Gadgety

January 9, 2026, 7:12 PM EST. Consumer and privacy advocates named CES's Worst in Show for invasive, wasteful or fragile tech. The lineup included an eye-tracking AI soulmate for loneliness, a musical lollipop and new AI features for Amazon Ring doorbells. Samsung's Bespoke AI Family Hub fridge won the overall Worst in Show. Critics said the fridge struggled to recognize commands amid noise and mounting privacy and reliability concerns, noting its computer vision can track inventory and push replacements. Samsung defended the on-site demonstration, saying trade show floors differ from homes and that security and privacy are foundational. Judges from Consumer Reports, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and iFixit say the awards aim to spur better design, not shame, highlighting trends across the industry. Ring doorbells also drew privacy alarms for doubling down on data collection.