Group 1 - OpenAI has made a controversial investment by leading a $250 million seed round in Merge Labs, valuing the company at $850 million, which focuses on non-invasive brain-computer interface technology [3] - Merge Labs aims to integrate biological intelligence with AI, contrasting with Neuralink's invasive surgical approach, and is positioned to enhance human capabilities [3][4] - The investment intensifies competition in the brain-computer interface sector, with Neuralink having a $9 billion valuation and focusing on medical applications, while Merge Labs adopts a Silicon Valley-style vision of "superhuman" capabilities [3] Group 2 - The collaboration between OpenAI and Merge Labs creates a closed-loop business model, where Merge Labs can leverage OpenAI's foundational models and AI tools to accelerate development, potentially making their brain-computer interface products a natural entry point for OpenAI's software [3] - OpenAI's investment is expected to increase the valuation of Merge Labs, aligning the interests of Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, with those of the startup [3]
OpenAI押注CEO奥特曼脑机公司Merge Labs，与马斯克Neuralink正面交锋
Huan Qiu Wang·2026-01-16 03:19