In this episode of the ITSPmagazine On Location Event Coverage series, hosts Marco and Sean discuss the highlights and trends for CES 2024 with J. David Grossman, VP, Regulatory Affairs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The trio explores topics such as IoT, food tech, health tech, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, privacy, diversity and inclusion, human security, AI, and the over role technology plays in solving global challenges.
Guest: J. David Grossman, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Consumer Technology Association
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdgrossman/
At CES | https://www.ces.tech/sessions-events/speaker-directory/david-grossman.aspx
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Hosts:
Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast [@RedefiningCyber]
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/sean-martin
Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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Episode Notes
In this episode of the ITSPmagazine On Location Event Coverage series, hosts Marco and Sean discuss the highlights and trends for CES 2024 with J. David Grossman, VP, Regulatory Affairs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The trio explores topics such as IoT, food tech, health tech, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, privacy, diversity and inclusion, human security, AI, and the over role technology plays in solving global challenges.
Together, they emphasize the importance of improving the cybersecurity of consumer connected devices and providing consumers with more information about the security measures in place. They also discuss the need for a national privacy bill to create a consistent privacy framework for protecting consumer data.
The conversation delves into the role of AI in the technology landscape and the ethical considerations surrounding AI, as well as the intertwining of AI, data privacy, and consumer protection. It is an exciting innovations in fitness, wearables, gaming, esports, Web3, metaverse, sports technology, and space. The trio highlight the role of technology in addressing global challenges, such as food security, healthcare access, environmental protection, and economic security.
Throughout the conversation, there is a focus on the impact of technology on society and the need for a balanced approach to regulating AI while protecting consumer data. The hosts and guest stress the importance of using technology for positive change and fostering societal improvement.
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CES 2024 Las Vegas playlist: 📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllTcuvjsP6zvFyZkL7z2D8WZ
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Resources
"Conversation with a Commissioner" CES Edition: https://www.ces.tech/sessions-events/ips/ips04.aspx
Can a Public-Private IoT Device Certification Process Better Protect Consumers?: https://www.ces.tech/sessions-events/ips/ips02.aspx
Unlicensed Innovation - The Impact of Wi-Fi & Beyond on Daily Life: https://www.ces.tech/sessions-events/ips/ips10.aspx
Learn more about CES 2024: https://www.ces.tech/
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Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording, as errors may exist. At this time, we provide it “as it is,” and we hope it can be helpful for our audience.
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[00:00:00] Sean Martin: Marco.
[00:00:01] Marco Ciappelli: Sean.
[00:00:02] Sean Martin: I feel uh, I feel the innovation running through uh, through my veins.
[00:00:09] Marco Ciappelli: I thought you were gonna say I feel the need for speed.
[00:00:12] Sean Martin: I feel the need for speed. That too. That too. Innovation is, is running at the... Speed of innovation.
[00:00:20] Marco Ciappelli: Well, I guess for people like us that like to talk about technology, when you start looking at an event like the one that we are introducing now, as this is the first, uh, the kickoff conversation for probably the tech event in the world.
Uh, a good level of adrenaline start flowing through your vein, Alistair.
That's all.
[00:00:42] Sean Martin: Exactly. I think many people when they hear the words or the letters CES, uh, which is presented and hosted by Consumer Technology Association, CTA, uh, things perk up a bit. Uh, they get excited. Uh, all, a lot of cool stuff comes, uh, from that event.
A lot of things are unveiled and the future. is, uh, on display for all of us to see, right? And for you and I, it's a chance to talk about, well, how does that future look? As we like to look at things from the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society. So how do each of those things play on each other?
With, of course, the ultimate goal of... Recognizing that we as humans control that future. So how, how do we have our voice, uh, in there to, to define the, the future that we want and how can we embrace it to, uh, embrace technology to get, to get what makes us feel good from
it all.
[00:01:46] Marco Ciappelli: Absolutely. A big conversation.
And as usual, what do we know? We just bring people that know more about what we do. So Sean, who we got today, who we're going to kick off the conversations about CES with?
