Sam Altman's Brain-Computer Interface Startup, Merge Labs, Prepares for Launch with Biomolecular Engineer Mikhail Shapiro

Representative ImageSam Altmanis reportedly preparing to launch his brain-computer interface (BCI) startup called Merge Labs. To this end, theOpenAICEO has brought on Mikhail Shapiro, an award-winning biomolecular engineer, to join the founding team.Shapiro, whose exact title remains unclear, is positioned as a key leader in the company's ongoing talks with investors.Merge Labs, which Altman co-founded with Alex Blania, is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from OpenAI and other investors. Shapiro's expertise signals Merge Labs' technical direction, which may compete withElon Musk's Neuralink. His engineering lab at Caltech has focused on non-invasive techniques for neural imaging and control, specifically using ultrasound to interact with the brain without requiring open-skull surgery.Additionally, Shapiro has researched gene therapy to make cells visible to ultrasound, which supports earlier reports that Merge may pursue that approach for its initial product.OpenAI's Master Plan for IndiaWhat we know about Sam Altman’s brain-computer interface startupIn a statement toThe Verge, Shapiro discussed how sound waves and magnetic fields could be used to build a brain-computer interface. Instead of inserting electrodes into brain tissue, he explained that it’s“easier to introduce genes into cells”that can be modified to respond to ultrasound. He added that it has been his“mission to develop ways to interface with neurons in the brain and cells elsewhere in the body that would be less invasive.”Altman has also expressed his reservations about Neuralink’s invasive methods. At a press dinner in August, he said he“would definitely not sow something to my brain”that could damage neurons like Neuralink’s interface does.“I would like to be able to think something and have ChatGPT respond to it. Maybe I want read-only. That seems like a reasonable thing,”Altman said.The report notes that when Merge Labs is announced in the coming weeks, Altman is expected to take on the role of chairman without involvement in daily operations, similar to his position at Tools for Humanity, the company behind the eyeball-scanning orb.In a 2017 blog, Altman wrote,“A popular topic in Silicon Valley is talking about what year humans and machines will merge (or, if not, what year humans will get surpassed by rapidly improving AI or a genetically enhanced species). Most guesses seem to be between 2025 and 2075.”