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Waabi, Shield AI and GM Leaders Set Disrupt Session on High-Stakes Physical AI

September 24, 2026 at 11:05 EDT

Robotics
AI Agents

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 has scheduled a Real World AI Stage session bringing together Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun, Shield AI CTO Nathan Michael, and General Motors Director of Robotics Strategy Mikell Taylor to discuss when autonomous systems are safe enough to deploy. The 40-minute panel, 'Building AI Systems When Failure Is Not an Option,' is listed for October 14, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. PT as part of the October 13-15 conference at Moscone West in San Francisco.

Oct. 14, 2026 · Physical AI

When AI Failure Has Real-World Cost

Waabi, Shield AI and General Motors leaders are set for a 40-minute discussion on how autonomous vehicles, defense aircraft and industrial robots earn trust before deployment.

companies on the panel

minutes on the agenda

25,000+

Waabi robotaxi target

$12.7B

Shield AI post-money valuation

AI Programming Expands

1 stage

previous AI format

2 stages

2026 AI format

The added physical-AI track reflects a shift from software-only capability toward systems that must operate safely in roads, airspace and factories.

Deployment Trust Loop

Safety culture

Test and validate

Regulatory hurdles

Earn trust

Why builders care

The panel focuses on practical evidence: safety cases, simulation, validation and deployment readiness for high-stakes autonomy.

What remains hard

Timelines, liability, edge cases, labor impact and regulation remain open questions as AI leaves controlled testing.

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