CES 2026 breakdown, Meta goes nuclear & more (January 12, 2026)

Good morning,

CES hardware launches are setting the direction for AI in 2026. Big tech is locking in power, compute, and distribution advantages. Regulators are stepping in as AI moves closer to commerce and public risk.

Let’s dive in 👇

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🚀 Big Tech & Platforms

🤖 CES 2026 shows where AI hardware is going

CES 2026 everything revealed from Nvidia’s massive GPU updates to AMD’s competitive new chips highlighted how aggressively vendors are pushing on-device and edge AI. Nvidia focused on developer tooling and enterprise inference, while AMD leaned into efficiency and price pressure. The takeaway is clear, AI hardware competition is intensifying beyond data centers.

🧬 Meta goes nuclear for AI power

Meta signs multi-gigawatt nuclear energy deals to secure long-term power for its AI infrastructure. The move reflects how compute demand is reshaping energy strategy at the highest levels. Expect more hyperscalers to follow with direct energy sourcing as grid constraints tighten.

🛒 Google pushes AI shopping agents

Google bets on AI-based shopping with new agents designed to help retailers automate discovery, pricing, and recommendations. This positions Google closer to the transaction layer, not just search. Retailers gain automation, but platform dependency deepens.

🛡️ Regulation, Safety & Retail

🚫 Southeast Asia blocks Grok

Malaysia and Indonesia block Grok after deepfake abuse triggered political and social concerns. The bans highlight how fast governments are willing to act when generative tools cross red lines. Regional fragmentation around AI access is accelerating.

🏥 Google pulls AI medical overviews

Google removes AI Overviews for some health searches after accuracy and liability concerns. This signals tighter guardrails around high-risk domains like medicine. AI features will likely return, but with narrower scope and heavier validation.

🛍️ Walmart deepens Gemini integration

Walmart expands its AI push by embedding Google Gemini directly into shopping workflows. The goal is personalization, faster discovery, and higher conversion. Big retailers are moving from experimentation to core AI-driven UX.

🧰 Tools of the Day

→ Pickey AI – AI-curated reading lists from long-form content.
→ Atlas.co – Knowledge workspace for teams organizing AI research.
→ Trophy – Lightweight recognition and feedback powered by automation.

⚡ Quick Hits

→ Motional puts AI back at the center of its robotaxi reboot.
→ OpenAI is asking contractors for real prior work samples.
→ ChatGPT falls to another data-exfiltration attack cycle.
→ Google launches personalized shopping ads inside AI Mode.

🧠 TLDR

AI is pushing simultaneously into hardware, energy, and retail checkout flows. Governments are responding faster, especially around deepfakes and medical use cases. Big tech is locking in infrastructure advantages, while retailers and platforms race to own AI-driven commerce experiences.

Cheers,
David