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From climbing vacuums to cyber pets: Some highlights of CES 2026

From climbing vacuums to cyber pets: Some highlights of CES 2026

By RIO YAMAT and SHAWN CHEN

LAS VEGAS (AP) — CES 2026 offered a glimpse of a future that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie: bendable screens, paper-thin TVs and cars and gadgets that can think for themselves as they get to know you and your family’s wants and needs.

As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang put it, “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here.”

And everywhere you looked, robots. They roamed the show floor, assisted workers and entertained crowds — from humanoid helpers and furry “cyber pets” to task-specific machines.

Here’s a recap of some of the attention-grabbing gadgets at CES 2026, the annual technology trade show in Las Vegas:

Star Wars and Lego

Asad Ayaz, left, and Dave Filioni stand on stage with C-3PO and R2-D2 during an LEGO news conference ahead of the CES tech show Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Asad Ayaz, left, and Dave Filioni stand on stage with C-3PO and R2-D2 during an LEGO news conference ahead of the CES tech show Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Lego leaned heavily into fan nostalgia this week to unveil its latest innovation, enlisting Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer David Filoni and a lineup of familiar Star Wars characters, including Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and X-wing pilots.

On Monday, the company introduced Lego Smart Play, a new platform built around connected bricks, tags and specially designed minifigures in partnership with Star Wars. These smart bricks are equipped with sensors that detect light and distance, triggering coordinated lights and sounds when used together to bring builds to life. read more

Lyft and Uber drivers protest Waymo robotaxis as California considers further regulations

Lyft and Uber drivers protest Waymo robotaxis as California considers further regulations

By HAVEN DALEY, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drivers for Lyft and Uber protested self-driving Waymo taxis in San Francisco on Friday, urging state regulators to exercise greater oversight of autonomous vehicles, given recent events in which the cars killed pets and blocked traffic.

Demonstrators holds signs during a protest by Uber and Lyft drivers asking state regulators to take self-driving taxis off the streets due to safety concerns at the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters
Demonstrators holds signs during a protest by Uber and Lyft drivers asking state regulators to take self-driving taxis off the streets due to safety concerns at the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

About two dozen drivers and supporters spoke or held up signs calling for safer streets and greater accountability outside the offices of the California Public Utilities Commission, which met Friday to consider further regulations on autonomous vehicles.

A steady stream of Waymo cars drove past the protest, a testament to the growing ubiquity of the white cars in San Francisco.

“I personally am not against technology; what I am against is unfair treatment,” said Joseph Augusto, who drives for both Uber and Lyft. “We have these people, these companies, these autonomous vehicle companies who are driving around the city, and they don’t seem to be held to the same standards as us drivers.”

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Meta lines up massive supply of nuclear power to energize AI data centers

Meta lines up massive supply of nuclear power to energize AI data centers

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Meta has cut a trio of deals to power its artificial intelligence data centers, securing enough energy to light up the equivalent of about 5 million homes.

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The parent company of Facebook on Friday announced agreements with TerraPower, Oklo and Vistra for nuclear power for its Prometheus AI data center that is being built in New Albany, Ohio. Meta announced Prometheus, which will be a 1-gigawatt cluster spanning across multiple data center buildings, in July. It’s anticipated to come online this year.

Financial terms of the deals with TerraPower, Oklo and Vistra were not disclosed. read more

Experts say Trump pullout from UN climate fighting will hurt world and leave US out of green surge

Experts say Trump pullout from UN climate fighting will hurt world and leave US out of green surge

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the entire United Nations climate-fighting apparatus takes America’s environmental isolation to another level and is likely to damage both the United States and the world as the planet flirts with ecological tipping points, experts say.

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Leaders from around the world say the United States will be left behind as more than 190 other nations join in what they call a blossoming green economy that is transitioning from polluting coal, oil and gas to cleaner and cheaper solar, wind and other renewable energies. read more

GM hit with $6 billion in charges as EV incentives cut and emissions standards fade

GM hit with $6 billion in charges as EV incentives cut and emissions standards fade

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

General Motors will be hit with charges of about $6 billion as sales of electric vehicles sputter after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them and also eased auto emissions standards.

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Shares slid almost 3% Friday.

The charges that will be recorded in the fourth quarter follow an announcement in October that the Detroit automaker would take a $1.6 billion charge for the same reason in the previous quarter, with automakers forced to reconsider ambitious plans to convert their fleets to electric power.

The EV tax credit ended in September. The clean vehicle tax credit was worth $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones. read more