Hear how AI can engineer nature’s comeback at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
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AI is helping a company talk about bringing extinct species back. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host that debate, not just the science.
Based on reporting by TechCrunch, TechCrunch Events — read the original for the full story.
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Bringing an extinct species back used to sound like pure science fiction. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, it’s now the subject of a real stage conversation, with Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm joining a fireside chat called “Can We Engineer Nature’s Comeback?”
The pitch is bigger than de-extinction as a stunt. The session is set to focus on the tools behind it — artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, genetics, and computational biology — and on the messy question underneath: if technology can help revive extinct species, should it? Just as important, what happens to conservation when AI starts shaping biology itself?
Colossal sits right at the center of that argument. The company says it is using AI and synthetic biology in work aimed at bringing extinct species back, which has made it one of the most watched names in science and tech. Lamm brings more than two decades of experience building companies at the edge of AI and other emerging technologies, including Hypergiant, Conversable, and Chaotic Moon.
The broader point is why TechCrunch is putting this on a stage at all. The event runs at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13–15 and is expected to draw 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators for 250+ sessions. That’s a lot of attention for a discussion that isn’t really just about one species. It’s about whether engineering living systems is a conservation breakthrough, a distraction, or something the industry hasn’t quite figured out how to name yet.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is exactly the kind of debate tech likes to pretend is neutral until it gets expensive. AI in biology isn’t just a new tool; it’s a power move, and the burden of proof should be on the people trying to rewrite nature, not the people asking awkward questions. The industry has a habit of calling every frontier “progress” right up until someone asks who gets to decide.
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