OpenAI plans to invest in a startup that will compete with Neuralink

OpenAI plans to invest in Merge Labs, a startup that will develop brain-computer interfaces and is considered a direct competitor to Neuralink.

• The startup is valued at $850 million and plans to raise $250 million in investments, primarily from OpenAI’s venture capital arm.

• One of the co-founders of Merge Labs will be Alex Blania, CEO of Worldcoin, while Altman himself will not act as a personal investor.

• Merge Labs aims to “connect people and machines through artificial intelligence.”

Neuralink, for its part, is already conducting human trials and showing significant progress: patients with severe neurological disorders can control a computer with their thoughts.

Musk plans to implant chips in 20,000 people annually by 2031, potentially bringing the company around $1 billion in annual revenue.

Read more: OpenAI invested in Stargate’s first European data center