CES 2026: Shapiro, Fabrizio Discuss Gov’ts Impeding AI, Innovation Agenda

CTA Executive Chair & CEO Gary Shapiro and CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio focused on how AI is to the 21st century as electricity was to the 20th during their CES 2026 kickoff keynote.

“If electricity is the last century, AI will illuminate the next,” Shapiro insisted. “AI is transforming every industry, every home, every life. Fire, the wheel, the internet, every leap forward has reshaped humanity. AI is what’s defining the next generation.”

But both Shapiro and Fabrizio also used their CES platform to excoriate trade restrictions, especially tariffs, as impeding AI and other innovation development, to enthusiastic audience applause.

“We’re living in a time of extraordinary opportunity, and of course, there is growing risk,” Shapiro remarked. “We know that. And around the world, policies are either accelerating innovation or they’re slowing it down. I’ll be the bad guy. Here’s what’s not working—trade restrictions and shifting tariffs.

“There are [government] rules that limit rights or restrict the tools that people rely on,” Shapiro continued, “policies that are shaped by fear instead of facts, and mandates on design instead of performance. All of this creates confusion and uncertainty, and stifles innovation. And that’s why we don’t just sit around and say, ‘This hurts.’”

Shapiro was seconded by Fabrizio, who cited counties adopting “more consistent national frameworks that protect consumers while still keeping innovation open, competitive, and human centered. We’re also seeing innovators and content creators collaborating, not litigating, to promote creativity, protect rights, and unlock new opportunities that balance fair use.”

Shapiro cited CTA’s Global Innovation Scorecard, initiated at last year’s CES. The Scorecard measures the political, economic, and demographic factors that foster innovation, and to award those aiding this effort.

Shapiro attributed the Scorecard’s initial success stories to minimal and common-sense national regulatory hurdles. “In many cases, the market is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. New technologies are emerging that supercharge free expression and creativity. It gives creators more control and expands what’s possible, and often it’s faster than government or regulation ever could.

“The best role for government is to set clear big goals and to set clear guardrails that minimize uncertainty in litigation,” Shapiro insisted, “and let innovators and consumers figure out the rest.”

“This moment will define who leads the future and whose values guide our technologies,” Fabrizio added. “We need collaboration, not silos, among companies, researchers, and policymakers.”