Sam Altman's World Launches in US with Eye-Scanning Orbs and Cryptocurrency

Sam Altman's World unveils a mobile verification device

Tools for Humanity, the startup behind the World human verification project that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman co-founded, plans to unveil Wednesday a mobile device designed to help people determine the difference between a human and an AI agent. The company, which is debuting the device during its its "At Last" event in San Francisco, also will announce plans to open brick-and-mortar storefront where people can access its Orbs. World, a web3 project started by Altman and Alex Blania that was formerly known as Worldcoin, is based on the idea that it will eventually be impossible to distinguish humans from AI agents on the internet. To address this, World wants to create digital "proof of human" tools; these announcements are part of its effort to get millions of people to sign up. After scanning your eyeball with one of its silver metal Orbs -- or now, one of its Orb Minis -- World will give you a unique identifier on the blockchain to verify that you're a human. The Orb Mini, a reference to the company's larger Orb devices, looks like a smartphone and is designed to be portable, a Tools for Humanity spokesperson told TechCrunch in a briefing. Thomas Meyerhoff, a former Apple Designer helped design the Orb Mini, according to people familiar with the new product. The main purpose of the Orb Mini is to verify more people, not necessarily to use apps, make calls, or send texts. However, the spokesperson said it's unclear what the device's ultimate functionality would be. Tools for Humanity is also launching its World Network in the U.S. on Thursday, and will open storefronts in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. The stores, which World already has in other countries, are designed for people to come in and have their eyeballs scanned by one of the company's Orbs. The World project claims 26 million people have signed up, and 12 million people are verified, around the world. Today, the company has a larger presence in Latin America, South America, and Asia -- but Wednesday announcement aims to grow the project in the U.S. While the company was light on details about its Orb Mini, the device seems to be an effort to distribute its verification devices more broadly. While World's objectives have shifted over the years, the Orb seems core to their mission. A key question around swirling around World is whether it will one day partner with Sam Altman's other venture, OpenAI. It's unclear if the Orb Mini will have any AI features, or whether it's related to the AI device OpenAI is reportedly working on.

Sam Altman's Eye-Scanning Orb Is Now Coming to the US

At a high-profile event in San Francisco, World announced it is launching a series of Apple-like stores, as well as a partnership with dating giant Match Group. Sam Altman's iris-scanning, identify-verification technology startup is expanding to the US, and will attempt to bridge the divide between blockchain-based financial networks and the payment services most often used here. Altman and Alex Blania, a German physics researcher, announced at an event in San Francisco this evening that their venture-backed company, Tools for Humanity, is updating its "World" products -- and announcing a series of high-profile partnerships with companies including Visa and Match Group. World first launched as Worldcoin in July 2024, the brainchild of Altman, Blania, and Max Novendstern, who is no longer at the company. Blania serves as CEO, while Altman remains his most prominent backer. As of March 2025 the company had raised $240 million in venture capital funding from bold-name firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Bain Capital, and Coinbase Ventures, as well as individual investors like Reid Hoffman and the now-imprisoned Sam Bankman-Fried. Altman has expressed concern about the amount of fakery that new AI tools will enable, including the generative AI tools pioneered by his other startup, OpenAI, which is valued at $300 billion. So the World app, and its hardware component, are Altman's solution to the problem. It's a device-and-app combo that scans people's irises, creates a unique user ID, stores that information on the blockchain, and uses it as a form of identity verification. If enough people around the globe are using the World app to prove their identity, the thinking goes, it could ostensibly thwart scammers. "Proving personhood" is a hard thing to productize, and whiffs of a scam have plagued the startup since it launched. The project has also been scrutinized by foreign governments for its biometric data-capture and storage policies. But Altman and Blania haven't been deterred. Tools for Humanity says it's expanding the World services to the US starting tomorrow, May 1. This means that US-based users of the app will be able to sign up for World and join its network by having their identity verified through the app. This identity verification process requires that users get their eyeballs scanned, though, so Tools for Humanity has had to expand its physical footprint as well. The company says it's opening up six "Apple-like stores" in cities across the US, including one in San Francisco, where the floor around a wooden structure holding about eight orbs was being polished on Wednesday night.

