Merge Labs (Sonogenetics BCI)
artifactAI & Compute · Biotech & Transhumanism · Crypto & Digital ID
An OpenAI-backed startup wants to link your brain to AI using ultrasound and gene therapy — no surgery required.
Who they are
Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface startup co-founded by Sam Altman, Alex Blania (of Worldcoin), and Caltech's Mikhail Shapiro.
What they do
It is building a non-invasive way to connect the human brain to AI, as a skull-friendly alternative to Neuralink's implanted electrodes.
How it works
It came out of stealth in January 2026 with $252M in seed funding at an $850M valuation, led by OpenAI. Its method ('sonogenetics') uses viral vectors to gene-edit neurons so they produce gas-filled vesicles that reflect ultrasound about 38x more strongly; a skull-mounted array of 128-1,024 ultrasound transducers reads the signals, and OpenAI's models decode the noisy data into human intentions.
Why it matters
It puts OpenAI at the meeting point of brain and machine, aiming for two-way brain-AI communication without opening the skull.
The engine's record — word for word
Brain-computer interface startup. Emerged from stealth Jan 2026 with $252M seed at $850M valuation, led by OpenAI. Scientific director Mikhail Shapiro (Caltech). Developing non-invasive BCIs using sonogenetics — genetically modifying brain cells with molecular reporters responding to ultrasound. Bypasses invasive surgical electrodes (Neuralink). Allows high-bandwidth bidirectional communication between human brain and AI foundation models without opening the skull. Positions OpenAI at the cognitive hardware-software convergence. Report #60: Co-founded by Altman, Alex Blania (Worldcoin), and Caltech's Mikhail Shapiro. AAV viral vectors deliver gene therapy prompting neurons to produce gas vesicles (acoustic reporter genes reflecting ultrasound 38x more efficiently). OpenAI models decode the noisy data into human intentions. The interface node in the Altman convergence chain. [merged duplicate node] Co-founded by Altman, Alex Blania (Worldcoin), and Caltech's Mikhail Shapiro. $252M seed (Jan 2026), $850M valuation. Non-invasive alternative to Neuralink: skull-mounted array of 128-1024 ultrasound transducers. AAV viral vectors deliver gene therapy prompting neurons to produce gas vesicles (acoustic reporter genes reflecting ultrasound 38x more efficiently). OpenAI models decode the noisy ultrasound data into human intentions. The interface node in the Altman convergence chain.
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