GoKawiilLaplace Intelligence builds AI red-teaming for robots and self-driving cars
Laplace Intelligence, a one-year-old Ann Arbor startup founded by Howie Sun and Henry Liu out of the University of Michigan, is developing automated systems that stress-test robotics and physical AI before deployment. The company grew out of academic research on challenging autonomous driving AI in simulation, including a 2023 paper the pair published in Nature. Laplace is presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield competition on October 13.
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As AI systems move from software into physical machines like robots and vehicles, failures carry real-world safety consequences rather than just digital ones, raising the stakes for rigorous pre-deployment testing. Sun suggests the company aims to create a body of evidence that could eventually be used by insurers and regulators, which could position automated red-teaming as a standard industry practice. The approach reflects growing industry concern, highlighted by incidents involving unpredictable AI agents, about verifying safety before autonomous systems are deployed at scale.
- Laplace Intelligence uses AI-driven automated red-teaming to stress-test robots and autonomous vehicles before real-world deployment.
- The startup originated from Nature-published academic research by founders Howie Sun and Henry Liu at the University of Michigan.
- Laplace is competing in TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield pitch competition in San Francisco.
Source: techcrunch.com — Rebecca Bellan, 2026-10-13
Published there as: “Laplace Intelligence red-teams robots and self-driving cars before they hit the real world”
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