[00:02:00] Sean Martin: Well, today I think we're going to, we're going to get a slice of some of the stuff going, uh, going on mostly around, uh, Policy and standards and I think we'll touch on security and privacy as well, if I'm not mistaken.
We have David Grossman on. David, thanks for, uh, thanks for joining us.
[00:02:19] David Grossman: Thank you so much for having me. Uh, as excited as you are, uh, as we approach, uh, CES 2024. This is, I think, will be my 16th CES, uh, so I've, uh, Seen a lot over the years. CES is the most powerful tech event in the world. We'll be convening in Las Vegas, January 9th to the 12th, and we're all on.
That's our theme for CES 2024, AI, transportation tech, startups, smart cities, digital health, and solutions for a better and more sustainable planet. We're expecting over 130, 000 attendees for CES 2024, 3, 500 plus exhibitors. Within that is our Eureka Park area with over 1, 000 startups from around the world.
We also have some really exciting keynotes that we've addressed, that we've announced in the last few days and weeks, including the, uh, for the first time ever, uh, a keynote speaker from the beauty industry. We'll have the CEO of L'Oreal. We have, uh, keynotes from Walmart CEO, the CEO of Intel, HD Hyundai, NASDAQ.
Qualcomm, and most recently we announced for our leaders in technology dinner on January 10th. We'll be hearing from the CEO of Best Buy.
[00:03:56] Sean Martin: That's fantastic lineup and I'm sure it only continues and continues and continues. And the one interesting point there, uh, that I don't know if others picked up on it, but certainly some of those brands you could easily attach tech company.
Tech company, tech company, but it's not just the normal tech company that, that's innovating and using technology to drive, uh, drive things, right? Uh, L'Oreal, for example, healthcare and beauty and wellness, and I'm sure they're in a lot of things, leveraging technology to make our, our lives better. And to feel better about ourselves, right?
[00:04:42] David Grossman: That's absolutely right. And, and having been at CES and been a part of it for so many years, I've seen that evolution. Now, from the earlier days when CES was most known for unveiling the latest televisions, uh, to now seeing on the show floor, uh, a giant combine from John Deere and John Deere's CEO was one of our keynotes at CES 2023.
So you're seeing these various industries come together with technology, whether it's in agriculture, whether it's food tech, transportation. Um, these are companies in many cases that have, uh, been around for many years and have deep histories, but they're becoming technology companies and they're bracing AI, uh, and other solutions to be, become more efficient, uh, uh, reduce costs.
Um, there, there's a lot to be excited about.
[00:05:44] Marco Ciappelli: Well, you know, you just said something and you both went there. Technology companies, every company nowadays. So I talk a lot about the intersection of society and technology. And my jokes is that I can talk about pretty much whatever I want because technology touch everything.
And I think again, to look a little bit back into your 16 years at the CES. If I look at the topics that you're covering now, it's a window on our present and our future. We're talking about, you have family and lifestyle, fitness, food technology, space, and pretty much anything I can think about. And as much as I would like to tell me what the next Walkman is going to be.
Um, I think this is way more exciting. So, um, it's beautiful. Can you tell me a little bit about looking back? I mean, what have been, in your opinion, the big, the pivotal moments maybe in the last 16 years of the Broadus where we are now?
[00:06:50] David Grossman: Yeah, well, I think you've touched on it, which is the broadening of the type of companies that come to CES and see it as the place to be in terms of the, uh, Most powerful tech event in the world, uh, you know, across all of these industries.
One of the observations that I have, look at the automotive industry and for many years, uh, after market, um, auto, uh, companies and products were on display on the CS floor, whether it was Uh, subwoofers, car audio systems, uh, that moved into portable GPS units over the years. And now you see the major automakers are, are here, uh, on the show floor at CES and including, um, as we, as I noted, Hyundai and, and Kia, as, as well as, uh, a number of other, uh, ones.
