FILE PHOTO: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has launched a new startup called World with the goal of authenticating identity of humans online as AI-driven content grows.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has launched a new startup called World with the goal of authenticating identity of humans online as AI-driven content grows. Altman announced that they are launching in the U.S. and plan to open retail outlets in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Nashville.
Users can go to these stores and scan their eyes using devices called Orbs. The users will then get a World ID to login to the World app which will include a crypto wallet and a social network. In exchange for enrolling, users will receive a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin which can be saved, spent or sent to other World ID holders.
Users can also message other World ID holders.
“In the age of AI, World is a network of real humans built on an anonymous proof of human and a globally inclusive financial network. Unlike other networks, your data is owned and controlled by you. World is built to connect, empower and be owned by everyone,” the website for Worldcoin states.
“We will deploy over 7500 Orbs across the US in the next 12 months, with the final goal of making it easy for every American to verify within a couple minutes,” co-founder Alex Blania noted on X while making the announcement.
He said that around 26 million people were already on the World app while more than 12 million people had been verified by the Orb.
The controversial project was announced two years ago with orbs being set up in countries like Kenya, India and Indonesia. However, it received considerable backlash from privacy experts and was banned in other countries like Brazil and Hong Kong.
Published – May 05, 2025 11:27 am IST
