CES 2025 puts AI and CX in the spotlight

Customer experience surfaced in many of the conversations and exhibits at the Consumer Electronics Show in the first week of January in Las Vegas. Known simply as CES 2025, this conference is an annual pilgrimage for those who want to see cutting edge technology and contemplate the impact it will have on people’s lives, including their consumption and shopping experiences.

With more than 4,500 exhibits, 141,000 total attendees, and more than 1,200 speakers, CES 2025 was packed with innovation, ideas and ingenuity. Of course, there were also dashes of skepticism and wonder about artificial intelligence (AI), which took center stage by being embedded just about everywhere.

In this article, CX Network considers four CX-related innovations from the 2025 show and reflects on their significance now and beyond:

• Delta Airlines announces new AI-powered digital assistant
• Otonomus claims status as the first fully AI-powered hotel
• Instacart and Samsung: The new frontier of shopping
• Nvidia helps improve humanoid robots
• Final thoughts on CES 2025

Delta Airlines announces new AI-powered digital assistant

Delta Airlines, which celebrated its hundredth anniversary, replete with simulated fireworks, at CES 2025, put the focus on its people, both employees and customers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian began his concert-like presentation by introducing employees who have had great impact. Delta recognized Diane Carvelli who, together with her late colleagues Ginny Oxford and Jean Owens, bought Delta's very first Boeing 767 aircraft; Delta flight attendant Joan Crandall, who recently celebrated 65 years of employment with the airline; First Officer Dana Nelson, the first Black female pilot that Delta hired; and James Sarvis who has held a number of roles during his 50 years of work at Delta. Bastian connected the employee experience (EX) to the customer experience (CX). Then, he launched into a revelation on how AI is revolutionizing travel.   

To start, Delta had Qualtrics assess nearly seven million records of customer feedback to identify the areas that people care about most.

“Knowing customers better really should mean that you’re recognizing them and you’re improving that experience as they move through each leg of their journey,” said Ryan Smith, co-founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics, in the presentation.

The frontline team uses the data gathered from members of its loyalty program SkyMiles, to create personalized experiences. Flight attendant Jeanie Brady shared how she and her team were able to celebrate Millionth-Mile customers during a flight from Atlanta to Honolulu. One of the couples was on honeymoon and another was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with their entire family on board. The in-flight festivities were all made possible by their digital footprint with Delta. 

In 2024, 1.3 billion interactions took place on the Fly Delta app, and the biggest news to come out of Delta’s showcase was the fact that it will release Delta Concierge. This upgrade was described by Bastian as “a genAI-powered personal assistant that anticipates your needs, provides real-time guidance, and delivers tailored recommendations.” Ultimately, he said it would allow for seamless travel experiences and enable customers to reap all the benefits of their SkyMiles.

For example, Delta has connected Uber and SkyMiles accounts for travelers, so they can earn miles on rides and deliveries. In addition, Delta Concierge will integrate with Joby’s electric air taxi service to offer customers home-to-airport transportation options. Joby's is a futuristic flying vehicle that will shorten home-to-airport travel time and will launch in the next couple of years, first with service in Los Angeles and New York.

Once in the airport augmented reality (AR) wayfinding will help people navigate baggage drop off, terminals, security, and gates. Delta Sync is a cloud-based, in-flight entertainment system, which gives SkyMiles members access to ad-free YouTube programs. In addition, Delta Locals will provide a new tech-driven travel planning platform.

The showcase packed a punch and included the likes of NFL champion Tom Brady, who will be hosting the Well Traveled show on Delta to help customers better tend to self-care while away from home. In fact, wellness of travelers was another theme. Delta will also be featuring Cycadia lighting, which is designed to effect circadian rhythm, the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, to help customers reduce jet lag. 

Otonomus claims status as the first fully AI-powered hotel

In the 300-room Las Vegas-based hotel that CEO Philippe Ziade announced at the show, 60 percent of the rooms will be a dedicated hotel and the other 40 percent will be apartments. Otonomus will use AI to create a virtual copy of the guest, provide onboarding before the customer’s visit, and capture information and scrape the internet, including social media profiles, to create personalized experiences.

