CES: Sarah Silverman Didn’t Want to Pull a Michael Bay at Cisco Keynote

LAS VEGAS – By feigning to misread the telepromoter at Cisco CEO John Chambers‘ CES keynote, Sarah Silverman got big laughs by quipping: “I don’t want to Michael Bay this thing.”

Enlisted to help explain the Internet of Things, the comedian also told Chambers, “You got balls. Now go out there and do your keynote thing and sparkle.”

After that banter Chambers went on to state that the Internet of Things — a concept which connects everyone and every item via the internet – will save and make the world’s economies a staggering $19 trillion over the next 10 years.

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This will be achieved, said Chambers, by hooking up whole cities to a single unified and connected network. That’s $14.4 trillion in the private sector and $4.6 trillion in the public sector of new revenue generation or new savings.

“We can use video to make a 15 percent saving on city transport. Smart cameras will reduce crime. Put motion control sensors in street lighting and reduce energy by 80 percent. At the same time, make street lamp posts Wi-Fi hubs and also places to recharge electric cars.”

Smart waste management and smart parking were other elements of the smart city. “A year from now I will be talking about smart countries,” he said.

“2014 will be a transformational point for the Internet of everything,” he said. “This is where the majority of countries and business leaders will get it. It’s not just about a connected car or a connected fridge, but the combination of these together that changes processes and in turn allows for different entertainment outcomes and different business outcomes.

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“In the last nine months governments and business leaders have understood that the Internet of Things will transform everything from health care to education to retail — and it will be a money maker.”

He added: “Connectivity is not enough. You have to get the right data to the right person at the right time and on the right machine to make the best of it. It was a big bet for us to bet on the Internet of Things turning into a process change but it gives Cisco the opportunity to become the number one IT player.”

Pressing the point home, Chambers said, “The Internet of Things will be 5-10 times more impactful in one decade than the whole of the Internet has been to date.”

He touted statistics in support of his argument: In 1984, there were 1,000 devices connected to the Internet. By 2015, mobile devices will be greater than the total population. This year, 10 billion devices will have 77 billion mobile apps downloaded.