OpenAI’s Sam Altman is funding a secretive brain-tech startup to read minds safely

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the man behind ChatGPT, is now setting his sights on something far more ambitious, the human brain. According to reports, Altman is backing a secretive new startup called Merge Labs, which is developing a non-invasive brain–computer interface (BCI) capable of reading human thoughts using sound waves and magnetic fields, no surgery required.

This puts Altman in direct competition with Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which has made headlines for implanting electrodes directly into the brain. But unlike Neuralink’s invasive approach, Merge Labs wants to achieve the same goal without ever opening the skull.

At the heart of Merge Labs’ vision is ultrasound technology and genetic engineering, tools that could one day allow machines to interpret our thoughts safely and painlessly. The Verge reports that Altman has brought together an elite team to lead the project, including Caltech biomolecular engineer Mikhail Shapiro, who’s famous for pioneering ultrasound-based brain interaction, and Alex Blania, the CEO of Tools for Humanity (previously Worldcoin).

Shapiro’s role is still under wraps, but insiders say he’s expected to be a founding member and will help guide Merge Labs’ scientific strategy and investor talks. His previous work at Caltech, which involved using ultrasound waves to influence neurons and gene therapy to make brain cells respond to sound, could be key to making Merge Labs’ vision real.