Sam Altman's Neuralink rival could soon read your mind with sound waves

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is expanding his horizons beyond artificial intelligence. Recently, he unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, his company’s latest web browser, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Altman is also collaborating with renowned former Apple designer Jony Ive to develop new hardware. In addition to these ventures, Altman co-founded Worldcoin, a project aimed at creating a biometric device known as 'Orb', which scans individuals' irises to authenticate their humanity. But his ambitions don’t stop there. He has teamed up with Alex Blania again to launch Merge Labs, a startup focused on competing with Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Merge Labs aims to create technology that facilitates direct communication between the human brain and computers without the need for invasive surgical procedures. According to a recent report from The Verge, Altman has recruited Mikhail Shapiro, an award-winning biomolecular engineer, to play a significant role at Merge Labs. Although his specific responsibilities are not entirely clear, Shapiro is expected to lead discussions with potential investors. His lab at Caltech has made considerable strides in biomolecular technology, particularly in noninvasive methods for neural imaging and control. Shapiro’s goal is to utilize ultrasound technology to interact with the brain without resorting to open-skull surgery, a stark contrast to Neuralink’s approach of using surgical implants. Altman has previously expressed his aversion to invasive methods, stating during a press dinner in August that he would never consider having a device implanted in his brain. He envisions a future where one can simply think a command and receive a response from ChatGPT, hinting at a desire for a 'read-only' interface with AI technology. This vision of merging human cognition with AI isn’t new for Altman. In a 2017 blog post titled 'The Merge', he argued that humanity is already in the early stages of co-evolution with AI, where each influences the other’s development. He believes that advancements in AI will continue to enhance human capabilities, leading to a future where our interactions with technology are seamless and intuitive.