CES technology trade show adopts social theme
Farm equipment took the keynote spotlight at the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas, as human security for all became the first theme in its 56-year history. In his speech opening... | January 7,…

Las Vegas, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Farm equipment took the
keynote spotlight at the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas,
as "human security for all" became the first theme in its
56-year history. In his speech opening the Consumer Electronics Show on
Thursday, John Deere Chief Executive John May laid out a
strategy of using technology to feed a hungry world as arable
land and rural labor decline while costs are rising. "Technology allows farmers to create more with less,"
May told an audience of 2,000 at one of the world's largest tech
events, organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The trade group is partnering with the World Academy of Art
and Science and the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security
to encourage the tech industry to help tackle the world's most
pressing problems. "This is the next big idea," said Walt Stinson, co-founder
of electronics retailer ListenUp, who approached the CTA about a
potential partnership. Several panels discussed how innovation helps to solve
global challenges. Representatives of Nokia of America Corp
, Siemens AG and Alphabet Inc's
Google talked about applying technology to help create a
sustainable supply of food and closing the global education gap. Working to improve the human condition ultimately pays
dividends, said Ketan Patel, a longtime Goldman Sachs banker who
now runs the Force for Good Foundation. "If you add to the purpose of every tech company, all of a
sudden you have a moral purpose, you have something that could
be hugely profitable," Patel said, "because your technology
reaches a customer base that (previously) was not profitable." The CES sessions are the first phase of the trade group's
"rolling thunder" campaign to raise awareness across all sectors
of the economy, said Garry Jacobs, executive chairman of the
Human Security For All campaign. The group plans to make its
pitch to the world's universities in the coming months. "These challenges cannot be handled by nation states or
multilateral institutions," said Jacobs. "It requires the
cooperation of global society in its different segments."
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Las Vegas; Editing by Richard
Chang)