CES, the world’s biggest trade show, wrapped its 2025 edition in Las Vegas. While AI is poised to change everything, its presence at the show was more theoretical than tangible. This paradox—AI being both everywhere and nowhere—defined CES 2025. Sure, there were smart gadgets, predictive algorithms, and personalized assistants sprinkled throughout the show, but few felt groundbreaking. It’s clear we’re in the early days of consumer AI, where marketing outpaces practical deployment. Still, if you need more CES, we’ve got CNet’s Fascinating CES Gadgets, The Verge’s final day wrap up, ZDNet’s top smart glasses, and Gadgets you’ve got to see from Tom’s Guide. They clearly found a lot to love where I saw nothing but sameness.
Infinite Reality Raises $350M; Moves Valuation to $12.25 B. Infinite Reality (iR), a diversified company focused on AI and immersive technologies, has secured a $350 million equity investment from a private multi-family office focused on global technology, media, and real estate, at a valuation of $5.1 billion. This funding follows iR’s $450 million acquisition of Landvault, a tech firm specializing in immersive technology and digital twins for Fortune 500 companies and government organizations. iR previously acquired The Drone Racing League for $250 M.
AI-powered mineral exploration company KoBold Metals raises $527M. The Berkeley, CA-based startup specializes in AI-driven mineral exploration. KoBold employs generative AI and machine learning to analyze historical geophysical data, identifying overlooked deposits of critical metals like copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt, essential for batteries and renewable energy technologies. The $527 million in a Series C funding round was co-led by T. Rowe Price and Durable Capital Partners, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.
Roto VR May Be The Quester’s Must-Have Accessory. Equipped with a motorized base and full-body haptics, Roto VR seeks to address common VR challenges such as motion sickness and limited physical space. Developed in partnership with Meta, the chair is compatible with Meta Quest headsets and is available for pre-order at $799, with shipments expected to begin in October 2024. Engadget’s Jessica Conditt was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t make her hurl.
Cinematic AI
This column is also the basis of the AI/XR podcast hosted by its author, Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, former studio executive and co-founder of Red Camera, and Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap. This week our guest is Dean Takahashi, lead writer for VentureBeat and GamesBeat. We can be found on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.
What We’re Reading
The Weirdest Tech at CES 2025 (Jennifer Cohen/The Verge)
Why context-aware AI agents will give us superpowers in 2025 (Louis Rosenberg/VentureBeat)
