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AI continues to be the massive factor within the tech world, but it surely’s now not the massive new factor. It has been round lengthy sufficient that merely integrating it into your product is not sufficient to make it stand out anymore, particularly on the largest tech present on the planet. Whereas I attended this yr’s CES, the development I seen again and again on the present flooring was that AI is getting bizarre now. From private hologram sidekicks to a gaming monitor that mainly cheats for you, listed here are the 5 weirdest AI innovations I noticed at CES 2026.
Razer is providing you with your personal private anime woman
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Ultimately yr’s CES, gaming way of life firm Razer launched Challenge AVA, an AI esports coach idea that was only a disembodied voice that lives in your laptop computer. Yawn. This yr, the corporate’s increasing on that by bringing AVA into the actual world.
In Razer’s suite this yr, I held a dialog with “Kira,” an anime woman “hologram” that lives in just a little USB tube you may plug into your laptop computer. She seen my orange sweater because of a digicam put in within the tube, earlier than asking me in regards to the present and prompting me to start out up a spherical of Battlefield 6, the place she gave me some generic loadout recommendation. I spoke along with her utilizing microphones additionally constructed into her tube, and he or she responded utilizing her personal speaker slightly than the laptop computer’s. Razer stated this demo was extra directed, therefore why she introduced up gaming straight away, however that the top objective is to let the brand new AVA work as a convincing all-purpose AI companion, so you do not have to make use of it for less than play.
To that finish, the corporate says it is “AI agnostic,” so you may plug your personal mannequin into it. The demo I ran via was clearly utilizing Grok, and customarily felt rather a lot like speaking to the AI companions constructed into that app, proper all the way down to the cringeworthy jokes. However Razer stated you could possibly theoretically use ChatGPT or Gemini as an alternative.
Whereas we had been chatting, Kira performed animations courtesy of Animation Inc., which powers related however extra app-driven AI companions. In different phrases, the chatbot and the animations aren’t actually new right here, so what you would be shopping for could be the USB tube and the characters.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Kira is not your solely possibility for an AI companion right here—she’s a typical anime gamer woman, however I additionally acquired to briefly take a look at Zane, a tattooed muscle man within the deepest V-neck I’ve ever seen. You possibly can type of see the target market for each of those characters straight away, however in order for you one thing extra tame, you may also have your tube show Razer’s brand surrounded by an audio waveform, which merely goes by AVA (though the mission as a complete continues to be referred to as AVA). And the corporate’s additionally engaged on movie star likenesses, with esports star Faker and influencer Sao having already given their approval.
Razer stated it is nonetheless engaged on determining the way it’ll distribute these characters, and I used to be instructed you’d get a bundle of them along with your buy, however would in all probability have the ability to purchase extra down the road.
As for pricing and availability, no phrase on that. That is technically nonetheless an idea, so it would return to the drafting board once more. However Razer’s web site does say it is hoping for a launch within the second half of 2026, and which you can put $20 down now to order your unit.
Briefly, in the event you strip away the performance that is already baked into apps you may obtain now, the brand new Challenge Ava is mainly a speaking hologram toy on your desk. That is nonetheless not a nasty pitch, however sadly, I am undecided if hologram is the correct phrase for this. Kira seemed fairly flat to me, much less like that one Princess Leia projection and extra like she was displaying on a traditional clear display that simply occurred to be caught within a cylinder. I do not assume the novelty fairly matches the pitch but.
The gaming headset that makes use of AI to learn your thoughts
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Every time I play a aggressive sport, as an alternative of hopping proper right into a match, I as an alternative load up into a couple of follow periods to heat up. It is useful, however time consuming. The brand new Neurable x HyperX idea headset is hoping to alter that by serving to you lock in inside just some minutes.
Primarily, it seems like a traditional gaming headset, however constructed into the earcups are varied sensors that may supposedly learn your focus ranges. These are much like the brain-computer interfaces you may need seen in sci-fi exhibits, those with a bunch of wires and discs connected to them, however shrunken down for the patron market, with no creepy wires in sight.
That is the place the AI is available in. Shrinking down the sensors a lot does imply this headset will get fewer readings than the larger ones in labs, however Neurable claims its fashions are nonetheless in a position to choose up on tendencies in these readings and translate them into helpful information, whereas additionally throwing out junk information.
For players, meaning it will possibly run you thru a fast focus train referred to as “Prime,” the place you focus whereas noticing a cloud of dots shrink right into a strong orb. As soon as that is finished, which took about 90 seconds for me, you are supposedly centered up and able to play.
