OpenAI founder’s Merge Labs startup seeks to develop ‘less invasive’ options for brain-computer interface technology.
A significant new player appears set to emerge in the increasingly competitive landscape of brain–computer interfaces. OpenAI founder Sam Altman is reportedly behind a new venture called Merge Labs, which it appears will be in direct competition with the likes of Elon Musk’s BCI company Neuralink.
According to a report in the Financial Times, Merge Labs is in the midst of gathering funding, likely making it one of the most highly valued startups in the emerging BCI sector, alongside $9 billion-valued Neuralink, and a host other well-funded players including Blackrock Neurotech, Precision Neuroscience, Science Corporation and Inbrain Neuroelectronics.
Details on Merge Labs’ approach are still sketchy, and attributed to unnamed sources, but rather than leverage embedded brain implants, it appears the company is focused on developing less invasive alternatives – potentially involving gene therapy and the use of ultrasound technology to create BCIs without the need for brain surgery.
Ultimately, though, the goal is the same as other companies in the space: to harness and modify neural activity so that digital devices can be controlled simply by thought, eliminating the need for keyboards, mice, or even speech. While BCI technology is initially being developed to help treat paralysis and a range of degenerative diseases in humans (see Synchron recently enabling an ALS patient to control an iPad by thought) the longer term hope is that one day even healthy people will benefit from a closer integration with technology.
Interestingly, the new company’s name appears to be a nod to a term used some eight years ago in a blog post by Altman, who referred to “the merge” as the inevitable coming together of man and machine. In his blog, he suggests the term reflects a more gradual process of integration in comparison to “the singularity,” which suggests a single point in time.
The market for brain–computer interfaces is undoubtedly heating up, but as with all companies in the field, Merge Labs is still at an early stage, and will need to contend with regulatory hurdles, privacy concerns, and the ethical implications. Nevertheless, the combination of Altman’s involvement and the prospect of a non-invasive approach to BCI means that the world awaits official word from the new company with bated breath.