Honda, uh, Mercedes. Just to name, name a few. So I think, you know, that's, that's one of the areas that I've seen in terms of uh, trends, certainly, uh, AI is going to play, uh, and have a big, big role in, in the story being told at this year's, this coming year's CES. We've seen advancements in 5G. I think that's a, another.
just in terms of, uh, the growing dependence and importance of connectivity and all of these, uh, technologies that we see on the show floor.
[00:08:25] Sean Martin: And then I think Marco and I have said this a few times over the years that the things that are possible now, and that'll be even more possible later are the results of.
Many things working, coming together to produce bigger and better things. And so you mentioned 5G, you mentioned AI, everything's data driven. I can see a lot of those threads, which are innovations to themselves, kind of running through a lot of things. Um, but then we also start to hear conversations on ethics and.
Policy and culture and things like that. And I know that that's, uh, an area that you're a big part of in, in this coming year's, uh, season, if you will, um, talk to us a little about, about some of those non technical threads that are starting to run through almost everything as well.
[00:09:28] David Grossman: Sure. And yes, so my day to day job, I serve as the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Consumer Technology Association.
And so, the role that we're looking at in our team is the intersection of policy and technology. And that's a great, another great example of the evolution I've seen. Since I, when I first came to, uh, the Consumer Technology Association, then CEA, the Consumer Electronics Association in 2006, is, uh, just the breadth of, of policy issues and, and also how those conversations have evolved in Washington.
I think they were still, they still felt very niche. 15, 16 years ago, um, policy makers really trying to grasp and understand the time. You know, we were still focused on just getting basic connectivity into American homes. Well, truthfully, we are still working on bringing high speed broadband, but... No, those conversations were going on.
We were talking about cloud computing and data and well, we are still talking about privacy and cyber security, but I do think that those issues, um, have heightened in significance. And also, I would say the number of government agencies within the U. S. that are looking at technology issues, um, has also grown, uh, substantially.
And you have traditional agencies like the Federal Communications Commission. I'm an alumni of that agency that has always been the regulator of telecommunication services going back, uh, to the early 1930s. So they've always had a window. Into telecommunications, but you have the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, all of these agencies are looking at different aspects of the technology policy conversation.
And to tie that back to CES, we have a show within a show in some ways called our Innovation Policy Summit, uh, IPS, where we do conversations around. many of these topics, whether it's cyber security, trade policy, antitrust and competition, blockchain, uh, AI, privacy, and the future of broadband. And so I'll be moderating a couple discussions as, as part of that program on the show floor, or excuse me, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, just off the show floor, um, where we'll bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders.
To have conversations about these issues and, um, what's great about our IPS sessions, uh, not only do we expect that they will be live streamed this year, uh, but those who purchase the basic, uh, conference pass for CES, uh, will be able to attend those IPS sessions.
[00:12:36] Sean Martin: Just looking at, uh, Some of the, some of the items there on the list. I mean, it's a full, full page, uh, a long, I don't want to say a long day, but a full day of cool stuff. Um, I mean, starts off with health innovation. Clearly, uh, Technology driving health and doing so in a way that, uh, preserves, uh, the, the safety of the patient is, uh, super important, right?
Uh, you look, yeah, go ahead.
[00:13:11] David Grossman: No, I was just going to say, no, that's another example of a, a huge growth area that, that I've observed in my time at CES. You know, when I, when I think back to my first show, I really don't remember that much in the area of digital health, uh, and now it's such a big part of the show floor, uh, for some time, the conversation was just about wearables, but now You're seeing, uh, healthcare companies who also see them as, uh, tech companies as well, exhibiting on the show floor.
Abbott is a, uh, one, uh, example of, of a company in the health space that will be here at CES 2024 this year. Yeah.
[00:13:56] Sean Martin: We've, we've moved on beyond, uh, connected and smart toothbrushes. I'd say, uh, there's so much going on there. Uh, I'm looking here at the other list. There's. IOT and another, uh, consumer protection thing where you have certification.
Um, I'm just gonna be not touch on all of these. Uh, let's see. I'm looking at autonomous vehicles, another big area, right? That seems to be hitting a lot of, a lot of places in not just the U. S. but all over. It is.
