The TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 conference, scheduled for October 13-15 in San Francisco, will introduce a new “Real World AI” stage. This stage will focus on the intersection of digital and physical AI, including autonomous hardware, robotics, and the role of AI in potentially reviving extinct species. Speakers will include Les Karpas, Head of Physical AI at Nvidia, discussing the data gap in general-purpose robotic intelligence, and Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, on AI's role in de-extinction technologies.