AI Hard Fork: Brain Edition  ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **AI Firms Back Brain Interfaces** - Merge Labs signals a major pivot: AI companies are actively funding brain–computer interface research. - Jaeden Schafer frames this as a new front where AI and neuroscience converge beyond medical use. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer OpenAI is investing in Sam Altman's new brain computer interface startup, Merge Labs. This is super interesting because we, of course, know that this isn't a new area. Elon Musk has famously been working on a brain interface company, Neuralink, for quite a while. And I think we've seen on X and other social media platforms some of the really interesting videos of people using this. So I think it's becoming more familiar. And I think when this kind of Neuralink first came out, there was a lot of fear around it, essentially the fact that, look, do we really want to put a computer into our brain? How's that going to impact us? I think a lot of people were like, look, random everyday people are going to be walking around with computer chips in their brain to help augment how smart they are. And in reality, I think we've seen that it's being used by people with, you know, that are paralyzed or have other challenges where they're not able to actually write or talk or speak Or communicate or do things. And all of the sudden, this is enabling all of that. And Elon Musk recently went on and said that he believes Neuralink and other tools like this, basically these brain computer interface startups merged with AI are going to bring back The functionality of people to all areas of their body where they never had it before, whether that's their arms or legs if they're paralyzed. And maybe part of that is like you'll have robotics arms, but you'll be able to move them by thinking about it and different things like that. And some people think you can stimulate parts of the brain to bring back movement to paralyzed parts of your body. So there's like a lot of crazy science going on. There's a lot that is gonna happen in the future. But with all of that, it looks like Sam Altman is getting into this race with Merge Labs, his new brain computer interface startup. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/snip/be35a311-20bb-4279-a1ba-d1b6036e4ad8)) - **Neuralink Demos Changed Perception** - Jaeden recalls Neuralink demos that showed people controlling devices and regaining function. - He contrasts early fear with real-world uses restoring communication and movement to disabled users. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer Elon Musk has famously been working on a brain interface company, Neuralink, for quite a while. And I think we've seen on X and other social media platforms some of the really interesting videos of people using this. So I think it's becoming more familiar. And I think when this kind of Neuralink first came out, there was a lot of fear around it, essentially the fact that, look, do we really want to put a computer into our brain? How's that going to impact us? I think a lot of people were like, look, random everyday people are going to be walking around with computer chips in their brain to help augment how smart they are. And in reality, I think we've seen that it's being used by people with, you know, that are paralyzed or have other challenges where they're not able to actually write or talk or speak Or communicate or do things. And all of the sudden, this is enabling all of that. ([Time 0:00:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9aad0342-479e-4ccd-99dc-24299d1f115b)) - **Noninvasive Interfaces Aim Wide** - Merge Labs claims noninvasive neuron-scale communication could restore abilities and create new modes of human–AI creation. - Jaeden notes this vision promises both medical benefits and entirely new creative workflows with AI. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer So this is a company called Merge Labs, and they're describing themselves as a research lab. So it's not like they have this big product that they're coming out with right away. This is definitely a research lab, but they're focused on connecting human brains directly to artificial intelligence. So it just came out of stealth this week. It has a massive seed round. So they didn't disclose a lot of the details about it, but sources are saying that OpenAI wrote a check in this $250 million round that valued them at $850 million. So because Sam Altman is involved just for basically having him involved, there is now a billion, almost a billion dollar company that is coming out of stealth. If you take a look at all of their like launch materials, they have a super ambitious vision, basically human experience. The company says is going to come from billions of neurons firing in the brain. They say if technology can connect to those neurons at scale, they're claiming that the results could be restoring abilities to people with disabilities, healthier mental states, Deeper human connection, and entirely new ways to create alongside AI. ([Time 0:02:35](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8de2ec60-110e-4bb2-89a6-4ab4feca835b)) - **Direct Brain AI Feels Dystopian** - Direct brain access to AI provokes dystopian concerns about AI 'inside your head.' - Jaeden expresses personal discomfort imagining ChatGPT directly delivering answers into one's thoughts. