OpenAI’s Altman confirms plans to back a startup that would rival Musk’s Neuralink

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has confirmed that the company is planning to support a brain-computer interface startup, a move that could pit it against Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

The confirmation came during a dinner talk with The Verge’s Alex Heath, where Altman outlined hardware ambitions, future AI applications, and potential acquisitions.

It follows early reports that OpenAI is backing Merge Labs, the yet-to-be-announced brain-computer interface startup. The venture, reportedly valued at about $850 million, is said to be in early fundraising talks with potential capital coming largely from OpenAI’s ventures arm.

“I think neural interfaces are cool ideas to explore. I would like to be able to think something and have ChatGPT respond to it,” Altman told Heath.

Regarding ChatGPT, Altman expects it to overtake Instagram and Facebook, though surpassing Google will be challenging. The tool has seen explosive growth, with weekly active users quadrupling to 700 million in the past year, making it the fifth most-visited website globally.

Last week, OpenAI launched GPT-5, a new AI model with enhanced performance in coding, math, writing, health, and visual perception. It features a smart router for seamless mode switching based on user interaction, improving task handling with minimal latency.

However, OpenAI faced criticism for its unexpected removal of the GPT-4 model during the GPT-5 launch. The company had to restore the model after receiving users’ complaints.

OpenAI is reportedly building a social network to compete with Elon Musk’s X, utilizing ChatGPT’s features.

Regarding content and artificial general intelligence (AGI), Altman predicted users will visit fewer websites but place higher value on human-created and human-endorsed content. He noted that GPU availability remains the main constraint for growth, stating OpenAI will need to invest trillions in data centers to maintain pace with demand.

OpenAI is working with former Apple designer Jony Ive on a new AI device that CEO Sam Altman says will be worth waiting for. The company is also weighing acquisitions, including a possible bid for Chrome if Google is forced to sell it due to antitrust action.