On January 27, 2026, Regenerate Cascadia community members joined over 200 participants in a virtual dialogue examining the current state of regenerative technology. Hosted by the Regenerative Technology Project, the session brought together technologists, investors, researchers, and systems thinkers to assess where the tech sector stands and explore pathways toward designing technology in service of life rather than extraction.
The event opened with a critical acknowledgment of technology’s dual nature. While innovation continues to expand possibility, contemporary technological systems are simultaneously amplifying harm through deepening social divisions, eroding mental health, accelerating material extraction, and concentrating power asymmetries that undermine local and community agency.
The presentation and facilitated discussion centered on four central questions reshaping the technology landscape. Participants explored what regenerative artificial intelligence might look like and how it fundamentally differs from sustainability-focused or green technology approaches. The conversation also examined how indigenous and place-based wisdom could inform the design of modern technological systems, rather than perpetuating extractive paradigms inherited from industrial-era thinking.
A key theme emerged around reimagining digital infrastructure itself. Participants considered what it would mean to digitize stewardship, care, and accountability rather than continuing to encode extraction and control into technological systems. This reframing prompted deeper reflection on redesigning the entire technology stack to support regeneration across social, ecological, and economic systems simultaneously.
The event served as a crucial moment for the broader community to pause and assess the implications of current technological trajectories. Attendees recognized that business-as-usual approaches are insufficient for addressing interconnected crises. The dialogue specifically engaged people working inside and adjacent to the tech ecosystem, from corporate and investment environments to regenerative, research, and community-based spaces.
The virtual gathering demonstrated the growing recognition that technology redesign is urgent and possible. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, participants began charting what the next chapter of technology could become. This State of the State assessment provides a foundation for Regenerate Cascadia members and partners to continue this critical work, building on the momentum generated through collective questioning and systems thinking about technology’s future role in regenerating rather than degrading life.