Leading the Future: Ecosystem Convergence at CES 2025
No company can shape the future alone. The most transformative innovations happen where people, culture, technology and industries intersect. Today, ecosystem convergence—the strategic fusion of capabilities across sectors—has evolved from a competitive edge into a necessity for organizations seeking to remain relevant, resilient, and regenerative.
Today’s consumers expect more than connectivity, they want experiences that are intuitive, empowering and trustworthy. In response, companies are moving from stand-alone products to connected ecosystems that deliver secure, personalized value at every touchpoint.
At its core, convergence transforms once-disconnected systems into new possibilities, where cross-industry collaboration unlocks outcomes that no single entity could achieve alone.
At #CES2025, ecosystem convergence is taking center stage, demonstrating how cross-industry partnerships are integrating AI, connected commerce, sustainability, and smart systems to create human-centered experiences that reshape consumer expectations. Leading companies in this space are projected to drive over $80 trillion in annual revenue within the next five years—accounting for one-third of the global economy.
AI and the Power of Convergence
At CES 2025, AI has moved beyond powering individual products—it’s now orchestrating entire ecosystems. From smart homes and wearables to mobility and health solutions, #AI is creating networks that seamlessly adapt to users’ needs, behaviors, and surroundings, all while setting new standards for ethical design, privacy, and personalization.
Mobility & Smart Cities: The convergence of automotive technology, urban infrastructure, and digital commerce is reshaping transportation.
Hyundai Mobis and ZEISS have developed a Holographic Windshield Display (HUD)—a fusion of automotive electronics and optics that transforms the windshield into an interactive display. This innovation positions vehicles as smart city nodes, delivering real-time navigation and alerts while paving the way for autonomous mobility.
Mastercard and Mercedes-Benz introduced biometric in-car payments last year, letting drivers authenticate and pay with a touch—turning vehicles into dynamic extensions of smart cities where mobility meets digital convenience.
Connected Living: The convergence of entertainment, fashion, and home technology is reshaping how we live and interact.
LG, Samsung and Google have developed smart home devices that use Matter—an open-source standard that enables devices from different brands to work together. This lets consumers mix and match devices, such as pairing sensors with Google Nest hubs or controlling LG and Samsung appliances through a single app.
Samsung's AI-powered refrigerators now restock groceries via Instacart, showing how AI simplifies everyday routines.
Meta and Ray-Ban are merging style and function with smart glasses that bring virtual assistance and social media into daily life.
Personalized Health & Wellness: The convergence of wearables, telehealth platforms, and AI technologies is revolutionizing healthcare experiences.
L’Oréal has developed Cell BioPrint, an innovative tabletop device that analyzes skin at the cellular level, providing predictions on how skin will respond to active ingredients within minutes. This advancement, developed in collaboration with NanoEnTek and the University of Oregon, underscores L’Oréal’s commitment to personalized, science-driven beauty solutions.
Abbott and Omron are integrating glucose monitoring with remote patient tracking to advance proactive, connected care through comprehensive, real-time health insights.
Withings and Amazon Alexa are enhancing health data accessibility with voice-activated updates, making health monitoring more interactive.
Next-Generation Robotics: Robotics ecosystems are evolving from task-based machines to collaborative, human-centric service companions.
Boston Dynamics and Assa Abloy are integrating autonomous security features into the Spot robot, enabling seamless navigation of secured spaces.
Serve Robotics, backed by Nvidia, is partnering with Uber Eats to streamline last-mile delivery using autonomous robots.
In hospitality and healthcare, Richtech Robotics collaborates with industry leaders to deploy service robots such as ADAM and Scorpion, which personalize interactions to enhance guest and patient experiences.
These collaborations demonstrate how AI is powering convergent ecosystems, connecting cross-industry partnerships that redefine consumer experiences. But for these ecosystems to be resilient and regenerative, they must prioritize people, privacy, trust, and shared purpose—aligning the entire value chain.
This marks a shift from technological novelty to meaningful impact, with AI evolving from a convenience tool to a driver of positive change for people, the planet, and business.
Ecosystems of Trust: A Growth Mandate
The future belongs to those who see convergence not just as a technological shift but as an opportunity to lead with trust and shared value. Trust—confidence in integrity and transparency—is the foundation of successful ecosystems. Without it, partnerships weaken, and progress stalls.
#Future-proofing today’s ecosystems requires holistic action rooted in trust and shared purpose. To support this, we introduce the #HAPTIC framework—a blueprint for building resilient and regenerative ecosystems that drive lasting impact.
HAPTIC is built on five essential pillars designed to foster innovation, strengthen trust, and enable long-term growth and resilience.
Human+: Nurtures meaningful relationships with customers, employees, partners, and communities to build trust and drive collaboration.
Planet+: Emphasizes sustainability as a growth driver, focusing on regeneration over depletion and advancing net-zero goals.
Product+: Reimagines offerings as personalized and shared experiences that are modular, scalable, and designed for circularity.
Tech+: Transforms ecosystems into intelligent systems, integrating secure, scalable, and ethically responsible technologies.
Culture+: Ensures ecosystems are inclusive and values-driven, emphasizing diversity, equity, and global perspectives.
Together, these pillars form the foundation for ecosystems that inspire loyalty, deepen connections, build resilience and drive generational growth.
Leadership for Generational Growth
Building ecosystems that meet today’s needs while creating lasting impact across generations calls for a HAPTIC approach.
True #leadership lies in co-creating a future where innovation benefits both people and the planet. Let’s create this future together.
Rori DuBoff & Detria Williamson
Alt Future | January 2025
