Autonomous vehicles, drones, and AI will dominate Mobile World Congress 2017

If you're looking for the future of mobile, it may be time to stop staring at the palm of your hand and look instead toward the open roads and sky. On Monday, the ginormous trade show Mobile World Congress will open its 2017 edition in Barcelona where about 100,000 people are expected. While there will be the usual unveiling of select smartphones and tablets, MWC has dramatically increased the presence of drones and autonomous vehicles as it seeks to expand the concept of what we mean by the word "mobile." The event is dedicating almost an entire day each to vehicles -- both connected and autonomous -- and drones. In addition, the conference has added multiple sessions on artificial intelligence, both as it relates to vehicles and drones, as well as other mobile uses.