CES 2023 and L&D — My takeaways
Color-changing cars that match the driver’s mood, a urine-tracking smart toilet to gauge your hydration level, and an AI clone that you can manipulate from a distance are all but a few of the overwhelming variety of gadgets and electronics at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas early this year. In fact, CES is the largest technology convention in the world that features a range of products from transportation to digital health, metaverse, smart cities, gaming, and entertainment. While it lacks a distinct category for learning and development (L&D), it is nevertheless a tradeshow that gives us some budding ideas about what might come next for edtech and showcases the next era of innovation that is likely to make its way from consumer tech to learning tech.
This year is the first primarily in person event for CES since the onset of the pandemic. With over 3,000 exhibitors spreading across three venues for four days, it was impossible to properly visit and try out every booth. However, I did manage to cover a fair bit of ground and interacted with as many vendors as I could. Below are a few highlights of what I consider promising and that has potential relevance to L&D, particularly about what the future of work might look like.
The biggest improvement and perhaps the soonest to be applied to workplace training belongs to Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Both VR and AR had a large presence on the floor, with many companies such as Magic Leap, HTC, and Sony demonstrating intriguing features. For VR, a lot of effort has gone into the design of the headset — many feel much lighter and more comfortable to wear. Some even feature modular design — so that you can remove parts of the gear to fit it like regular glasses. One interesting feature is the ability to have haptic feedback built in not only to the controllers but also in the headset itself (some products even come with wearable devices such a vest that also provide tactile input). This means that if there is a vibration say from the wind blowing you will feel it both through the controllers and the headset, maybe even on your body — a much more realistic scenario than we experienced with the previous generation of VR.
For L&D applications, with the newer features such as better eye-tracking and faster speed, combined with realistic haptic feedback, I could see this being used for nuanced procedural and process-oriented training particularly for testing staff for agility and responsiveness. For example, emergency response training would be a good use case for VR. Because the headgears are slimmer and less tiring to wear, it is also possible to extend the training time reasonably.
As for AR, I am impressed with how far the innovation has gone. For example, TCL, a Chinese company known for TVs, is now developing AR and VR hardware including a prototype called RayNeo X2 AR glasses. They look like a thick set of regular glasses, and is meant to be used as a standalone (without a smart phone) everyday device. You can even add your own prescription and the images are projected with Micro LED displays that hover in front of you. The glasses can perform all the usual smartphone functions such as GPS navigation, take photos, watch videos and listen to audio files, as well as making a phone call and getting message notifications. What is promising for learning professionals is the ability to do real-time language translation and the text-to-speech function. While it is not perfect (i.e. it doesn’t work well with too much background noise or multiple people speaking at the same time), it could be useful to improve communication and provide a more inclusive learning environment.
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into just about everything and was one of the main themes of the show. Of all the AI applications, the ones I found most relevant to L&D were for content generation and creation. For example, Deepbrain AI’s AI Studios is a tool that creates videos with pre-generated AI models (avatars). All you have to do is enter a text-based script, or upload a PowerPoint deck with notes. While the functions are still rather rudimentary, this could potentially be a supplementary tool for creating e-learning content, especially when the avatars can be used in combination with ChatGPT.
Realistic and dazzling holographic technology was another popular presence at this year’s CES. ARHT Media has a product called ARHT Capsule. It is basically a life-size holographic display in a box with three versions –live, pre-recorded, and 3-D interactive content. It has 4K resolution with an amazingly clear image. In the world of remote and hybrid work we live in, technology such as this one seems to be able to connect people across geographical distance. Of course, the caveat is that you need to be able to physically deliver and accommodate an ARHT Capsule in the location where you can interact with your colleague’s hologram.
Finally, I was intrigued by a French company called Yuzu as they purported to use video games as a recruitment tool to assess candidates’ soft skills. Basically the platform starts by configuring the type of skills you want to evaluate — skills such as time management, decision making, strategic thinking, etc. Then it will create simplified interactions that each candidate can click through within a scenario that resembles a video game. The scenario lasts about 10 minutes, and it adapts based on the player’s comfort level. No prior video game playing skill is required. While the product is still in development with a tentative release date in March this year, it does show some promise and I will be curious to observe how this product unfolds.
Do you have any CES products and observations to add to this list? What are your thoughts on how consumer technology will (or may) influence the future of L&D? While there are many gimmicky and proof-of-concept products at the show, consumer technology is still leading the way in innovation and shedding light on what is to come next.