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer Now, to be honest, it feels kind of dystopian and terrifying, especially when you have a company like OpenAI, a massive AI company interfacing directly into your brain. It no longer is, you know, like there was something about Neuralink. I think that was really creepy at the beginning. And then it was like, well, maybe it's not that creepy because it's not just Google inside your brain. Like you can just think and you can, you know, like draw things without having arms or like, you know, and so it kind of restored some of some function functionality that you didn't have. And for some reason that seems normal to me, but all of a sudden with something like Merge Labs, I'm sure I'm, I'm the one that sounds crazy here. Everyone's going to think this is super normal, but like when all of a sudden you have this brain interface and you have ChatGPT inside your head. And instead of going to ChatGPT.com and asking questions, you just think of the question and all of a sudden your brain fills it out. It's probably gonna seem normal in the future, but that seems so dystopian and terrifying to me. ([Time 0:03:39](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8cc1ae2a-9cc6-4a6d-ae02-61d008d577cf)) - **Ultrasound And Molecular Signaling** - Merge Labs focuses on noninvasive signaling using molecules and ultrasound instead of surgical electrodes. - Jaeden emphasizes the appeal of avoiding skull surgery though the science remains early. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer So unlike existing brain interface companies, they merged labs. They said that they want to avoid brain surgery altogether, which I am a huge advocate of. I really hate putting something inside your physical brain. So instead of implementing hardware, though, they said that they're going to develop new methods that communicate with neurons using molecules rather than electrodes. So electrodes is when you have to do the surgeries. So they say that they are going to send and receive signals using things like ultrasound. The science is still very early, but I think this kind of promise of a brain interface that works without opening up your skull is appealing to some people and maybe terrifying in other Ways. ([Time 0:04:36](https://share.snipd.com/snip/774f734e-019b-4ea0-b324-8fb94201d5a9)) - **Neuralink Versus Merge Labs** - Neuralink remains more invasive, targeting severe paralysis via implanted electrodes and robotic surgery. - Jaeden contrasts Neuralink's medical focus with Merge Labs' broader enhancement ambitions. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer Neuralink's approach, I think, is a lot more invasive so far. It requires surgery during which a robot removes a small piece of your skull and then they insert tiny wires into your brain to read neural signals. Neuralink is currently focused on helping people with some really severe paralysis and it's helping them to control computers or devices using their thoughts. They have raised $650 million last year to $9 billion valuation. And they already have some really kind of high profile test cases where they've shown off people are actively using this and talking about it. ([Time 0:05:23](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2a59d88e-3293-4f20-8683-61021bb224b7)) - **From Medical Aid To Augmentation** - Merge Labs embodies Silicon Valley's drive to blend human biology with AI to enhance intelligence. - Jaeden frames this as shifting from medical aid to potential 'superpower' AI augmentation. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer It's been quite fascinating to them for a long time, but that vision kind of centers on blending human biology with AI to enhance intelligence, right? So Neuralink, it felt like it's kind of helping people with disabilities, whereas this feels more like a superpower AI inside of your brain. ([Time 0:06:08](https://share.snipd.com/snip/110215a0-59e2-435f-849d-10ca75834d8d)) - **Natural Interface Framing Raises Flags** - OpenAI describes brain interfaces as "natural" human-centered interfaces for AI, a framing Jaeden finds dystopian. - Merge Labs' team mixes Altman contacts, researchers, and implant founders, signaling deep industry backing. