Last year, public trust in U.S. institutions had its steepest decline (almost 10%) since the Edelman Trust Barometer’s inception 18 years ago.

This year’s CES was no different than the last few: we saw again that any product — anything at all, really — can and will become “smart”. But “smart” is not always the same as “wise.”

After wandering among thousands of exhibitor booths, sampling the brain fruit of so many ambitious tech entrepreneurs, undeniable patterns emerge.