Key Takeaways
- Sam Altman is backing Merge Labs, a startup developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface
- The technology uses ultrasound and magnetic fields instead of surgical implants
- Merge Labs is seeking $250 million in funding through OpenAI’s venture arm
- The approach directly competes with Elon Musk’s Neuralink but avoids brain surgery
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly backing a secretive startup called Merge Labs that aims to create a non-invasive brain-computer interface using sound waves and magnetic fields. This positions him as a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Neuralink, but with a crucial difference: no surgery required.
The Science Behind Merge Labs
Unlike Neuralink’s surgically implanted electrodes, Merge Labs’ approach relies on ultrasound technology and genetic engineering. The startup is assembling a powerhouse team including Mikhail Shapiro, a renowned biomolecular engineer from Caltech known for pioneering work in neural imaging and ultrasound-based brain interaction.
Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity (formerly Worldcoin), will also play a key role in the venture. Shapiro’s expertise in making cells responsive to sound waves through gene therapy could enable seamless communication between biological tissue and digital systems without any physical implants.
Altman’s Vision: Read-Only Brain Access
This new approach aligns with Altman’s stated discomfort with Neuralink-style implants. In August, he publicly declared he wouldn’t “plant anything” into his own brain, joking it “would kill my neurons.” However, the concept of merging human thought with AI clearly fascinates him.
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“I would like to be able to think something and have ChatGPT respond to it,” Altman said at the time. “Maybe I want read-only. That seems like a reasonable thing.”
The “read-only” concept – where AI can interpret but not alter human thoughts – is central to Merge Labs’ vision. Instead of piercing the skull, the company aims to use ultrasound and magnetic fields to create a brain-computer interface capable of reading signals non-invasively.
Major Funding and Future Implications
Merge Labs is preparing for a massive $250 million funding round through OpenAI’s venture arm, according to The Financial Times. Altman will be listed as a co-founder but won’t handle day-to-day operations.
While much remains secret, the project represents one of the boldest attempts to rethink human-AI interaction. If successful, Altman’s venture could make “thinking to your AI assistant” a reality – no chips, no surgery, just sound waves turning science fiction into reality.
As Shapiro explained in public lectures, instead of physically wiring electrodes into the brain, it might be “easier to introduce genes into cells” that make them sensitive to ultrasound, effectively turning the body’s own biology into a wireless interface.
