OpenAI invests heavily in brain-machine interfaces, and Altman is set to compete with Musk again

Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface company co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has completed a $252 million financing round, with OpenAI as the largest investor. The company is dedicated to developing devices that connect the human brain with computers, aiming for a seamless integration of humans and artificial intelligence. This move marks the extension of the competition between Altman and Musk from the field of artificial intelligence to the brain-computer interface arena. According to a report by Bloomberg on the 16th, this financing round was led by Bain Capital, with OpenAI as the largest investor. Other investors include Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, who also owns his own brain technology company, Starfish Neuroscience. Merge has stated that there are no further financing plans in the near future. Merge plans to first develop products for medical use, followed by offerings for general consumers. The company has not disclosed its valuation. According to PitchBook data, among major brain-computer interface companies, only Neuralink has a single financing round larger than Merge. This financing highlights the expectations of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors for the future: when artificial intelligence becomes advanced enough, humans will be willing, or even forced, to enhance their brains to fully leverage AI. Just as smartphones provide an entry point to the digital world, experimental brain technology is being designed to simplify this experience. Technical Route: Avoiding Invasive Implants Unlike competitors like Neuralink, Merge aims to develop non-invasive brain-computer interface devices. Co-founder and Caltech professor Mikhail Shapiro stated that this requires solving difficult scientific and engineering problems, which is why Merge was established as a research laboratory. “The founding idea of Merge Labs is that by focusing on these issues in a coordinated and resource-rich manner, we can solve them more quickly,” Shapiro said, who has studied the brain for decades. One of the company's core goals is to build high-bandwidth devices, which are capable of processing large amounts of data. "If we can interface directly with the brain at a higher bandwidth, we should be able to do things that are currently limited by existing interface capabilities," Shapiro stated. However, Merge claims it is too early to discuss specific applications. Competition Escalation: From AI to Brain-Computer Interfaces The launch of Merge intensifies the competition between Altman and Musk. The two were once close business partners and co-founders of OpenAI, but Musk left due to differences. Altman had previously invested in Neuralink. Musk founded Neuralink in 2016 with the aim of developing implantable devices to enhance human capabilities and ensure that humans are not left behind in the advancement of artificial intelligence. Experimental brain implant devices are already helping patients with paralysis and other severe conditions control computers with their thoughts and convert tentative speech into spoken words. According to Bloomberg, Altman expressed at a dinner with reporters last August that he hoped to make ChatGPT respond through thought. The following month, the president of Neuralink discussed similar ideas Other researchers are studying devices that read the speech people attempt or intend to express directly from the brain. Industry Landscape: Capital Flooding into New Tracks The brain-computer interface field has grown rapidly in recent years, with advancements in artificial intelligence providing the computational power needed for brain implant devices. The industry in the United States has raised over $2 billion, and similar companies in China are also developing rapidly with government support. Some companies are developing non-surgical products using external head-mounted devices, believing this will be more attractive. Merge has an office in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently with fewer than 50 employees, and plans to continue hiring. The company has not established the positions of president or CEO. Altman serves as a board member of Merge in a personal capacity, which means he can continue to serve even if he is no longer the CEO of OpenAI. OpenAI has the right to a board observer seat, but a candidate has not yet been selected. The board also includes the other four co-founders of Merge