TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 features Colossal Biosciences on AI-driven de-extinction

Not long ago, bringing an extinct species back to life belonged to science fiction. Today, it’s the mission of a billion-dollar startup. Advances in artificial intelligence, genetics, and computational biology are changing what’s possible in conservation research, raising questions that extend far beyond the laboratory. If technology can help revive extinct species, should it? And what role should AI play in shaping the future of biodiversity?

Those are the questions at the center of **“Can We Engineer Nature’s Comeback?“,** a Real World AI Stage fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.

Joining the conversation is Ben Lamm, Co-Founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a company pioneering efforts to bring extinct species back through advances in synthetic biology and AI. Rather than focusing solely on the science, the discussion explores the technologies behind de-extinction, the role AI now plays in modern biology, and the growing debate over whether engineering nature represents a conservation breakthrough — or a distraction from protecting the ecosystems we already have.

Disrupt returns to Moscone West in San Francisco, October 13–15, bringing together 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators for 250+ sessions exploring the technologies and market forces shaping what’s next. Hear one of this year’s most provocative conversations. Secure your pass to Disrupt.

Where AI meets biology

AI is already reshaping software, robotics, and scientific research. Biology may be its next frontier. Researchers are using AI to analyze genetic data, model biological systems, and accelerate discovery. Companies like Colossal are pushing those advances even further, applying AI alongside synthetic biology to questions that until recently belonged in science fiction.

This session explores where those technologies intersect and what happens when AI moves beyond digital systems and into the natural world. For founders working at the intersection of deep tech, life sciences, and AI, it’s an opportunity to hear how one of the industry’s most ambitious companies is approaching problems few organizations have attempted to solve.

Explore the Real World AI Stage lineup and register for Disrupt today.

A founder building at the edge of what’s possible

Ben Lamm has spent more than two decades building companies at the intersection of AI and emerging technologies. A serial entrepreneur, he’s built businesses focused on solving complex challenges — from enterprise AI and critical infrastructure to conversational intelligence. Before founding Colossal Biosciences, he launched several pioneering technology companies, including Hypergiant, Conversable, and Chaotic Moon, which were later acquired by Trive Capital, LivePerson, and Accenture.

Today, he’s applying that entrepreneurial mindset to an entirely different challenge: using AI and synthetic biology to explore de-extinction as a conservation tool. That work has made Colossal one of the most closely watched — and most debated — companies in science and technology. As CEO, Lamm sits at the center of conversations about biodiversity, climate resilience, emerging technologies, and the responsibilities that come with engineering living systems.

His experience offers founders a rare look at what happens when breakthrough technology doesn’t just disrupt an industry, challenging how we think about what’s possible.

Join the conversation with one of tech’s most unconventional founders. Secure your Disrupt pass today.

A conversation bigger than de-extinction, only at Disrupt 2026

Reviving extinct species captures headlines. The broader questions may prove even more significant. As AI becomes part of scientific discovery, conversations about technology increasingly extend beyond software into medicine, biology, conservation, and climate science. Those advances bring new possibilities, but they also raise difficult questions about how, and where, these tools should be used.

Whether you view de-extinction as a scientific breakthrough, a conservation strategy, or a controversial experiment, the discussion reaches far beyond any single species. It asks what role emerging technologies should play in solving some of the world’s most complex problems and who gets to decide.

Lock in your pass to Disrupt with up to $200 in savings, and join the conversation about where AI, biology, and innovation intersect.