[00:14:29] David Grossman: It is indeed. And I'd love to talk a little bit more about the IoT and cybersecurity one, because I spend a lot of time on it.
I think it's something that would be of interest to your listeners if they haven't been following the work on this. It's a multi year effort, but really has... Uh, made its way into the, uh, public discourse really in just the, the last year or so. And this is a conversation around how can we, uh, raise the bar when it comes to cyber security of consumer connected devices.
And from a consumer standpoint, how can we give consumers more information at the point of sale when they're buying these connected devices to know about. The cybersecurity measures that have been, uh, put into place on that device. So there have been conversations at the highest levels of the US government.
There are other countries, including Singapore and Germany that already have their own, uh, connected device, IOT, uh, security labeling program. Right now, the Federal Communications Commission has a proposed rulemaking where they're seeking comment. and developing the contours for this program that they have said they hope to be able to launch by the end of 2024.
There's a lot of excitement from the industry perspective. First of all, we're talking about a program that's proposed to be voluntary, so companies will have the opportunity to choose whether they want to participate. The other thing is that it's based on the work of NIST. And there is a lot of trust in NIST as an expert when it comes to technical standards.
They've been working on recommendations related to this topic of IoT labeling cybersecurity for for some five years now. And the basis of what the FCC is proposing is to use that baseline work that NIST has developed. So one of the Innovation Policy Summit conversations panels we will have, I'll be moderating, is on this very topic.
We hope to have leaders both from industry, as well as consumer groups, consumer reports will be part of that panel discussion, as well as leaders from government. And we see this as a great example of a public private partnership. How can industry and government Uh, work together, raise the bar on cybersecurity and give consumers more information, uh, when they make decisions about buying products.
[00:17:22] Sean Martin: Yeah, we actually spoke, uh, with Jeff Marone from, uh, NIST, uh, I think it was in 2020. Around this time a few years back about this very topic. So, uh, it's good to see that, uh, we have some continued, uh, investments and, and, uh. That's a big topic as part of CES. I want to touch on one more thing, and I know that Marco wants to jump in as well, of course, but just the, the concept of privacy.
I know this also is part of the IPS Summit. It's a focus on U. S. privacy, um, and the topic is called, uh, Consumers Deserve Better than a patchwork of confusion. So I, I know this very well and I've talked on my show a few times, but from the CES perspective, why, why is this important and who who's coming together for this conversation with what's the goal with, with this particular.
[00:18:25] David Grossman: Yes, so I'll start with where we as an organization where the Consumer Technology Association stands and we have long called for a national privacy bill that is ultimately signed into law to give. Uh, consumers, uh, consistency, uh, to give, uh, manufacturers and retailers, uh, consistency because the reality is, uh, a patchwork of state laws just does not work, uh, when it comes to the internet.
Which is global in nature and certainly, uh, does not stop across state lines. So we'll be having a conversation about what that looks like. It's been a conversation before Congress for a number of years now. The push to, to pass legislation into law, uh, to create a national privacy framework. And so that's going to be the focus of that conversation.
I know that we will have a representative of the Federal Trade Commission, as well as industry representatives to, to talk about their vision for privacy in the United States. But as you said, it also intersects with What's happening globally, GDPR, uh, as well as other privacy laws, uh, around the world. Um, we have to have that conversation from a bigger picture and recognize that the U.
S. isn't the only player out there.
[00:20:00] Marco Ciappelli: It sure is not. And I think that, uh, looking at things from a global perspective, it make me think about a few conversation that we just had, um, on the smart city topics, uh, for, Well, in Barcelona, there was the World Expo, and when I think about that kind of conversation, where it includes, again, politicians, it includes cities, it includes companies, and at this point, again, it's really no Any more about the new gadget.
That's for sure. And, and when I also look at other thing that, that, uh, the CES grow into is really understanding that technology is affecting our life. And so we're, I see there is panel in diversity and inclusion. There is talks about that. Um, human security. You guys already talked a little bit about that.
