Shield AI, Waabi, GM Leaders Tackle High-Stakes AI at Disrupt 2026

Three executives building autonomous systems for the military, roads, and industrial robotics will explain how they test AI before it operates without a human backup, according to a session announcement from TechCrunch for its Disrupt 2026 conference.

Who is speaking on the panel?

The session, titled "Building AI Systems When Failure Is Not an Option," pairs Shield AI chief technology officer Nathan Michael, Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun, and General Motors Director of Robotics Strategy Mikell Taylor on the Real World AI Stage, TechCrunch reported. The panel is one of several industry-specific stages at the event, alongside participation from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Replit, according to the outlet.

What separates this from a chatbot error?

The framing TechCrunch uses draws a line between AI that answers a prompt incorrectly and AI that pilots an aircraft, drives a vehicle, or runs a mission. In those settings, a fault can ground an aircraft, cause a crash, or compromise an operation, the outlet noted. The panel is expected to cover safety culture, testing and validation, regulatory hurdles, and how operators build trust in autonomous systems before deployment.

What has Shield AI's Hivemind platform done recently?

Michael leads development of Hivemind, Shield AI's platform-agnostic mission autonomy software, and previously directed the Resilient Intelligent Systems Lab at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, according to TechCrunch. In February, Hivemind was selected as an autonomy provider for the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone prototype program, the outlet reported. A month later, Shield AI announced $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation, per TechCrunch.

What is Waabi scaling with Uber?

Urtasun founded Waabi after serving as chief scientist and head of R&D at Uber ATG, and has spent 25 years in AI and autonomous vehicles, according to TechCrunch. She is also a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, a co-founder of the Vector Institute for AI, and has published more than 200 AI papers, the outlet said. In January, Waabi raised $1 billion and announced a partnership with Uber to support deployment of 25,000 or more Waabi Driver-powered robotaxis, TechCrunch reported.

How can someone attend the session?

TechCrunch is offering ticket discounts of up to $200 for Disrupt 2026, plus 50% off a second pass, if purchased by September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT, after which prices increase, according to the outlet's registration page linked in its announcement.

What does General Motors bring to the discussion?

Taylor holds the title of Director of Robotics Strategy at General Motors, according to TechCrunch, though the source material does not detail specific GM robotics programs beyond her participation on the panel. Her presence alongside Michael and Urtasun signals that the conversation will span military, commercial trucking or ride-hail, and automotive manufacturing contexts, per the session description.