AI continues to be the massive factor within the tech world, nevertheless it’s not the massive new factor. It has been round lengthy sufficient that merely integrating it into your product is not sufficient to make it stand out anymore, particularly on the largest tech present on the earth. Whereas I attended this 12 months’s CES, the development I observed again and again on the present flooring was that AI is getting bizarre now. From private hologram sidekicks to a gaming monitor that mainly cheats for you, listed below are the 5 weirdest AI innovations I noticed at CES 2026.

Razer is supplying you with your personal private anime lady

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

Finally 12 months’s CES, gaming life-style firm Razer launched Venture AVA, an AI esports coach idea that was only a disembodied voice that lives in your laptop computer. Yawn. This 12 months, the corporate’s increasing on that by bringing AVA into the true world.

In Razer’s suite this 12 months, I held a dialog with “Kira,” an anime lady “hologram” that lives in just a little USB tube you may plug into your laptop computer. She observed my orange sweater because of a digicam put in within the tube, earlier than asking me in regards to the present and prompting me to begin up a spherical of Battlefield 6, the place she gave me some generic loadout recommendation. I spoke along with her utilizing microphones additionally constructed into her tube, and she or he responded utilizing her personal speaker relatively than the laptop computer’s. Razer mentioned this demo was extra directed, therefore why she introduced up gaming straight away, however that the tip purpose is to let the brand new AVA work as a convincing all-purpose AI companion, so you do not have to make use of it for under play.

To that finish, the corporate says it is “AI agnostic,” so you may plug your personal mannequin into it. The demo I ran by was clearly utilizing Grok, and customarily felt lots like speaking to the AI companions constructed into that app, proper all the way down to the cringeworthy jokes. However Razer mentioned you can theoretically use ChatGPT or Gemini as an alternative.

Whereas we had been chatting, Kira performed animations courtesy of Animation Inc., which powers comparable however extra app-driven AI companions. In different phrases, the chatbot and the animations aren’t actually new right here, so what you would be shopping for could be the USB tube and the characters.

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

Kira is not your solely choice for an AI companion right here—she’s a typical anime gamer lady, however I additionally acquired to briefly take a look at Zane, a tattooed muscle man within the deepest V-neck I’ve ever seen. You’ll be able to type of see the audience for each of those characters straight away, however if you would like one thing extra tame, you may also have your tube show Razer’s emblem surrounded by an audio waveform, which merely goes by AVA (although the undertaking as a complete continues to be known as AVA). And the corporate’s additionally engaged on superstar likenesses, with esports star Faker and influencer Sao having already given their approval.

Razer mentioned it is nonetheless engaged on determining the way it’ll distribute these characters, and I used to be advised you’d get a bundle of them along with your buy, however would most likely have the ability to purchase extra down the road.

As for pricing and availability, no phrase on that. That is technically nonetheless an idea, so it would return to the drafting board once more. However Razer’s web site does say it is hoping for a launch within the second half of 2026, and you could put $20 down now to order your unit.

In brief, in case you strip away the performance that is already baked into apps you may obtain now, the brand new Venture Ava is mainly a speaking hologram toy on your desk. That is nonetheless not a foul pitch, however sadly, I am undecided if hologram is the correct phrase for this. Kira regarded fairly flat to me, much less like that one Princess Leia projection and extra like she was displaying on a standard clear display that simply occurred to be caught inside a cylinder. I do not suppose the novelty fairly matches the pitch but.

The gaming headset that makes use of AI to learn your thoughts

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

At any time when I play a aggressive sport, as an alternative of hopping proper right into a match, I as an alternative load up into a couple of apply classes to heat up. It is useful, however time consuming. The brand new Neurable x HyperX idea headset is hoping to vary that by serving to you lock in inside only a few minutes.

Basically, it appears to be like like a standard gaming headset, however constructed into the earcups are varied sensors that may supposedly learn your focus ranges. These are much like the brain-computer interfaces you may need seen in sci-fi exhibits, those with a bunch of wires and discs hooked up to them, however shrunken down for the patron market, with no creepy wires in sight.

That is the place the AI is available in. Shrinking down the sensors a lot does imply this headset will get fewer readings than the larger ones in labs, however Neurable claims its fashions are nonetheless capable of decide up on tendencies in these readings and translate them into helpful information, whereas additionally throwing out junk information.

For avid gamers, meaning it might probably run you thru a fast focus train known as “Prime,” the place you focus whereas noticing a cloud of dots shrink right into a stable orb. As soon as that is completed, which took about 90 seconds for me, you are supposedly centered up and able to play.

