宣战马斯克！奥特曼进军脑机接口

Core Viewpoint - OpenAI's co-founder Sam Altman is planning to invest in a new brain-computer interface company, Merge Labs, which is seen as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's Neuralink [1][6]. Group 1: Company Overview - Merge Labs is co-founded by Sam Altman and physicist Alex Blania, with a valuation of $850 million and an initial funding round of $250 million, primarily from OpenAI's venture capital arm [2]. - The company aims to explore the integration of human and machine through brain-computer interfaces, a concept Altman has advocated since 2017 [2][3]. Group 2: Background of Founders - Alex Blania, co-founder of Merge Labs, has a background in physics and industrial engineering and previously co-founded Tools for Humanity, focusing on digital identity and blockchain [3]. - Tools for Humanity has developed WorldCoin, which includes a biometric device called "Orb" for unique human identity verification [5]. Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Neuralink, founded in 2016, has made significant advancements in brain-computer interface technology, with a valuation exceeding $10 billion after raising $650 million in June [7]. - While Neuralink focuses on medical applications, Merge Labs is positioned to address broader cognitive enhancement and human-AI symbiosis, differentiating its approach from Neuralink's medical focus [7][8]. Group 4: Strategic Implications - Merge Labs may integrate WorldCoin's digital verification with brain-computer interface technology to tackle fundamental issues related to identity, privacy, and economic sustainability in the AI era [8].