🧠 Altman's Startup Merge Labs Aims to Raise $850M for Neural Interface Development

Unlike its main competitor, Elon Musk's Neuralink, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's new project focuses on non-invasive technologies.

The company was co-founded by Caltech bioengineer Mikhail Shapiro, who has spent years studying how ultrasound and magnetic fields can influence brain cells, as well as ways to enhance neuron sensitivity to signals through genetic modification.

This approach could potentially enable communication between the brain and computers without requiring implanted devices. Shapiro himself believes that "it's much easier to modify cells to respond to ultrasound than to insert electrodes into the brain." Altman is also skeptical about the idea of brain chips.

"I would definitely not sow something to my brain. I would like to be able to think something and have ChatGPT respond to it," he told reporters.

Another co-founder of Merge Labs is Alex Blania, Altman's partner in the crypto startup World. According to Financial Times sources, the company aims to raise $850 million in initial funding, with most of it expected to come from OpenAI's venture fund.

@hiaimediaen