The International Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this week in Las Vegas, NV. CNET's Senior Editor Dan Ackerman explains the trends he's watching for this year.

When looking specifically at smart home devices, Ackerman says companies are taking the technology behind smart assistants and building them into anything you can possibly think of. Notably, LG is building Alexa and Google Assistant into its OLED TV's. Ackerman says consumers can also expect smart assistants integrated into your laptops.

"It's a race to see who can get their smart assistant into as many products as possible," said Ackerman. While the hardware business is becoming increasingly competitive, Ackerman says there's real opportunity in building software.