Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), took to the stage yesterday morning to officially open CES 2024 and welcome attendees from over 150 nations around the world.
“Technology enables us to do more with less and delivers creative solutions that transform our world,” said Shapiro in his opening keynote. “We all know we’re in a time of growing challenges and growing divides, so it’s no overstatement to say technology is vital to the survival and flourishing of humankind.”
CTA is celebrating its 100th anniversary during CES 2024, and there are interactive anniversary events taking place at the CTA Center in the LVCC Grand Lobby, a CTA historical timeline in the West Hall connector, and signs and historical photo ops placed throughout the show.
The CTA, which began as the Radio Manufacturer’s Association in 1924, has continued the work started by its founders. “[CTA has] evolved as technology has evolved. We’ve gone from hardware to software, to understanding that every company can be, and perhaps should be, a tech company. We’re urging policymakers in Washington and around the globe to adopt rules and laws that protect consumers, but also promote innovation and growth,” said Shapiro. “That means developing lighter-touch rules that support the businesses, the big ones, but also allow the small ones to enter so there can be innovation in areas like AI, digital health, mobility, sustainability, and more.”
Kinsey Fabrizio, senior vice president of CES and membership at the Consumer Technology Association, also welcomed attendees and gave an outline of what attendees could expect at CES, as well as highlighting some of her favorite innovation topics — digital health and sustainability, which are two of the 41 technology categories covered at CES 2024.
“As we develop better, more personalized treatment, we need to make sure that no one is left behind,” said Fabrizio. “That’s why at CES 2024 you’ll see telehealth and more that are making healthcare more accessible and inclusive.”
CTA’s efforts aren’t limited to the United States, and in 2023 Shapiro announced the addition of technology as the eighth pillar in the year-old Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign during the General Assembly meeting of the United Nations. Existing HS4A security pillars are economic, environmental, food, health, political, personal, and community security.
“Technology is part of who we are,” added Shapiro, “but we’ve also come to understand that technology can and must play an even more powerful role in society.
“We’re looking forward to the next 100 years, the next innovations that will amaze, astonish, and inspire us, and the next generation of entrepreneurs who will dream up and build the world-changing technologies that will make a real difference in people’s lives.”
