because a lot of these people are kind of new to all of this, the energy is just unmatched. Everyone is excited. They're so hyped to tell you about their products. So going there is sort of like getting a sneak peek into what the next five to 10 years is going to be like on the actual CES show floor. 

  James Kotecki (08:25): 

  Brian, do you have any specific memories of Eureka Park from the last couple of years that really stand out to you as the kind of thing you can see there? 

  Brian Tong (08:31): 

  A hundred percent. I would say, just to add on, the Eureka Park to me is really the heartbeat of CES. It captures the spirit of innovation and really what we're all here for with this goal of learning about new tech, exploring new tech, and having this new tech really take off and be a part of our lives. 

  (08:48): 

  I remember back in the day, I've talked about this story a few times, but you have a company like GoPro that literally just had a tiny table. This is before this any idea of an action camera was even remotely on the radar of everyone, and look at where they are now. Even just last year, we had this... Remember that massage table, Jay, that had that little, it was like the single [inaudible 00:09:09]? 

  Justine Ezarik (09:07): 

  Yes. 

  Brian Tong (09:09): 

  And it felt like a real hand on your body and it was a demo, but feeling that, I was just like, "If they could make something like that with two hands," and they probably will this year, I don't know, but there's, like I said, there was like a [inaudible 00:09:22]. 

  James Kotecki (09:21): 

  Relaxing and bizarre at the same time. 

  Brian Tong (09:24): 

  It is. It is. Right? 

  James Kotecki (09:24): 

  Subtle and really cool. 

  Brian Tong (09:25): 

  Right? You also see, because in Eureka Park, there's different regions of the world that focus on tech, you can also see how... We're used to seeing a lot of tech from the US perspective, but seeing stuff from European countries, from Asian countries, there's a different way that they target tech where maybe the US is a lot about consumerism. I do feel like I saw maybe more focus on environmental tech from some of the European countries and from some of the Asian countries. If I had to think of a theme, there was more of like... What do I call it? I don't want to say comfort tech, but things like sleeping pillows or pillows that match your breathing because they're therapeutic, almost like health tech, but in a more holistic way while using tech. I also think it's fascinating to see how countries look at tech differently from the way that we do. 

  James Kotecki (10:19): 

  I want to ask you both and maybe a meta question, a process question about how you both approach CES. So someone is listening to this and is just trying to figure out, okay, what are these trends that are coming out of the show? How do I think about it on a holistic macro level and what CES 2025 means? And they can obviously hopefully listen to this podcast. They're definitely following your coverage on social channels at CES, but then how do you guys actually do that? You come in there with your obviously tech-obsessed brains and you kind of marinate in all this tech, but then how are you actually plucking out these trends? And forgive me if this is an impossible question, maybe it's just kind of more of a magical, nuanced thing that you do, but Justine, can you possibly describe what it is that you're doing when you're figuring out what the trends are? 

  Justine Ezarik (11:04): 

  I think you're just kind of going and experiencing and talking to people, talking to people at the booth, talking to other people who have also been experiencing the show floor. You do quickly get a sense of what it is. I know last year, AI was at the top of everyone's list of things that they were talking about. It was AI this, AI that. And I think now it's still going to be a lot of AI, but it's kind of more refined and I think we understand it and it's like, how can we not have AI replace us? We work with AI and make us more efficient. 

  (11:34): 

  So it really is just something that you kind of feel. It's hard to explain. You just get it when you're there. And obviously Brian and I are covering, so we're going to be showcasing a ton of stuff here as well, so we'll help guide you. Don't worry. 

  Brian Tong (11:50): 

  Yeah, I think when you approach it, it depends... How about this? From someone who's never been there, it's like absorb everything you can, definitely go to all the different themed sections and feel your way through it, and you'll come out with some of your own kind of nuggets and pull from it. 

  (12:05): 

  When we can, Justine and I are working the whole day, but I know that we still make a little time after we're done to go walk the floor. And I do feel like when we can really just lose ourself in it, it literally is talking to someone who works at a booth and asking curious questions, and you do that enough times and things just start coming together. And sometimes the trends that are the big ones at CES may not be relevant to you, and you might find a trend of your own that you're like, "No, this is what I really care about." So I know it sounds corny and cheesy... Should I say this out loud? But CES can be whatever you want it to be, but it really is. You make CES what it is to you because you can go in a billion directions. 

  Justine Ezarik (12:48): 

  For sure. Whatever your interests are, normally when I had been going to CES just sort of as an attendee, I was like, "I love video games. I like health tech." So that was basically where I went to. And then I love content creation and camera tech, so I'm trying to find all the cool camera booths and all of that latest tech. So it really is like whatever you like, you can go and find it. 

  James Kotecki (13:12): 

  Everyone always talks about how to do CES right. Is there one kind of inverse tip that you have for how to do CES wrong, Justine? 

  Justine Ezarik (13:20): 

  Oh, I was going to say just wear comfortable shoes and bring snacks. That's just what you need. 

  Brian Tong (13:28): 

  The most comfortable shoes you own, or go online and find the pair of the most comfortable shoes possible. 

  Justine Ezarik (13:35): 

  Ladies, I know we want to wear heels and look cute, but this is not the time. 

  Brian Tong (13:40): 

  Water is important at CES. It's Vegas. It's dry. You need to arguably have two water bottles on hand in your bag or whatever you're taking with you. Justine and I are lucky because we do get fed during the show, so we do have snacks kind of built into our routine, so we might take that for granted. Yeah, it's almost like if you thought about going on a hike to Yosemite, think that and lean into that energy. 

  James Kotecki (14:07): 

  It's a hike to the future. 

  Brian Tong (14:09): 

  Yeah. 

  Justine Ezarik (14:09): 

  True. True, true, true. 

  James Kotecki (14:11): 

  Yeah. It's important to remember, even when we have all this ascendant talk about the glorious techno future, that we are still actually physical human beings and bodies that have to experience all this. 

  (14:20): 

  So speaking of which, you both have limited time. This is CES 2025. There's so much going on. And we are so grateful that you could join us for this episode of CES Tech Talk. Thank you so much. 

  Brian Tong (14:31): 

  Thanks, James. 

  Justine Ezarik (14:32): 

  Thank you. We'll see you soon. 

  James Kotecki (14:33): 

  That is Brian Tong and Justine Ezarik, AKA iJustine. Make sure to catch their CES coverage across social media at CES. That's our show for now, but there's always more tech to talk about. So if you're on YouTube, please subscribe and leave a comment. If you're listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Media, wherever you get your podcasts, hit the follow button. Let's give those algorithms what they want. You can get even more CES at CES.tech. That's CES.T-E-C-H. Our show is produced by Nicole Vidovich and Paige Morris, recorded by Andrew Linn and edited by Third Spoon. I'm James Kotecki, talking Tech on CES Tech Talk.