CES 2026: Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré Discusses AI's Transformative Impact on the Tech Industry
CES 2026 has commenced in Las Vegas, showcasing groundbreaking technology innovations. Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré highlights the pivotal role of artificial intelligence in reshaping the industry and enhancing consumer engagement.
TL;DR
CES 2026 opened in Las Vegas (Jan 6–9), and Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré says AI is no longer a future promise—it’s already embedded in how organisations think, create and deliver. He says Havas embraced AI early to boost insight, collaboration and tighter links between creativity, media and technology, as brands chase hyper‑personalised and immersive AR/VR experiences.
As CES 2026 gets underway in Las Vegas, Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré is using the stage to underline how deeply artificial intelligence is now woven into the way brands think, create, and operate. He positions AI not as hype for the future, but as a present‑day engine behind strategy, creativity, and client work.
CES 2026 sets the tone
CES 2026 has opened in Las Vegas as the Consumer Technology Association’s flagship technology show, running from January 6 to 9.
The event brings together global brands, startups, and tech leaders to showcase new consumer devices, AI‑powered services, immersive experiences, and other innovations that are expected to shape the coming year in business and media.
Starting the year with CES
For Yannick Bolloré, beginning the year at CES is about more than just seeing the latest gadgets; it is about standing alongside clients, partners, and teams who are actively defining what comes next for the industry. He frames the week as a moment that reveals which companies will lead and which will lag behind, arguing that gatherings like CES help sort genuine innovators from followers as technology and expectations shift.
AI moves from buzzword to backbone
Bolloré stresses that artificial intelligence has already crossed the line from distant promise to everyday practice, fundamentally changing how organisations think, create, and deliver solutions for their clients.
He notes that Havas leaned into this transformation well before AI became a fashionable slogan, and now treats it as a core layer that accelerates insight, strengthens collaboration, and more tightly connects creativity, media, and technology across the group.
Within that approach, AI is presented as a strategic partner that speeds up intelligence and decision‑making while human teams remain central to vision, empathy, and big creative ideas.
From CES 2025 to the future of engagement
Looking back at CES 2025, coverage highlighted how hyper‑personalised, AI‑driven campaigns and immersive experiences built with augmented and virtual reality were already pointing to the next era of consumer engagement.
AI tools were used to power real‑time, emotion‑sensitive messaging, while AR and VR opened up new formats in which people could explore and interact with products, turning advertising into something closer to a hands‑on experience than a passive impression.
Those trends form the backdrop for CES 2026, where the conversation has evolved from experimental pilots to large‑scale, AI‑infused strategies that seek to blend data, creativity, and immersive technology in everyday brand activity.
