Our cross-sector team was on the ground in Las Vegas last month for CES 2026 to better understand the business and technological environment our clients face.
Innovation is always the theme of CES, but this year the pace and breadth of innovation was particularly impressive. AI took center stage again this year but with a twist. As many noted, AI “got physical” by integrating across ever deeper and more capable sensor stacks. This capacity allows much more profound engagement with our home, work and personal lives.
Established global companies are not the only entities making these advances. Global venture capital capacity was vividly on display in a broad array of early-stage companies from around the world showing their vision for the future.
Over 2 million square feet (186,000 square meters) of display space can defy simple generalizations. But one thing is unambiguous: AI is developing rapidly and will increasingly impact our daily lives through the rapid evolution of the products and services we all engage with.
These developments will push business models, challenge existing policy frameworks, and create an exciting legal environment. We look forward to leaning into the future with our clients.
Here are some initial insights from some of our team that attended CES.
Communication, internet and media
At CES, we encountered thousands of new and exciting consumer products and services that require intensive use of spectrum connectivity. We were amazed by the displays of smart glasses with wireless interfaces, robots to help around the home, and toys that are more interactive than ever with the help of sensors.
Due to their sophisticated connectivity, these developmental products and services will clearly require much more uplink capacity than is available in today’s wireless networks. In order for them to become available and useful to consumers, more radio frequency spectrum (both licensed and unlicensed) and new and advanced network architectures will be needed. The entrepreneurs and innovators at CES may take it for granted that 6G and super-fast Wi-Fi networks will be available soon to support the Agentic AI, augmented reality and integrated sensing products on display. It is not that simple.
Ubiquitous connectivity will depend on having robust wireless networks (which are expensive to build) and new allocations of spectrum (which is a finite resource). The U.S. has started to fill its national spectrum pipeline by passing and implementing the spectrum provisions in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. China has also made it a national priority to make high-quality licensed mid-band spectrum available to its network operators—and has a head start over the U.S. currently. Both countries and the E.U. expect new Wi-Fi and satellite low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations to play a critical role in the wireless networks of the future, increasing speeds and expanding coverage in places not covered by today’s high-capacity cellular networks. This all bodes well for the consumer electronics industry, but much work (within global standards bodies, the ITU and regional and national regulatory bodies) needs to be done to make many of the consumer products on display at CES a reality.
Consumer
Consumer, retail, fashion and beauty brands showcased how rapidly technology is reshaping both product development and consumer experience. Innovations included the growing use of AI to support sustainable fashion design and pattern making with minimal waste, real time sample generation through advanced 3D printing, and environmentally friendly laser technologies that reduce chemical use in textile production. On the consumer facing side, brands leaned heavily into immersive digital commerce tools, including augmented reality to reduce returns, wearable technology to facilitate retail engagement, and video first marketing strategies optimized for social platforms. Panels on resale, rental and circular consumption highlighted how technology is redefining ownership in the luxury space, with tools like AI powered image search enabling consumers to locate pre-owned items instantly across secondary markets.
These innovations present meaningful legal and business challenges for consumer companies. As AI becomes embedded in design, marketing and personalization, brands must navigate emerging regulatory frameworks governing AI use, advertising claims and consumer transparency, particularly when working with influencers or AI generated content while maintaining brand authenticity. Circular business models raise complex issues around pricing, warranties, product liability, trademark use and channel conflict as brands increasingly compete with their own prior season goods in the resale market. Meanwhile, connected and Agentic AI products, from smart appliances to wearable retail technology, introduce heightened data privacy, cybersecurity and product safety considerations across jurisdictions.
We’re uniquely positioned to help consumer brands address these challenges across the full product and business lifecycle. Our Consumer Sector advises clients to adopt technology tools including AI, to launch brand collaborations and technology partnerships, and to integrate emerging technologies into both physical and digital products.
Sports, media and entertainment
Innovation across sports, media, entertainment, and gaming emphasized deeper immersion, real-time control, and seamless crossover between digital and physical experiences. Chelsea FC and FPT demonstrated how AI and digital transformation are reshaping football by enhancing on-field performance analytics and global fan engagement. XR hardware, including Asus–Xreal glasses, showed how high-fidelity, portable displays can deliver stadium- or cinema-like experiences directly to fans, gamers, and creators.
Haptic gaming systems such as SAWARERU’s Magneto-Rheological Fluid technology pushed realism beyond visual immersion, allowing users to physically feel virtual characters. Lego’s Smart Brick exemplified how interactive, gaming-inspired technology is transforming traditional hands-on play by embedding sensors, programmable behaviors, and sound synthesis into a physical product. These innovations reflect a broader trend: the convergence of sports, gaming, and entertainment into immersive ecosystems that span both physical and digital worlds.
This convergence creates opportunities and challenges around fan engagement, IP, and content rights. As physical products become interactive and digital experiences blur into real-world environments, companies must manage ownership of experiential content, fan data, and compliance across platforms. Hogan Lovells helps clients navigate this complexity with practical solutions for IP strategy, licensing, data privacy, and AI governance. We design clear frameworks that enable innovation while mitigating risk so you can deliver immersive experiences with confidence.
Technology
Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning technologies played a starring role at CES in 2026. The show extended its AI focus from recent years, with prominent taglines like “AI is everywhere” and “AI goes physical.” And AI-enabled robots were everywhere at CES this year. On display were robots designed to perform complex manufacturing tasks, autonomous vehicles, boxing robots, pet-shaped robots, and even robots that fold laundry. The main displays in the convention halls were surrounded by booths from numerous innovators showing off their latest components – actuators, optical sensors, and sophisticated robot “hands” among others—demonstrating that an industry ecosystem is thriving around AI-enabled robotic technologies.
As companies continue to develop and deploy AI-enabled robotics products and services to consumers and businesses, they will face regulatory (data privacy, consumer production, trade control), IP (patent protection, licensing, disputes), and transactional (funding, M&A, collaboration) challenges—where the global scale of deployment will magnify local regulatory variations.
With our technology sector focus and deep experience advising technology clients at the intersection of business and government in key development, financial, and regulatory centers worldwide, Hogan Lovells is uniquely positioned to help clients navigate the challenges of innovating, protecting, and bringing to market the next wave of AI-centric robots, autonomous vehicles, and other products and services where AI meets the physical world.
Find out more:
- Connected Life Brochure – Our Connected Life capabilities bring together Hogan Lovells’ work across technology, data, and regulation to support those operating in these connected ecosystems. As connectivity increases, so do regulatory complexity, data risks, and cross-border issues. You need practical legal strategies that allow innovation to move forward without creating compliance or security challenges.
- AI Hub – Our interactive AI Hub serves as a central resource covering the latest trends and developments. On the AI Hub, you may find all our recent thought leadership, navigate new laws and regulations with an interactive regulatory map, and get in touch with our AI market leaders.
- Digital Transformation Academy – Access our Digital Transformation Academy to navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting organizations and today’s society. Explore the multifaceted legal, regulatory, governance, and enforcement challenges that arise across the many technologies and trends in the digital age. We provide the cutting-edge tools and insights you need to succeed.
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