From smarter agents to renewed creativity, CES 2026 revealed what’s next for media, marketing, and brand connection—and why AI maturity is about purpose, not automation. Across the event, new robotics, smarter consumer electronics, and automotive breakthroughs redefining mobility offered a glimpse into the future in motion. But while the technology impressed, the most meaningful signals came from a growing clarity about where media, marketing, and AI are headed and what winning will look like for brands in the years ahead.
Human Connection Still Wins in an AI‑Driven World
As AI capabilities accelerate, one truth continues to hold: technology doesn’t replace connection, but amplifies it when used well.
At CES 2026, the strongest conversations reinforced that trust, emotion, and how brands make people feel remain the ultimate differentiators. AI’s most powerful role is giving teams space to be more human, more creative, more empathetic, and more intentional.
The brands that stood out weren’t chasing novelty. They were focused on earning trust, building emotional relevance, and showing up with purpose, even as they scaled innovation behind the scenes.
AI Is Officially on the Team
If CES 2025 was about experimentation, CES 2026 marked a shift toward AI maturity.
Across the floor, AI agents moved beyond being thought of as flashy headliners to now being considered as trusted teammates. Operating quietly in the background, accelerating insights, streamlining workflows, and enabling smarter, faster decisions.
Think of AI less as a replacement and more like an intern that never sleeps— supporting teams, handling complexity, and freeing people to focus on strategic thinking and storytelling.
Key takeaway: AI adoption works best when it’s seamless, and in service of real human outcomes.
Marketing Is Having a Renaissance
One of the most energizing signals from CES 2026 was the resurgence of marketing fundamentals, elevated by technology.
Yes, data and automation remain critical. But the pendulum is swinging back toward;
- Creativity that resonates culturally
- Earned‑first thinking that drives credibility
- Storytelling grounded in insight, not noise
The playbooks are evolving, but the basics haven’t disappeared. The difference now is that creative intuition is being sharpened by the data.
Personalization That Surprises
Across thought‑provoking sessions, leaders from DoorDash, Adobe, Autodesk, Lenovo, Moloco, Samsung, Mars Petcare, AWS, Marriott, and X shared refreshingly candid perspectives on one shared challenge: personalization fatigue.
The consensus?
Personalization only works when it surprises and delights, not when it feels predictable, invasive, or repetitive.
Brands are moving beyond surface‑level targeting toward personalization rooted in context, respect, and relevance, using data to create moments that actually matter.
What This Means for Communicators and Brand Leaders
Across industries and sessions, one message kept surfacing: AI maturity can’t simply be automation for automation’s sake. It’s about clarity of purpose, stronger storytelling, and deeper relevance.
For communicators, marketers, and business leaders, CES 2026 reinforced that the future belongs to teams that balance connection and humanity, with the connecting thread supercharged by AI.
Success will come from integrating technology with trust, thoughtfully and intentionally.
At Hotwire, this is exactly where we’re focused. We help brands navigate an AI‑shaped media and marketing landscape while staying grounded in what matters most: relevance, trust, creativity, and human connection.
If you’re thinking about how to evolve your strategy for what’s next, without losing what works, let’s talk.