CES Unveiled in Amsterdam 2024

CES Unveiled in Amsterdam returned in October to highlight European innovation through some rather interesting speakers and theories. This stop on the road to CES 2025 connected attendees with Europe's promising startups, industry leaders and media to provide a sneak peek at what to expect at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.

A host of fascinating speakers were brought together in one location, sparking the imagination and illustrating the possibilities, making one appreciate that the future is here and it's built around you, the user. The message is that the future of technology is mindful, inclusive and to be celebrated rather than feared. Understanding how we can use technology to secure energy supply, develop content that reflects culture and trends and how we bolster food supply and ways that we can extend our life expectancy through technology and collaboration with AI.

By attending CES Unveiled in Amsterdam, participants gained valuable insights into the latest technological advancements in addition to connecting with key players in the industry and contributing to the growth of the European tech ecosystem. As well as an exhibition floor for startups and companies to showcase their products and services there was a strong conference program with industry experts and thought leaders holding discussions on key tech trends and challenges. On the menu was a diverse range of cutting-edge technologies featured including, AI, Internet of Things, Sustainability, Smart cities and Health Tech.

Health Tech was certainly one of the notable themes evident at CES Unveiled. How will technology make us live longer, stay fitter and remain healthy? Once the voyeurism of fantasy left to the confines of books and movies, it’s actually closer than you may think. With billionaires investing in research and real world applications, the search for enhanced life expectancy is no longer a sci-fi storyline.

The planet's richest are keen to invest and enable us the opportunity to extend the average lifespan of humans, undoubtedly at a cost creating a broader wealthy poor divide, with unregulated procedures that only those with the funds and inclination have access to. Examples include:

• Reportedly Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner have invested in Altos Labs, a company focused on cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse ageing.

• Unity Biotechnology: Another Bezos-backed venture, is tackling age-related diseases by targeting senescent cells (cells that stop dividing and contribute to ageing).

• Google co-founder Larry Page has backed Calico Labs, which researches age-related diseases and potential ways to extend human lifespan.

• Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX): Neuralink’s implantable brain-computer interfaces could potentially be used to combat age-related cognitive decline. The goal being to revolutionise how we interact with technology, treat neurological disorders, and even enhance human capabilities.

• Marc Benioff: The Salesforce founder has donated to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and supports initiatives focused on extending "healthspan" - the period of life spent in good health.

• Melinda French Gates: While the Gates Foundation focuses on global health and development, Melinda French Gates has shown a personal interest in longevity research. She has supported organisations working on age-related diseases and initiatives promoting healthy ageing.

• Sam Altman (OpenAI): $180 million personal investment in Retro Biosciences puts him high on the list of movers and shakers in this growing trend to find the source code to a longer lifespan.

Combine the research these billionaires are funding with the active use of Nano bots that are injected into the body to administer medicines and repair or heal, the future for some may be very long thanks to technology and the ongoing exploration of such initiatives by some of the tech industries wealthiest.

Article written by Dan Todaro, Gekko Group Managing Director