Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan faced tough questions about his company’s AI products in an interview at CES 2026. The Verge’s Nilay Patel pressed him on several products, including a holographic AI assistant powered by Grok. Tan struggled to provide clear answers about the practical uses of these technologies.
Questions About Ava and Grok
According to The Verge, Patel asked Tan about Project Ava. This product features a holographic character in a tube that can respond to users. The CEO claimed it demonstrates technology Razer can create for game companies. He said players want to chat with game characters rather than click buttons.
Ava’s website accepts $20 deposits and lists a planned release in the second half of 2026. But Tan seemed uncertain about the timeline. He said Razer wants to gather feedback and hear concerns before launching. The product will run on Grok, Elon Musk’s AI platform.
Safety Concerns With Grok
Patel raised concerns about Grok’s recent problems. The AI has been used to create harmful content. Tan did not address these safety questions directly. Instead, he talked about Grok’s conversational abilities and mentioned software guardrails.
Gaming Plans and Products
Razer plans to invest $600 million in AI and hire 150 AI engineers. Patel noted that many gamers dislike AI in their games. Tan tried to separate what he called AI slop from useful AI tools. He said these tools will help developers with quality testing and make better games.
Tan described a QA companion that will work with human testers by filling in forms. He also discussed Motoko, headphones with a camera and AI features. The product would use a future version of ChatGPT that can interpret camera footage and audio.
The interview ended awkwardly when Patel asked what games Tan plays. The CEO mentioned genres like Civilization and battle royale games. But he could not name specific titles. When pressed again, he said he plays random stuff. This response seemed odd for someone leading a gaming peripheral company.