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer You know they're like this is a new way for people to communicate and learn and interact with technology. The thing that was really crazy to me is they said that it was a more natural and human-centered interface for AI systems like really going straight into my brain via an ultrasound is A more natural way to interface with ai like so freaking dystopian in any case merge labs's founding team is i think reflecting sam altman's kind of wider network in addition to him they Also have leaders from tools for humanity which is a company behind the eye scanning world orbs that he has, as well as founders from an implant brain technology startup and researchers From the California Institute of Technology. As part of this investment, he is planning to work closely with them on kind of these advanced AI models and research tools. ([Time 0:06:34](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8e0fdb89-b385-40df-baa0-961c0b5ee0f4)) - **Circular Investment Concerns** - The investment creates circular dynamics: Merge Labs could drive users to OpenAI products and boost Altman's personal stake. - Jaeden highlights conflicts from a CEO's company being funded by his organization and attracting mutual value. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer I'm sure he's just going to give them like a lot of resources from OpenAI. It's kind of like how Elon Musk is really involved with Neuralink and anytime they have a big new product announcement. It's like Elon Musk is out there doing it and it kind of gets good PR, but obviously Elon Musk isn't there day-to like training the models. So I think it's going to be the same thing with Sam Altman. Right now, OpenAI is arguing that AI can speed up the progress in neuroscience and kind of like bioengineering and device design and that these kind of brain interfaces themselves Are going to need AI systems capable of interpreting this messy, incomplete brain signals and, you know, adopting it to individual users. If you want to put that a little bit more simply, essentially Merge Labs is going to eventually become a hands-free way to control OpenAI's software, and then it's just directed with Your brain. So you're just chilling and you just think like, chat GPT, how do you XYZ? And then poof, it pops in your head. I mean, how much of that is possible? Or if you're going to maybe think it and instead of it popping into your head, it's going to like pop up on your phone. I think it's going to be interesting. I think this is where kind of the circular logic of the deal becomes really hard to ignore because if Merge Labs is successful, it could funnel more users towards OpenAI's products, Which is going to reinforce the value of OpenAI's investment. ([Time 0:07:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/f056e157-6089-405a-bf17-c909eccead36)) - **Watch OpenAI's Hardware Plays** - Expect OpenAI to continue hardware bets beyond Merge Labs, including devices from design partners. - Monitor these moves for how they change where AI runs and how users interact with models. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer If you remember, they're also working with Johnny Ives startup IO, which they acquired last year or merged with or whatever, to build an AI device. That's not going to just rely on screens. So you imagine like a little puck that you leave on your desk and it's like a smart speaker that you talk to. I mean, they haven't revealed the official form factor, but this is kind of where we're thinking it's going to go. Um, some people think that it might be more like an earbud, but in any case, opening,AI typically invests through its startup fund, which has backed several other companies, which Is connected to Sam Altman. ([Time 0:09:00](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7a4dd116-8302-4466-b2f1-7a1e4f2a6b80)) - **Altman's 'Merge' Thesis Explained** - Sam Altman's long-term 'merge' thesis envisions humans integrating with AI between 2025–2075 to stay relevant. - Jaeden notes Altman frames superintelligent AI as a distinct species we might need to integrate with. Transcript: Jaeden Schafer But one thing that's interesting is that Sam Altman has been really publicly thinking about what he calls, quote, the merge for years. In 2017, in a blog post, he predicted that humans and machines would merge into some form between 2025 and 2075. He suggested that this could be through direct brain connections or even through deep, constant interaction with AI systems. So in Sam Altman's view, merging with AI might be humanity's best chance of staying relevant in the future where artificial intelligence becomes more powerful than humans. He's framed super intelligent AI as something that's like a new species, one that could end up competing with us unless we find a way to, you know, integrate with it. And this is something that was in his blog post. He wrote, quote, the merge has already begun and it's going to get a lot stranger. We will be the first species to design our own descendants. So whether Merge Labs becomes a medical breakthrough, a futuristic interface, or maybe another hyped Silicon Valley experiment, I think this is, you know, still remains to be seen. We're going to see what happens here. I do think that the deal is going to make one thing clear. The push to kind of blend human and AI is no longer science fiction. It's now being funded, staffed, built by the same people that are shaping the future of AI. 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