OpenAI has announced an investment in Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup cofounded by Sam Altman that aims to develop high-bandwidth neural interfaces blending biological, device and AI technologies. Merge Labs closed a $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation, with OpenAI among its biggest backers alongside investors such as Bain Capital and Gabe Newell.
Merge Labs describes itself as a research lab focused on bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximise human ability, agency and experience. It is pursuing new BCI methods expected to interact with the brain at higher bandwidth by combining biology, advanced sensing and AI interpretation systems, with early aims including medical rehabilitation and later broader human-AI augmentation.
Unlike some competitors that rely on invasive implants, Merge Labs is exploring non-invasive approaches, including techniques using ultrasound and molecular interfaces, intended to map neural activity at scale without surgical implants.
The investment deepens OpenAI’s stated interest in BCIs as a frontier for human-machine interaction, where AI could help interpret intent from complex neural signals and unlock new communication channels between people and technology. The move also places Merge Labs in direct competitive view with Neuralink, the brain-computer company led by Elon Musk that currently focuses on implant-based interfaces for medical use.
If successful, Merge Labs’ work could expand the ways people interact with AI systems and digital devices, pushing neurotechnology toward safer, more accessible and high-performance human-machine interfaces.
