A New Stage at Disrupt 2026 Bridges AI and the Physical World

As AI technologies accelerate and their applications expand, the transition of this technology from digital screens to the tangible physical world has become one of the most prominent trends occupying companies and investors alike. In a step reflecting this shift, the TechCrunch Disrupt conference—set to take place in San Francisco from October 13 to 15, 2026—has announced the launch of a new stage titled "AI in the Real World," alongside the traditional stage dedicated to AI.

Why Two Stages Instead of One?

Across previous editions of the conference, AI has held center stage, whether within general sessions or through a dedicated platform. But the widespread adoption of the technology and the multiplicity of its players prompted organizers to divide attention across two tracks. The first stage continues its usual coverage of AI, while the new stage focuses on the intersection between the digital and physical worlds.

This stage explores the ways autonomous systems are entering our daily lives, going beyond self-driving cars to reach public spaces, homes, and battlefields—even extending to controversial areas such as attempts to bring extinct species back to life.

Key Sessions and Speakers

The stage features an elite lineup of speakers from leading companies such as Shield AI, Colossal Biosciences, FieldAI, Foxglove, and others. The sessions are organized around several core themes:

• The Data Gap in the World of Robotics: While large language models relied on the internet, and self-driving cars benefited from millions of hours of road data, robots lack a comparable data source. The first session discusses what physical AI's "ChatGPT moment" requires, and how close we actually are to it.
• Safety Upon Entering the Physical World: When a digital system makes a mistake, the outcome may be minor, but an error in a physical system could mean a crashed vehicle or a failed mission. This session brings together leaders building autonomous vehicles, defense technologies, and industrial systems to pose a critical question: How do we ensure a system is ready for safe deployment?
• De-extinction of Species: Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, discusses the technologies used to bring extinct species back, the role of AI in modern biology, and the growing debate over whether engineering nature is an environmental achievement or a distraction from protecting what already exists.

AI at the Edge

One of the most important themes the stage addresses is running AI in environments the cloud cannot reach, such as defense, space, and industry. This session features Dr. Ali Agha, founder and CEO of FieldAI, alongside Michelle Lee, founder of Medra, and Aidan Madigan-Curtis, a partner at Eclipse Ventures. The speakers offer practical lessons on the architectural principles and design decisions that make systems work where latency is critical, connectivity is limited, and failure is unacceptable.

From Prototype to Production

One session shines a light on the toughest stage in the journey of deep-tech startups; a prototype that works is not a product, and a product that ships is not necessarily a scalable business. It is precisely in this space that most companies fail. Founders who successfully crossed this gap in the fields of space hardware, humanoid robotics, and autonomous systems will participate, including John Mackey of MBRYONICS, Boris Sofman of Bedrock Robotics, and Adrian McNeill of Foxglove.

An Event Gathering More Than Ten Thousand Attendees

This stage represents only part of the conference's packed program. Disrupt 2026 is expected to gather more than ten thousand startup, tech, and venture capital leaders across three days of knowledge sessions, Startup Battlefield competitions, and networking opportunities, in addition to access to all stages and the expo floor.

This expansion of the program reflects a growing recognition that the future of AI will not remain confined to screens, but will be shaped through its direct interaction with our physical world, with all the opportunities and challenges that entails.

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