Bob Sternfels

Why AI will dwarf every tech revolution before it: robots, manufacturing, AR glasses from CES 2026

Jason, Bob Sternfels, Hemant Taneja

The event analyzes the acceleration of AI adoption in enterprise settings, highlighting a shift from long-term strategy to rapid deployment that is compressing investment timelines and creating a disconnect between traditional hiring models and the cost-effective capabilities of AI agents. Speakers forecast a future workforce defined by "radical collaboration" and a "conductor" model where employees manage teams of AI, while emphasizing that human skills like aspiration and ethical judgment will remain critical as the half-life of employee skills shrinks to under four years. Simultaneously, the discussion addresses the physical evolution of technology, noting that while Western software innovation leads in autonomy and robotics, manufacturing bottlenecks and infrastructure constraints currently hinder global adoption, necessitating new approaches to build resilient supply chains and reintegrate human development pathways.