Moonshots With Peter Diamandis: Ben Lamm on AI, De-Extinction, and the Biological Singularity

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When biology, AI, and extinction collide, the result isn't science fiction—it's Colossal.

In this episode of Moonshots With Peter Diamandis, we're diving into a conversation with Ben Lamm, founder of a company now valued at more than $10 billion dollars. And here's something fascinating: Lamm says his lack of a biology background is actually a massive advantage. That's counterintuitive. How does not having expertise become an advantage? He says it lets him hire smarter people, ask sharper questions, and spot problems experts sometimes miss.

George Church, the Harvard geneticist often called the father of synthetic biology, even described Lamm as the best student he never had. I love that. And speaking of expertise, how is AI changing the biology work at Colossal? Lamm explains they're using foundation models and middleware to connect lab notebooks, Jira, and scientific workflows. AI is becoming incredibly useful for simulation, comparative genomics, and narrowing the gap between how different studies describe the same experiment. Though wet lab work remains essential.

But there's a bigger vision here, right? Something Lamm calls Noah's Arc 2.0? Exactly. That means building localized biosystems, expanding sequencing capacity, and studying thousands of genomes across evolutionary lines. For Lamm, the data set is more valuable than the model itself. The real power comes from understanding how traits evolved, not just reading a genome.

What about the ethical concerns? You can't just bring back extinct species without considering the implications. Absolutely. Lamm says Colossal considers ecological impact, extinction history, indigenous perspectives, and spiritual concerns before moving ahead. He also argues that bringing back creatures people thought were mythical can inspire conservation and teach the public about genome engineering.

The technical progress sounds astonishing. What are they achieving? Colossal has moved from 20 gene edits to more than 300 at 90 percent efficiency, and is now testing 1,000 edit deliveries.

Lamm believes synthesis will eventually outpace multiplex editing. And here's the big one: within 24 months, Colossal will birth mammals fully ex utero, from gestation through delivery, without a surrogate. Wait, artificial wombs for mammals? That's groundbreaking. It is, and since mammoths are social animals, the goal isn't one creature in isolation, but herds with the right structures around them. What are the broader stakes here? Lamm warns humanity could lose half its biodiversity in the next 25 years. He argues governments should fund species backup on a massive scale. His message? There will be scary moments, but he believes in human ingenuity, childlike curiosity, and the idea that if you ask for help, people usually say yes.