Sam Altman’s New Startup: Reading Minds With Sound Waves
▼ Summary
– Sam Altman is hiring Mikhail Shapiro, a biomolecular engineer, to join the founding team of his upcoming brain-computer interface startup, Merge Labs.
– Merge Labs aims to develop noninvasive brain-computer interfaces using ultrasound technology, avoiding the need for open-skull surgery like Neuralink.
– The startup plans to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from investors, including OpenAI, as part of its ongoing funding efforts.
– Shapiro’s work focuses on using gene therapy to modify cells so they can be controlled and imaged with ultrasound, aligning with Merge’s product direction.
– Altman has publicly criticized Neuralink’s invasive approach and expressed a preference for a noninvasive interface that could connect thoughts to AI like ChatGPT.
Sam Altman is spearheading a new brain-computer interface venture named Merge Labs, which aims to develop noninvasive neural technology using ultrasound and genetic engineering. This approach stands in stark contrast to existing methods that require surgical implantation, positioning the startup at the forefront of a less intrusive human-machine interface.
Altman has enlisted Mikhail Shapiro, a distinguished biomolecular engineer from Caltech, to join the founding team alongside co-founder Alex Blania. While Shapiro’s precise title remains unconfirmed, insiders indicate he will play a central leadership role, especially in discussions with potential investors. Although the fundraising process is still underway, expectations point toward securing hundreds of millions in backing, including from OpenAI, as previously noted by The Financial Times.
Shapiro’s recruitment offers a clear indication of Merge’s technical roadmap. His laboratory has achieved multiple breakthroughs in biomolecular engineering, emphasizing noninvasive techniques for imaging and influencing neural activity. A major part of his research involves using ultrasound to communicate with the brain, eliminating the need for the type of invasive surgery employed by companies such as Neuralink.
Additionally, Shapiro has conducted extensive studies on gene therapies that render cells detectable via ultrasound. This aligns with earlier reports suggesting Merge’s inaugural product will adopt a similar strategy. Neither Shapiro nor representatives for Altman and Blania have commented publicly on these developments.
In a recent presentation, Shapiro elaborated on how sound waves and magnetic fields could form the basis of a brain-computer interface. Instead of implanting electrodes directly into brain tissue, he emphasized the potential of introducing genes that modify cells to react to ultrasound. He described his professional mission as creating “methods to interact with neurons in the brain and other bodily cells in a minimally invasive manner.”
Altman has publicly expressed reservations about Neuralink’s surgical methodology. At a press event last August, he remarked that he “would definitely not implant a device in my brain” if it resulted in the destruction of neurons, as Neuralink’s system reportedly does. He added, “I’d prefer to simply think a command and have ChatGPT respond. Maybe I only want read-only access. That sounds like a sensible goal.”
When Merge Labs is formally unveiled in the coming weeks, Altman is anticipated to serve as chairman without handling daily operations, a role structure similar to his involvement with Tools for Humanity, the eyeball-scanning startup he co-founded with Blania. Reflecting on the broader implications of human-machine integration, Altman wrote back in 2017, “A frequent conversation in Silicon Valley revolves around predicting when humans and machines will merge, or when humans might be outpaced by rapidly advancing AI or a genetically modified species. Most estimates fall somewhere between 2025 and 2075.”
(Source: The Verge)
