Disrupt 2026 adds new stage covering robots, de-extinction and edge AI

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TechCrunch has revealed the lineup for a brand new Real World AI Stage at its Disrupt 2026 conference this October, expanding beyond the single AI stage the event has run in past years to reflect just how much the technology, its implications and the players involved have grown, the new stage focuses specifically on the blending of digital and physical worlds as autonomous hardware moves beyond self driving cars into public spaces, battlefields, homes and even conservation efforts

The genuinely eye catching session on the lineup pairs Shield AI CTO Nate Michael discussing how founders building autonomous vehicles, defense technology and industrial systems know when a safety critical AI system is actually ready for deployment, alongside Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm, whose company has turned de-extinction from science fiction into a billion dollar business, discussing the technologies used to revive extinct species and the growing debate over whether engineering nature back into existence is a genuine conservation breakthrough or a distraction from protecting what already exists

Another session brings together FieldAI CEO Dr Ali Agha, Medra CEO Michelle Lee and Eclipse Ventures partner Aidan Madigan-Curtis to discuss how AI actually works when the cloud cant reach it, covering defense, space and industrial deployments where latency, limited connectivity and zero tolerance for failure require a completely different technical playbook than typical cloud dependent AI systems

A fourth session tackles the genuinely hard gap between a working prototype and an actual scaled business, featuring MBRYONICS CEO John Mackey, Bedrock Robotics CEO Boris Sofman and Foxglove CEO Adrian Macneil discussing what it actually takes to move from lab conditions to real supply chains and manufacturing realities across space hardware, humanoid robotics and autonomous systems

This new stage joins the existing AI Stage, which focuses on the SaaS business model shifts and security gaps AI is forcing on software companies, plus a Disrupt Stage featuring speakers from Amazon, Replit and Tether, a Smart Money Stage covering stablecoins and fintech, a Smart Systems Stage on fusion breakthroughs and grid infrastructure, and a Builders Stage focused on practical startup scaling advice, the event runs October 13 to 15 at San Franciscos Moscone West

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026's Real World AI Stage features robots, automated factories, and extinct animals  | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com