And of course, I think that, uh, the elephant in the room I'm imagining this year is probably going to be a lot of generative AI and, and ethics. So, uh, um, anything they do that you want to touch on in regards of, uh, This few things that I just said, and then we can close the conversation.
[00:21:16] David Grossman: Well, I think that data privacy and AI are inextricably connected.
I mean, you have to have a conversation about all three of those at the same time. And as we refine the considerations around rules and Uh, guardrails for AI at the national level. Um, we have to at the same time ensure that national approach to protecting consumer privacy. Uh, and so I think you're absolutely right.
AI is going to be a big theme at CES 2024. We'll have a policy session, uh, at least, uh, one in our, uh, IPS track and certainly others throughout the, the conference programming. Uh, but, uh, we need a balanced approach to, to regulating AI, uh, as well as privacy, uh, to ultimately ensure that consumer data is protected and to be able to enable businesses to grow and innovate.
[00:22:15] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, absolutely. I cannot think of a better global stage like this one to make all this thing happen. And of course, it's a conversation that is going to be ongoing and for probably a very long time. I don't know. Yeah.
[00:22:35] Sean Martin: I mean, I'm just looking at the, the topics and of course I'm, I'm an operational guy. I like to look at how stuff gets built and, and actually used we're.
I'm also a consumer and I see a lot of topics touch on that Cool new gadget too. I see the fitness and wearables and the gaming and the eSports and the web three, and the metaverse and, and uh, sports technology. Certainly space is another area you mentioned earlier, Marco. These are fun things as well. So as we, as we wrap here, I'd like to give you the final word, David, is, is there anything.
You're just like, Oh, I'm so inspired by this. I can't wait to see X.
[00:23:20] David Grossman: Yeah, I'm going to answer that question, but probably not in the way that you were expecting by, by not, uh, I'm not going to go with this.
[00:23:28] Sean Martin: Be innovative in your response, David. Go for it.
[00:23:30] David Grossman: I'm not going to go with a specific technology, but instead to talk about, uh, the role that technology is playing and solving.
The world's biggest challenges. And one of the things that CTA is really proud of is our work with the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the World Academy of Art and Science on the human security for all global campaign. And one of the things that's will be happening at CS22. 24. Uh, we'll be focusing on the critical role that technology can play to improve every aspect of the human experience, from fostering food security, access to healthcare, access to financial tools, environmental protection, political freedom, and economic security.
And you're gonna see that theme woven throughout the show from exhibits to conference programming. and dedicated CES Innovation Awards. Um, on September 18th, um, during the, uh, UNGA, uh, the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, technology was announced as a new security pillar. So you're going to hear us talking quite a bit about that at CES 2024, and I think that that's something that's really exciting because it's, it fits into that message of tech for good.
We're talking about technologies that are exciting, fun for consumers, but they're also making a real impact, bringing about societal change for the good.
[00:25:04] Marco Ciappelli: Absolutely. The more you talk about this, the more that I see a reflection of... Our entire society that is happening in one place, January 9 to the 12th in Las Vegas, but it's really a global vision and looking inside at where we're standing.
So yes, it's great today, what I call the blinking light and funny noises of technology, but it was also good to know that so many entities are involved. Uh, and so many countries and it's, uh, it's really a vision in our humanity and where we are going. So I'm really excited. I'm grateful for bringing, uh, this first, uh, first episode of our coverage, and all your thoughts.
And I really appreciate it. I'm sure Sean appreciate it. Then I'm quite sure that our audience are thinking. About all of this and hopefully they'll, uh, they'll follow and come to the show as well. So a big thank you, to you and, uh, good luck for this big event that you've been putting up.
[00:26:17] David Grossman: Well, thank you so much for having me and we look forward to seeing you January 9th to 12th in Las Vegas.
[00:26:23] Marco Ciappelli: Looking forward as well.
[00:26:25] Sean Martin: Perfect. Thanks, David. Appreciate it.