At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the AI program is being divided between two stages. Alongside the existing AI Stage, the new Real World AI Stage will focus on the intersection of the digital and physical worlds, applications for autonomous hardware, and AI’s impact in the real world. The program will feature speakers from Shield AI, Colossal Biosciences, FieldAI and Foxglove.
In a session featuring Nvidia’s executive responsible for physical AI, Les Karpas, speakers will discuss how robots’ lack of as much data as large language models and autonomous vehicles limits the development of general-purpose robotic intelligence. The efforts of startups to close this gap by developing data infrastructures, simulation environments and foundation models will also be assessed.
Another session will examine how the risk of failure changes when AI is used in physical systems. Leaders developing autonomous vehicles, defense technology and industrial systems will discuss building a culture of safety, testing and validating systems, overcoming regulatory barriers, and earning trust in high-risk applications.
Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm will discuss technologies aimed at bringing extinct species back, the role of AI in modern biology, and whether reshaping nature through engineering represents an opportunity for conservation or an approach that diverts attention from efforts to protect existing species.
FieldAI CEO and founder Dr. Ali Agha, Medra CEO and founder Michelle Lee, and Eclipse Ventures partner Aidan Madigan-Curtis will discuss AI systems operating at the edge in defense, space and industrial settings where cloud connectivity is limited.
MBRYONICS CEO and co-founder John Mackey, Bedrock Robotics CEO and co-founder Boris Sofman, and Foxglove CEO Adrian Macneil will address the challenges of moving from prototype to production and to a scalable business model.
Disrupt 2026 will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco on October 13-15. The event is expected to bring together more than 10,000 startup, technology and venture capital leaders.
Why it matters
The focus of the new stage is shifting toward how AI can be applied not only in software environments but also in areas where the cost of failure is high, such as robots, autonomous vehicles, defense and industrial systems. This framework shows that general-purpose robotic intelligence faces a lack of data, while physical systems face testing, validation and safety requirements. Developing AI at the edge for systems operating in environments with limited cloud connectivity highlights the challenge of adapting the technology to different usage conditions. The key questions left open by the program are how these systems will be moved from the prototype stage to scalable products, how trust will be established in high-risk applications, and how new possibilities in biology will be balanced with existing conservation efforts.
Background
Nvidia is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 18 articles mentioning the name in the past 90 days; the latest is dated September 6, 2026.