In smartphones, "AI" is often used to enhance the look and quality of your photos. Qualcomm said that it's going even further, using AI to improve the cellular performance and coverage of your 5G smartphone as well. Specifically, Qualcomm claims that it's building AI capabilities into its modems to improve their signal coverage, further refining the range of all the radios connected to the device, including 4G and 5G. The AI technology will be included in the Snapdragon X70 modem that should ship this year and appear in smartphones in 2023. Qualcomm used the occasion of its 5G Summit to make the announcements, many of which are designed to improve the performance of the short-range, high-speed millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology.

Computers may be poised to take control of driving in the future, but humans will be backing them for some time yet. Tech giants Waymo and Uber Technologies Inc., auto makers General Motors Co. GM -0.85% and Nissan Motor Co. NSANY -1.16%, and upstarts like Phantom Auto are all developing ways for people to remotely assist their autonomous vehicles during complicated driving situations. "You're going to want as many different backup systems as possible, and human beings performing remote operations is one of those," said Anthony Foxx, former U.S. Transportation Secretary and adviser to venture-capital firm Autotech Ventures. Having human backup will likely help alleviate concerns that regulators and insurance companies have about the new technology, he added. Driverless cars, using sensors, cameras and digital maps, tend to navigate the world based on road markings and rules of the road.