For years, the Walt Disney Company has been using what it calls “MagicBands” technology, through either wearable bands or smartphone apps for guests. This allows Disney to track guests’ buying habits, the rides they like, and even their favorite characters. They have used the information to personalize guest stays, get products and services they might prefer in front of them, and improve logistics solutions at parks and resorts.

While the Otonomus concept is not entirely new, it builds on this theme of personalizing the guest experience by using AI. Ziade and his team showcased proprietary AI systems, FIRO and KEE. FIRO is a dashboard and booking engine that uses AI. HospitalityNet describes FIRO as optimizing operations with room allocations and pricing to “maximize revenue and deliver tailored experiences.” KEE is a mobile app that is the guests’ digital keys, concierge, and manager of their experience from before they arrive for their stay.

“Our AI-powered hotel concept represents a paradigm shift in how travelers experience accommodations, setting a new standard for guest satisfaction and operational efficiency in the hospitality industry,” has said Ziade.

Instacart and Samsung: The new frontier of shopping

Referred to as “the biggest little exhibit,” Instacart’s booth included a simulated shopping experience, but what earned the most attention was the announcement of a multi-year partnership with Samsung that allows consumers to shop for groceries using their Samsung Bespoke refrigerators.

For its part, Samsung displayed a new 9-inch AI home screen on Bespoke refrigerators, which includes food recognition technology called AI Vision Inside. At the same time, Instacart is known for its product matching application programming interface (API). The duo is combining these innovations, so consumers get help with their shopping list. Essentially, the refrigerator will track groceries and what owners eat to create grocery orders. Humans will have the capability of approving the products before purchase.

In addition, Instacart spoke of its Caper Carts, smart shopping carts that are powered by AI. They scan items as customers add them to the cart, determine weight and measurements when applicable, and allow brands to reach consumers in targeted moments. In the CES C-Space Studio, Ali Miller, Instacart’s vice president of product management, shared how these technologies are impacting the 1,500 retailers on Instacart’s marketplace and 6,000 brand partners that advertise on the platform.

“The part that was really important to me is that at the end of the day, this isn’t a cold-hard, data-based ecosystem. This is really helping people get the food that they need to get on the table,” said Miller. “This is helping them get essentials for their household. It’s rooted in the humanity of what people actually want and need and how they’ll live their lives in an easier and more connected and efficient way.”

Nvidia helps improve humanoid robots

CX Network would be remiss to leave out Nvidia in a CES 2025 roundup. After all, its tech earned all the buzz at the event. Nvidia Cosmos is a platform allowing developers to refine advanced AI systems for robotics and autonomous vehicles. While the connection to customer experience might not be obvious, it is there.

Humanoid robots are increasingly taking on human tasks. Many of the ones used in manufacturing and logistics were on display in Las Vegas, and they were sleeker and more human-like than ever. With Nvidia Cosmos there will be improvements to robots that could potentially have direct, face-to-face interaction with customers. 

At the event, in fact, Realbotix's Aria proved to be the most human-looking of the bots. The mission of the company is to create robots that are indistinguishable from humans. These robots leverage social intelligence and tech that allows human-like movement, so they can serve as companions for humans. They are billed as girlfriend robots, but CNET reports that they will likely appear as workers in theme parks, hospitals, and in marketing roles. They may also be used as brand ambassadors. But companies first must pay the US$175,000 price tag for the complete model. They can get a bust for $12,000. For $150,000, they can buy a bot that can be dissassembled and reassembled for mobility. 

Final thoughts on CES 2025

CES 2025 was a spectacle full of advancements that many could not have imagined even just a few years ago. Many of those putting on a show at the event related AI to their evolving relationship with customers. Delta Airlines, Instacart, Otonomus and the makers of humanoid robots expressed how they are leveraging advanced tech to get closer to people, build trust, increase loyalty and customize experiences. 

At the same time, many in CX are considering the role of the human as machines gain more attention. They are cautious and want to understand the ethics of AI. Can a humanoid robot truly take the place of a human brand ambassador? Is it appealing to have companies scraping your social media to customize an experience? Do customers really want brands to know intimate details of their lives, including what's in their fridge?

Let us know what you think on LinkedIn or in the comments below.