CES Worst in Show Awards Call Out the Tech Making Things Worse (apnews.com)

At this year’s CES, the “Worst in Show” awards spotlighted several AI-infused products deemed unnecessary or intrusive by consumer advocates. Among the notable recipients was Samsung's “Bespoke AI Family Hub” refrigerator, which failed to reliably respond to voice commands amid ambient noise, raising concerns about elevating complexity in what should be a straightforward appliance. Other criticized items included an AI companion called Ami, which tracks users’ emotions and eye movements but alarmed privacy advocates with its “always-on” feature, and Amazon’s new Ring doorbell capabilities, which involve controversial facial recognition and expansive surveillance features. These awards, judged by independent experts from organizations like Consumer Reports, aim to highlight troubling trends in technology, urging manufacturers to reconsider product design choices that may sacrifice user privacy, usability, and environmental responsibility. For instance, the AI-powered treadmill from Merach garnered backlash for its potential security vulnerabilities related to biometric data collection. Overall, these criticisms underscore the need for the AI/ML community to prioritize user-centric solutions that truly enhance everyday life rather than complicate it.