The Coolest AI Gadgets from CES 2026

Hi everyone,

CES has just started and there’s plenty of great AI gadgets already.

Let’s get right into it.

In this issue:

• 🤝 In Partnership: Free session on clear leadership communication

• 🤿Deep Dive: Bizarre innovations unveiled at CES 2026

• 🤝 Powered by: The role of creators in AI shopping

• 📘 Learn Something: Expand AI and no-code skills to boost productivity

• 📰 Top News: News on AI, no-code, and productivity

• ⚒️Tool Snapshots: Tools for AI, no-code, and productivity

• 🖼️AI Art: Examples of great and trending AI art

🤝IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AXIOS

Attention is scarce. Learn how to earn it.

Every leader faces the same challenge: getting people to actually absorb what you're saying - in a world of overflowing inboxes, half-read Slacks, and meetings about meetings.

Smart Brevity is the methodology Axios HQ built to solve this. It's a system for communicating with clarity, respect, and precision — whether you're writing to your board, your team, or your entire organization.

Join our free 60-minute Open House to learn how it works and see it in action.

Runs monthly - grab a spot that works for you.

Save your seat

🤿 DEEP DIVE

CES 2026 Spotlights Quirky Gadgets from AI Panda Pet to Vibrating Chef’s Knife

Intelligence: CES 2026 showcased an array of unprecedented gadgets — from an AI-powered panda pet to a vibrating chef’s knife — in a TechCrunch report, underscoring the industry’s appetite for novelty and boundary-pushing consumer tech.

• The Project AVA hologram from Razer projects a 5.5-inch anime-style assistant that uses eye-tracking and a built-in camera to monitor users and offer productivity and gaming support.

• The An’An AI Panda Robot by Mind with Heart Robotics features high-tech sensors and emotional AI to provide personalized companionship and elderly care assistance.

• The Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro from GoveeLife uses patented AI NoiseGuard technology to predict freeze cycles and automatically defrost before loud ice-cracking, producing up to 60 pounds of ice daily.

• The Ultrasonic Vibrating Knife from Seattle Ultrasonics oscillates its blade over 30,000 times per second to ease slicing tasks and aid users with limited hand strength.

• The Music-Playing Lollipop by Lollipop Star delivers audio through bone conduction in a candy form, pairing flavors with tracks from artists like Ice Spice and Akon.

• These launches highlight CES’s role as a testing ground for experimental consumer technologies that prioritize novelty and spark industry conversation.

🤝POWERED BY LEVANTA

The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.

AI has changed how consumers shop, but people still drive decisions. Levanta’s research shows affiliate and creator content continues to influence conversions, plus it now shapes the product recommendations AI delivers. Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified.

Download the full report

📘 LEARN SOMETHING

Resources on AI, no-code and automation to boost productivity

• Master Claude Code Agent Skills - Explore how to effectively utilize Claude's code agent skills, including managing scripts and activating necessary hooks. By applying these techniques, you can streamline your workflow, enhance productivity, and ensure more reliable outcomes in your projects.

📰 TOP NEWS

News on AI, no-code, automation, and productivity

• AI Prescription Renewals Utah - Utah launched a pilot allowing Doctronic’s AI to autonomously renew 191 chronic-care prescriptions—covering blood pressure meds, SSRIs and more—within its regulatory sandbox to cut average 26-day refill wait times and boost adherence; experts warn of safety risks without direct physician oversight. (commerce.utah.gov)

• Google-Powered Siri Upgrade - Apple will pay Google about $1 billion annually to license its 1.2 trillion-parameter Gemini AI model to power a major Siri overhaul. The move plugs a hole as Siri trails rivals and serves as a stopgap until Apple’s own AI plans mature.

• Microsoft January Layoffs - Microsoft is reportedly planning to cut 11,000–22,000 roles (5%–10% of its 220,000 workforce) in January 2026 to help fund soaring AI infrastructure costs, after Q1 capex hit $34.9 billion and FY 2026 spending is set to top $80 billion. The move highlights growing cost pressures as the company shifts resources from payroll to AI investments.

• Boston Dynamics Atlas Robot Demo - Boston Dynamics showcased its Atlas robot, demonstrating advanced mobility and agility, including a 360-degree range of motion. This highlights significant progress in robotics, raising discussions about the potential for robots to perform complex tasks and their implications for future job markets and daily life.

• Poisoning Stolen KGs - Researchers propose AURA, a data-adulteration defense that injects false entries into proprietary knowledge graphs, causing stolen KGs to yield just 5.3% accuracy unless filtered with a secret key. It preserves 100% fidelity for authorized users with under 14% latency.

⚒️ TOOL SNAPSHOTS

Futuristic tools within AI, no-code, and productivity

• 🧠 2-b.ai - Highlight, plan, and execute tasks using AI in browser.

• 🎵 Canary - Learn languages through music and interactive karaoke practice.

• 🤖 Instruct 2.5 - Watch, guide, and automate tasks across your apps.

• 🔍 Okara Reddit Agent - 24/7 product promotion for startup visibility on Reddit.

• 🎨 HueBuddy - Offering precise paint mixes from your photos.

🖼️ AI ART

Examples of great and trending AI art

🎯QUICK FAVOR

I’m updating how I write TIW and want to make sure it fits what you actually do all day.
If you’ve got 30 seconds, answer a few questions about your role, tools, and goals:
👉Fill out the TIW reader survey
It’ll help me send you fewer “meh, not for me” issues and more “oh, this is exactly what I needed” ones.

ℹ️ ABOUT US

The Intelligent Worker helps you to be more productive at work with AI, automation, no-code, and other technologies.

We like real, practical, and tangible use-cases and hate hand-wavy, theoretical, and abstract concepts that don’t drive real-world outcomes.

Our mission is to empower individuals, boost their productivity, and future-proof their careers.

We read all your comments - please provide your feedback!