OpenAI has invested in Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup founded by CEO Sam Altman. This investment is part of a $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation. OpenAI's check is the largest in the round, which also includes funding from Bain Capital, Interface Fund, Fifty Years, and video game developer Gabe Newell. Merge Labs aims to enhance human capabilities by connecting biological and artificial intelligence non-invasively, using technologies like ultrasound instead of traditional electrodes. Merge Labs positions itself in direct competition with Elon Musk's Neuralink, which relies on invasive procedures to implant devices in the brain. While Neuralink focuses heavily on medical applications, Merge Labs appears to lean towards more ambitious goals, such as integrating human biology with AI to achieve superhuman abilities. OpenAI's involvement suggests a strategic interest in developing BCIs that could create seamless interactions between humans and AI, potentially benefiting both fields. Altman has long envisioned a future where humans and machines merge, seeing this as essential for humanity's survival in the face of advanced AI.