Sadly, I really did worse in a apply taking pictures sport after focusing than beforehand, however that does not imply the information was ineffective. I ran by the train with a colleague whose rating improved by perhaps a few third after focusing, and with such a small pattern dimension, there may very well be any variety of causes I choked after focusing up. The corporate mentioned that it might even be useful to apply choking on this manner.

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

And at any fee, numbers are enjoyable. That is why I am most excited in regards to the headset’s plug-in for streamers, which permits them to point out their focus ranges on display for his or her chat to see. I might simply think about a group taking a look at that information and teasing their favourite streamer to attempt to distract them.

That mentioned, it’s going to be some time till you may really purchase this. It is nonetheless an idea for now, with no pricing or promise of launch. Nevertheless, Neurable does have already got an identical, non-gaming headset made with Grasp & Dynamic that might be transport out quickly, simply with out this software program. For extra, learn my full article right here.

Lenovo’s laptop computer can nod while you ask it a query

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

This one is extra of a {hardware} innovation, nevertheless it’s a intelligent contact. This CES, Lenovo launched a laptop computer with a motorized hinge that may mechanically shut, open, and even rotate from side-to-side. It’s going to be popping out later this summer time, however whereas the corporate was demonstrating the unit to me, it additionally confirmed off a prototype chatbot app it is making for it. This makes use of ChatGPT for now, and continues to be only a idea and won’t ship with the laptop computer. However it was cute.

Basically, whereas I talked with the app, the laptop computer displayed a giant pair of animated eyes on display, and used its hinge to nod or shake its head no once I requested it questions. It additionally displayed small animations in response to sure questions, like displaying an umbrella once I requested in regards to the wet climate.

It is nonetheless very early days, however I used to be impressed that the {hardware} was capable of acknowledge what an affirmative reply was and set off the laptop computer to reply accordingly. Plenty of AI feels fairly disconnected from the true world, so something that may give it a bodily presence might be a good suggestion if you would like folks to take it critically.

The Lenovo AI gaming monitor that is mainly dishonest

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

Additionally proven off at CES this 12 months, Lenovo’s AI Body gaming monitor might be probably the most virtually helpful merchandise on this listing, virtually to the purpose the place it appears like dishonest. Basically, this fills up a lot of the 21:9 display with an everyday 16:9 view of no matter’s in your laptop, and makes use of AI to point out a zoomed-in take a look at essential sport data on the remainder.

As an example, in a demo displaying a MOBA sport (suppose League of Legends), the monitor zoomed in on the map. In a demo displaying Counter-Strike 2, it zoomed in on the reticle. Personally, I did not suppose getting a blown-up take a look at the map was all that useful, however with the ability to continuously see what was primarily a sniper scope round my reticle was a sport changer, because it labored with any gun and made targets a lot simpler to see.

I might see Counter-Strike 2 developer Valve go so far as banning this if it ever makes its technique to market, because it’s taken comparable actions earlier than. However that is nonetheless simply an concept for now. Nonetheless, it exhibits that corporations are beginning to determine concrete methods AI will help you in your video games, past simply feeding you recommendation you most likely already know.

XREAL’s new AR glasses can mechanically convert any 2D content material into 3D

Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

Lastly, most likely my favourite AI invention at CES this 12 months was XREAL’s new REAL 3D expertise. Constructed into its latest AR glasses and already added to an current pair by way of a firmware replace, this makes use of AI to mechanically discover depth in any 2D video supply and convert it into 3D. And making an attempt it out for myself, it virtually regarded official.

Once I used it to play Mario Kart World, I’d have believed you in case you advised me Nintendo had added this mode itself. It additionally labored nice with James Cameron’s Avatar, and there was no loading time to set it up or flip it off. There additionally wasn’t any fuzziness, like there could be with glasses-free 3D screens just like the 3DS.

It is an ideal choice for individuals who like watching 3D video games and films, however may need hassle discovering them now that 3D TVs and the Nintendo 3DS are largely prior to now. Now, you may simply watch your current 2D library, however in 3D.

The one challenge you may come throughout is in content material that does not have depth. As an example, XREAL’s Ralph Jodice advised me the software program did not fairly know what to do when he tried taking part in the unique 8-bit Tremendous Mario Bros. with it, and would randomly emphasize solely sure sport property with none rhyme or cause. An phantasm of depth does appear to work, although. Tremendous Mario Bros. is completely flat, however once I tried watching the pen-and-paper animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with this expertise, it appropriately separated characters within the foreground from surroundings within the background, although every thing on display was completely hand-drawn.