What is Merge Labs? OpenAI invests in Sam Altman-backed BCI startup taking on Neuralink

Key Highlights

• The company's co-founders include Mikhail Shapiro, Tyson Aflalo, and Sumner Norman while enterpreneuers Alex Blania, Sandro Herbig and Sam Altman have also joined in a personal capacity.
• The company says it is pursuing its goal by developing ‘fundamentally new approaches to brain-computer interfaces that interact with the brain at high bandwidth, integrate with advanced AI, and are ultimately safe and accessible for anyone to use.’ The startup also notes that its ultimate measure of success will be creating real products which people love and will be intially used to help patients with injury or disease and later to ‘more broadly advance human capability’.
• Merge Labs is likely to only deepen the rivalrly between Elon Musk and Altman, the former's startup Neuralink also develops computer interface chips which allow people suffering from paralysis to control computers, phones, and robotic arms with their thoughts.
• However, unlike Neuralink which requires a surgery to implant the coin sized chip inside the brain of the patient, Merge Labs is developing more non-invasive methods like ultrasound in order to avoid implants.
• Merge Labs says it is developing entirely new technologies that connect neurons using molecules instead of electrodes to make this a reality.