OpenAI backs Merge Labs to make brain-computer tech less sci-fi, more real
Merge Labs just raised $250 million—OpenAI wrote the largest single check in the round, which the company described as undisclosed—to build brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that don't require surgery.
The big idea: making it easier (and way less scary) for people to connect their brains with computers.
What's Merge Labs actually doing?
Instead of implants, Merge Labs aims to connect with neurons using molecules instead of electrodes and deep-reaching modalities like ultrasound to read brain signals from outside the body.
They see medical use cases and also describe broader ambitions.
OpenAI is teaming up with them to create AI models that can decode these complex signals and adapt them for each person.
Who's behind this?
Merge Labs was co-founded by Sam Altman, Alex Blania, and Sandro Herbig, along with people including Mikhail Shapiro, a researcher at Caltech, and Tyson Aflalo and Sumner Norman, co-founders of Forest Neurotech.
The numbers
Merge Labs is now valued at $850 million—pretty impressive for a company fresh out of stealth mode.
For context, Elon Musk's Neuralink sits at $9 billion.
This huge investment shows how much buzz there is around non-invasive BCIs in medicine and beyond.