OpenAI To Back $850M Brain-Computer Startup Competing With Musk’s Neuralink - 1

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OpenAI To Back $850M Brain-Computer Startup Competing With Musk’s Neuralink

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, plans to support a new company competing against Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Sam Altman will co-found Neuralink rival Merge Labs.
  • Merge Labs seeks $850 million valuation.
  • Much funding expected from OpenAI’s ventures team.

The new company, Merge Labs, aims to connect human brains with computers and is seeking an $850 million valuation, according to the Financial Times (FT).

Merge Labs joins several other companies seeking to use AI breakthroughs to pursue more advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), a goal Musk has long pursued with Neuralink.

Three people familiar with the plans said to the FT that Altman will co-found the company alongside Alex Blania, CEO of the eyeball-scanning digital ID project World. Although Altman will help launch Merge Labs, he will not have a day-to-day role or invest his own money.

Back in 2017, Altman speculated on his blog that humans may “merge” with machines as soon as 2025. In that same post, he predicted that “superhuman AI is going to happen, genetic enhancement is going to happen, and brain-machine interfaces are going to happen.”

The FT notes that Neuralink is currently valued at $9 billion after securing $650 million from investors such as Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital. In 2018, Musk left OpenAI’s board over disagreements with Altman about the company’s direction.

Since then, Musk has filed multiple lawsuits against OpenAI for allegedly deviating from its non-profit purpose, while also launching his own AI company, xAI, in 2023, as noted by FT.

If Merge Labs moves forward, it could mark the next chapter in the high-stakes feud between Musk and Altman, with the battle now extending directly into the human brain. The FT reports that OpenAI declined to comment on the new project.

Google Adds Memory And Temporary Chats To Gemini - 2

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Google Adds Memory And Temporary Chats To Gemini

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Google announced new updates to its chatbot, Gemini, this Wednesday, including memory and temporary chat features. The new tools will begin rolling out within the next few days, with the tech giant aiming to provide a more personalized experience for users.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Google announced new updates to Gemini to provide a more personalized experience for users.
  • Gemini can now learn from past conversations and remember key details or relevant information.
  • Google introduced a privacy feature called Temporary Chats, which are stored for only 72 hours.

According to Google’s announcement , Gemini can now remember previous conversations with users. The AI model can also engage in temporary, private conversations through a new feature called Temporary Chats.

“We’re updating the Gemini app so it becomes an even more personal, proactive, and powerful assistant, while also providing you more control over your data,” wrote Michael Siliski, Senior Director, Product Management at Gemini app.

The new features are similar to those introduced by OpenAI for ChatGPT in April , with both companies aiming to deliver more customized interactions and build stronger connections with users.

Google said Gemini is now able to learn from past conversations and remember key details or relevant information previously shared by users. Those who enable the memory setting will be able to ask personal questions and receive more tailored suggestions.

The new setting will first be available for the 2.5 Pro model in select countries and will expand to the 2.5 Flash model and additional regions over the next few weeks. Google clarified that users who are not interested in the memory feature can opt out and turn it off at any time.

Google also introduced another privacy feature called Temporary Chats. Conversations in these chats will not appear in the recent chats section or in the mobile app’s activity log.

“Temporary Chats won’t appear in your recent chats or Gemini Apps Activity, and they won’t be used to personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models,” added Siliski. “They are kept for up to 72 hours to respond to you and to process any feedback you choose to provide.”

Google added that the setting Gemini Apps Activity will be renamed to Keep Activity. Content shared by users with this setting enabled will be used to train the chatbot, though users can turn it off at any time or choose to use Temporary Chats instead.