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OpenAI confirmed on January 15, 2026, that it is investing in Merge Labs and collaborating with the brain-computer-interface (BCI) research company. Sam Altman is listed among Merge Labs’ co-founders but is participating in a personal capacity. Merge Labs’ aims overlap with Neuralink’s; it is not, however, a proven or commercially available alternative. Neuralink has human clinical trials underway, while Merge Labs describes its work as early-stage research.
What was reported—and what is confirmed
August 2025 reports described OpenAI as preparing to back a startup called Merge Labs, with Sam Altman involved, and framed it as a rival to Elon Musk’s Neuralink. The early report was based on information available before the companies publicly described their relationship.
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On January 15, 2026, OpenAI confirmed that it was participating in Merge Labs’ seed round and would collaborate with the company on scientific foundation models and other frontier tools. OpenAI also named Altman among Merge Labs’ co-founders, specifying that he is involved in a personal capacity. OpenAI’s announcement confirms the investment and collaboration, but does not disclose a round size, valuation, or exclusive rights to Merge Labs’ technology.
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What Merge Labs is trying to build
Merge Labs describes itself as a research lab seeking to connect biological and artificial intelligence. Its long-term ambitions include restoring abilities affected by injury or disease, supporting healthier brain states, and creating higher-bandwidth ways for people to interact with computers and AI. The company presents those as goals, not as capabilities of a finished product. Merge Labs’ public description says the work begins with research and may take decades.
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Its proposed technical direction
Merge Labs says it is exploring interfaces based on molecules rather than relying only on conventional electrodes, along with ultrasound and other approaches that can reach deeper into the brain. The company’s stated aim is to avoid implants into brain tissue while enabling broader coverage and more information transfer.
These are research objectives. Public materials do not establish that Merge Labs has demonstrated a working human-ready system, achieved a particular bandwidth, or shown performance comparable to implanted devices. Calling its approach non-invasive without that qualification would imply more than has been publicly demonstrated.
How Merge Labs compares with Neuralink
The two companies share a broad ambition: linking neural activity with computers, with potential medical uses and, eventually, wider applications. Their publicly described approaches and development stages differ substantially.
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| Question | Merge Labs | Neuralink |
|---|---|---|
| Public development stage | Research lab pursuing early-stage technology development, according to Merge Labs | Human clinical-trial program, according to Neuralink’s trial page |
| Stated signal approach | Molecular interfaces, ultrasound and AI are part of its research direction; a working system is not publicly established | An implanted device captures neural signals; Neuralink describes its BCI as fully implantable (technology overview) |
| Invasiveness | Aims to avoid implants into brain tissue; this remains an objective, not a validated product claim | Fully implantable system |
| Publicly described use | No publicly announced commercial product or approved general-use system | Trial investigations include computer and robotic-arm control and communication through thought (trial information) |
That makes Merge Labs a potential long-term competitor in strategic ambition, not a current substitute for Neuralink. Neuralink’s trial activity is meaningful evidence of a later clinical stage; it does not mean the device is approved for general commercial use. A less-invasive approach could eventually reduce some barriers, but it would still need to prove that its signals are strong and precise enough, remain stable, and can be used safely over time.
What OpenAI and Sam Altman are contributing
There are three distinct relationships: OpenAI’s investment, its technical collaboration, and Altman’s personal participation as a co-founder. OpenAI says it will work with Merge Labs on scientific foundation models and tools for bioengineering, neuroscience, and device engineering. It also describes AI systems that could help interpret intent from noisy neural signals. The announcement does not say OpenAI has built Merge Labs’ hardware, that ChatGPT will directly control an implant, or that OpenAI owns the technology.
Where AI could help a BCI
- Decoding: translating neural patterns into cursor movement, text, or commands.
- Personalization: adapting a decoder to an individual’s changing neural patterns.
- Noise handling: filtering inconsistent signals and correcting errors.
- Research: helping scientists develop biological probes, devices, and experiments.
AI is only one part of the system. Better software cannot by itself solve weak or unstable signals, limited sensor coverage, biological responses to a device, or the safety demands of a medical procedure.
Where Neuralink stands
Neuralink’s trial page lists investigations for people with quadriplegia caused by spinal-cord injury or ALS, including computer and robotic-arm control and speech-related research. The company says participants use its devices to control computers and robotic arms through thought. These are clinical-trial activities, not evidence of unrestricted public availability. Neuralink’s trial page is the company’s source for its current listed studies.
For historical context, Neuralink announced a $650 million Series E financing round on June 2, 2025, and said at the time that five people with severe paralysis were using its technology. Those are company claims dated to that announcement, not current totals. Neuralink’s financing announcement provides the dated figures.
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Neuralink and Merge Labs are prominent examples, but they do not represent every BCI approach. Synchron says its investigational Stentrode is delivered through a blood vessel rather than by open-brain surgery, and that it is not approved for commercial use in any geography. Synchron’s site describes its approach and investigational status. Academic and hospital research is also important: a laboratory may produce peer-reviewed evidence for a particular decoding method without offering a commercial device.
What would show that Merge Labs is becoming a real rival?
Claims about high bandwidth or reduced invasiveness will matter less than evidence that people can use a system safely and reliably. Useful milestones to watch include:
- Human clinical evidence and the regulatory status of any proposed device
- Signal accuracy, bandwidth, and stability over time
- Whether a system can support practical tasks such as communication or device control
- Training time, fatigue, and the extent of user-specific calibration
- Safety, biocompatibility, and the ability to maintain or remove the system
- Wireless reliability, manufacturing scale, cost, and access to care
- Privacy and security protections for neural data
A less-invasive system could offer advantages in access, repeatability, or procedural risk if it works as intended. But non-invasive signals may be weaker or less precise than signals from implanted sensors; molecular interfaces and ultrasound also bring their own engineering and biological questions. Merge Labs has not publicly established that it has resolved those trade-offs.
Medical, privacy, and consent questions
BCIs can be significant assistive tools for people who have lost movement or speech, but they also raise questions that do not disappear when the hardware improves. Any clinical system needs evidence on safety, long-term tissue response, maintenance, and the consequences of stopping use. People also need meaningful control over consent, access, and what happens to neural data and models trained on it.
- Privacy and security: Neural signals and inferred intentions require safeguards against unauthorized access or misuse.
- Consent and control: Users should understand what is recorded, how it is interpreted, and whether they can withdraw safely.
- Access: Cost, clinical availability, and support could determine who benefits.
- Purpose: Medical restoration and consumer enhancement raise different questions and should not be conflated.
Merge Labs says safety, privacy, accessibility, and societal benefit should be addressed proactively. Those commitments are important, but they are not substitutes for clinical evidence, clear governance, and protections that users can rely on.
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