OpenAI is reportedly planning an investment in Merge Labs, a startup developing brain-computer interfaces that would put it in direct competition with Elon Musk's company Neuralink, according to the Financial Times. Merge Labs will be co-founded by Sam Altman, though he is not expected to take on an operational role. The company's goal is to use recent advances in AI to create more powerful brain implants. Merge is seeking to raise $250 million at a valuation of $850 million, the FT reports. Musk and Altman have been seen as rivals since Musk left OpenAI in 2018. Neuralink, which was founded in 2016, has so far raised $650 million from investors including Sequoia Capital.
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