The tour also zeroed in on health tech. With protocols like Matter, for instance, a consumer’s smart fridge could connect to their wearable device to create customized diet and workout plan accessible on their smart TV. That biometric information can then seamlessly route back to their healthcare provider.

From a marketing perspective, the amount of data being collected through these devices has real implications. For instance, on a tour stop at Govee, a smart connected home company, the guide explained how its technology connects back to major retailers like Home Depot and Walmart, and could eventually provide data that informs their retail media networks.

Sparking questions for the future

For the media marketing exec, the tour raised questions about “not only the applications of this tech, but the implications of it from a cultural perspective,” he said.

“There is no denying the fact that large language models are having an impact,” the person said. Especially as many AI models begin to interact with each another, “that’s leading to some really interesting possibilities,” he added.

But it also leads to difficult questions about bias, which often aren’t addressed in the show floor set up. Those questions include the ethical sourcing of AI, fair treatment of creators whose work is training large language models, brand safety, and AI’s impact on mental health.

“This idea of diversity sometimes gets lost, but those are the things I would like to see tech struggling with a little more and being a little bit more transparent,” he said.