Sadly, I really did worse in a follow taking pictures sport after focusing than beforehand, however that does not imply the info was ineffective. I ran via the train with a colleague whose rating improved by perhaps a few third after focusing, and with such a small pattern dimension, there might be any variety of causes I choked after focusing up. The corporate stated that it may even be useful to follow choking on this means.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
And at any fee, numbers are enjoyable. That is why I am most excited in regards to the headset’s plug-in for streamers, which permits them to point out their focus ranges on display for his or her chat to see. I may simply think about a neighborhood that information and teasing their favourite streamer to attempt to distract them.
That stated, it’s going to be some time till you may really purchase this. It is nonetheless an idea for now, with no pricing or promise of launch. Nonetheless, Neurable does have already got an identical, non-gaming headset made with Grasp & Dynamic that shall be delivery out quickly, simply with out this software program. For extra, learn my full article right here.
What do you assume up to now?
Lenovo’s laptop computer can nod once you ask it a query
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
This one is extra of a {hardware} innovation, but it surely’s a intelligent contact. This CES, Lenovo launched a laptop computer with a motorized hinge that may routinely shut, open, and even rotate from side-to-side. It’s going to be popping out later this summer season, however whereas the corporate was demonstrating the unit to me, it additionally confirmed off a prototype chatbot app it is making for it. This makes use of ChatGPT for now, and continues to be only a idea and won’t ship with the laptop computer. But it surely was cute.
Primarily, whereas I talked with the app, the laptop computer displayed a giant pair of animated eyes on display, and used its hinge to nod or shake its head no after I requested it questions. It additionally displayed small animations in response to sure questions, like exhibiting an umbrella after I requested in regards to the wet climate.
It is nonetheless very early days, however I used to be impressed that the {hardware} was in a position to acknowledge what an affirmative reply was and set off the laptop computer to reply accordingly. A variety of AI feels fairly disconnected from the actual world, so something that may give it a bodily presence might be a good suggestion in order for you individuals to take it severely.
The Lenovo AI gaming monitor that is mainly dishonest
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Additionally proven off at CES this yr, Lenovo’s AI Body gaming monitor might be probably the most virtually helpful merchandise on this record, virtually to the purpose the place it appears like dishonest. Primarily, this fills up many of the 21:9 display with an everyday 16:9 view of no matter’s in your laptop, and makes use of AI to point out a zoomed-in take a look at crucial sport info on the remaining.
As an illustration, in a demo exhibiting a MOBA sport (assume League of Legends), the monitor zoomed in on the map. In a demo exhibiting Counter-Strike 2, it zoomed in on the reticle. Personally, I did not assume getting a blown-up take a look at the map was all that useful, however having the ability to continuously see what was basically a sniper scope round my reticle was a sport changer, because it labored with any gun and made targets a lot simpler to see.
I may see Counter-Strike 2 developer Valve go so far as banning this if it ever makes its option to market, because it’s taken related actions earlier than. However that is nonetheless simply an concept for now. Nonetheless, it exhibits that corporations are beginning to determine concrete methods AI might help you in your video games, past simply feeding you recommendation you in all probability already know.
XREAL’s new AR glasses can routinely convert any 2D content material into 3D
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Lastly, in all probability my favourite AI invention at CES this yr was XREAL’s new REAL 3D expertise. Constructed into its latest AR glasses and already added to an current pair through a firmware replace, this makes use of AI to routinely discover depth in any 2D video supply and convert it into 3D. And attempting it out for myself, it virtually seemed official.
Once I used it to play Mario Kart World, I might have believed you in the event you instructed me Nintendo had added this mode itself. It additionally labored nice with James Cameron’s Avatar, and there was no loading time to set it up or flip it off. There additionally wasn’t any fuzziness, like there could be with glasses-free 3D screens just like the 3DS.
It is an incredible possibility for individuals who like watching 3D video games and films, however may need hassle discovering them now that 3D TVs and the Nintendo 3DS are principally previously. Now, you may simply watch your current 2D library, however in 3D.
The one problem you would possibly come throughout is in content material that does not have depth. As an illustration, XREAL’s Ralph Jodice instructed me the software program did not fairly know what to do when he tried enjoying the unique 8-bit Tremendous Mario Bros. with it, and would randomly emphasize solely sure sport belongings with none rhyme or purpose. An phantasm of depth does appear to work, although. Tremendous Mario Bros. is solely flat, however after I tried watching the pen-and-paper animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with this expertise, it accurately separated characters within the foreground from surroundings within the background, though every part on display was solely hand-drawn.
