Tools for Humanity, the startup Sam Altman and Alex Blania co-founded, launched World in 2023. As they deploy eye-scanning orbs across the U.S., the team hopes to spark widespread interest in a strictly human network.
With AI-generated content on the rise, they argue, people will need a trustworthy way to prove their humanity, and World’s iris-scanning orbs aim to deliver just that.
Biometric Signup Made Simple
People who approach an orb will stand before the shiny sphere. In about half a minute, it records a scan of their iris. This scan creates a code that shows they are a real person and have not used the service before.
Once the code is stored, users earn the project’s WLD cryptocurrency. They can then sign in to apps and websites that accept World ID, such as Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify and Discord.
Expansion and Ambition
By December, World plans to place orbs so that roughly 180 million Americans, more than half the country, can sign up in person.
At a San Francisco press event, Altman and CEO Alex Blania said the aim is to build a global, human-only network. The team chose the first six cities because they see them as places where new tech catches on fast.
Also Read: Worldcoin Expands Proof Of Humanness Technology To Austria
New Features and Partnerships
Alongside the orbs, World unveiled fresh services. Users will be able to take out crypto loans through Morpho’s lending protocol. They can also join prediction markets via Kalshi.
Later this year, the team will offer a Visa debit card linked to WLD tokens. This card will let holders spend their crypto like cash. In online dating, World ID will verify user ages. Match Group will start with Tinder users in Japan.
Origin and Vision
Altman said the idea for World began before he co-founded OpenAI. He worried that, as AI grows smarter, it will be hard to know which content comes from people and which from machines.
He wanted a simple way to prove a user is human. The orbs and IrisCode system grew from early, wilder plans. Today’s design is still striking but much more practical.
Regulatory Climate
World is not the only crypto project moving into the U.S. Since January, the government has eased rules for digital assets. This friendlier mood helped World choose America as the next stage for its launch.
World began in 2023 under Tools for Humanity, the company Altman and Blania helped start. As the orb rollout continues, the team hopes that more people will see the value of a human-only network.
Also Read: Brazil’s Data Protection Authority Halts Sam Altman’s World ID Project Over Biometric Data Concerns