CES 2024 updates: Car companies unveil new tech and Robert Downey Jr. targets scammers

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Welcome to opening day of CES 2024. This multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association is expected to bring some 130,000 attendees and more than 4,000 exhibitors to Las Vegas. The latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care, sustainability and more will be on display, with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.

The Associated Press will keep a running report of everything we find interesting from the floor of CES, from the latest announcements to most quirky smart gadgets.

Robert Downey Jr. fought off villains as “Iron Man” on the big screen for more than a decade. Now, in his latest off-screen role as a board member and strategist at AI security startup Aura, Downey wants to fight off digital scammers, he said at CES 2024.

Aura is an online app that uses artificial intelligence to monitor and track accounts and help prevent digital crimes, like scams, hacks and identity theft. The company revealed Tuesday at a panel that it will launch a new AI feature this year that it says will help parents identify depression, anxiety and other issues in their children’s lives by tracking their cellphone usage habits.

Downey said he was drawn to the company’s mission statement after his Instagram account was hacked in 2019.

“We’re all so busy in this information age,” he said, while emphasizing that he thought he had been proactive about protecting his accounts and information before he was hacked. “But it’s nowhere near enough.”

Mercedes-Benz unveiled several in-car tech upgrades at CES 2024, including an AI-powered virtual assistant that will be rolling out to its vehicles soon.

The German automaker's boasts their new cloud-connected AI-assistant is “natural, predictive, empathetic and personal" as it works to personalize interactions between drivers and their cars. The update will pair AI with added functions for infotainment, automated driving, seating comfort and charging.

Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schäfer also announced a partnership with Google to pre-install and integrate certain apps into their vehicles.

Honda premiered two concept vehicles, dubbed the “Saloon” and “Space-Hub,” for a new global electric vehicle series on Tuesday. The Japanese automaker says the Zero Series approach for EV development focuses on models that are “thin, light and wise,” with specific goals to minimize battery size.

The first models of the Zero Series are aimed at making their way to the North American market in 2026, the company said, with plans to introduce those vehicles in Japan, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East and South America afterward. Honda also unveiled a new "H mark" logo set to be used for its next generation of EVs.

Google on Tuesday showcased various ways the tech giant is integrating generative AI features into Android devices — including previously-announced customizable, AI-generated wallpapers and suggested text messages responses, written in styles ranging from casual to "Shakespearean."

The California-based company also took the opportunity to unveil some new features.

Chromecast is being expanded to more apps and devices, with TikTok content now able to be cast directly to TVs.

More automakers are also partnering with Google to offer vehicles with pre-install apps such as Google Maps and Assistant. The apps will come to select models from Ford, Nissan and Lincoln this year, with Porsche following suit in 2025.

Intel may be leaning into supporting AI with its Core Ultra chips, but the company decided to announce an expansion of its 14th Gen processor family for gamers and media creators who need raw power and performance from their PCs.