Shield AI, Waabi, and General Motors on building AI when failure is not an option at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

An AI chatbot can give you a bad answer. An AI system controlling an aircraft, vehicle, or robot can create an entirely different kind of problem. When artificial intelligence (AI) moves into the physical world, a mistake can ground an aircraft, cause a vehicle crash, or compromise a mission. So how do you know when an autonomous system is actually ready to leave the lab?

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 , Shield AI Chief Technology Officer Nathan Michael, Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun, and General Motors Director of Robotics Strategy Mikell Taylor will tackle that question on the Real World AI Stage in “Building AI Systems When Failure Is Not an Option.”

The conversation will get into the work behind deploying AI where the stakes are high: creating a safety culture, testing and validating systems, navigating regulatory hurdles, and earning trust.