Welcome to Sam Altman's Orb Store

World's global launch has faced regulatory scrutiny for that exact reason. It was temporarily banned in a number of countries, including Kenya, Portugal, and Spain, and ordered to stop operations in Hong Kong and Brazil. One senior Hong Kong official said the project "involves serious risks to personal data privacy." South Korea fined World nearly $1 million for "alleged violations in collecting and transferring personal data." At a press conference after the launch party, my colleague asked a panel of executives about the ban in Brazil. They responded that it was a "self pause" because the company wasn't allowed to offer its standard crypto incentive for sign up. At the storefront event, a man waiting outside told me he'd booked an appointment for 11:30, but noted he was an hour early, and wasn't allowed to come inside yet. He was visiting from Poland, and said his boss had attended the party the night before and was "super hyped" about the orb concept. "I don't know if it's gonna be like a worldwide revolution, but I just want to be on the wave," he said. "My only hesitation is that they are super huge," he added. "I'm pretty afraid that they can actually do some stuff that we will not know about. That can be a little bit shady, but all in all, like most of the businesses and most of the activities that we participate in have some kind of shadier sides." Back inside the store, World's chief business officer Trevor Traina began a press conference. He called World "the brainchild of [OpenAI CEO] Sam Altman and [World CEO] Alex Blania" and waxed poetic about expanding to the United States and his former role as a US diplomat. "From this same incredible brain, the brain of Sam Altman, after bringing in the era of artificial intelligence, came the intuition that in this new era, we as human beings will need to know what is real and what is not, that we may actually have to prove our humanness," Traina said. After fielding media questions about data privacy and technical glitches (which Traina dubbed orb's "stage fright"), I asked why the company's services weren't available in New York, which my colleagues and I had noticed in the fine print of their launch announcement. "We launched last night," he claimed. World's communications team later corrected him: While New Yorkers can download the app, they can't actually use it there yet.

Sam Altman-backed Worldcoin cryptocurrency launches in the US

Alex Heath is a deputy editor and author of the Command Line newsletter. He has been reporting on the tech industry for more than a decade. Over the past few years, what sounds like an episode of Black Mirror has been unfolding in real life: millions of people around the world have agreed to let metallic orbs scan their eyes in exchange for receiving blockchain-based ID and a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin. Beginning this week, Worldcoin (WLD) will be available in most of the US for the first time, including via exchanges like Coinbase. Those who scan their eyes at a World orb will receive 16 WLD. The Sam Altman co-founded startup behind the project, Tools for Humanity, is also working with Visa to release a debit card later this year that converts WLD to fiat currency at checkout. Altman, who is currently the chairman of Tools for Humanity, announced the news alongside CEO Alex Blania at a press event in San Francisco on Wednesday, dubbed "At Last." World's orbs will be available for iris scans at physical "World Space" locations in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco, as well as in Razer gaming stores. Tools for Humanity updated the orb's physical design last year, and now it's releasing a smaller "orb mini" that's designed to be more portable. Since it was founded by Altman, Blania, and Max Novendstern in 2019, the startup's stated mission has been to make World ID the primary method for verifying humans online. The implicit goal is to address the societal ramifications of OpenAI, Altman's other company. As AI becomes more advanced, the idea is that a system like World ID will become necessary for distinguishing between what is generated and what is not. In Altman's vision of the future, Worldcoin could also serve as a form of universal basic income for individuals whose jobs have been replaced by AI. Aside from its coming debit card with Visa, the main way to use Worldcoin is via the World wallet app, which lets people send WLD and other cryptocurrencies to each other through a private chat service that's tied to World IDs. The World mobile app also offers over 150 mini-apps, including a new one from the prediction market Kalshi. While previous SEC Chair Gary Gensler took a hard-line, litigious approach to crypto, the Trump administration has significantly dialed back scrutiny of the space. That political shift gave Tools of Humanity the confidence to launch Worldcoin in the US now, although the token is still not available in New York state. Despite facing strong pushback from other governments over concerns about its use of biometric data, Worldcoin has still managed to become one of the largest crypto projects in the world. The startup says its orbs have so far verified 12 million humans from over 100 countries on its Ethereum-based World Chain. The price of WLD, meanwhile, has fluctuated wildly. It was trading below its 2023 debut price ahead of Wednesday's event.

Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning project Worldcoin makes US debut

Sam Altman's digital ID project Worldcoin has launched in the US, making its controversial iris-scanning technology and cryptocurrency token available in the country as Donald Trump's administration embraces the digital asset sector. The group aims to make the US its core market after initially rolling out the product outside the country in 2023, partly because of the Joe Biden administration's more hostile attitude to crypto. Altman, who is also chief executive of $300bn artificial intelligence company OpenAI, lamented at the time that his venture, recently rebranded as World, would be "World minus the US coin". Trump has since pledged to make America the "crypto capital of the planet". "There were very good reasons why we focused on making sure that the product worked in the entire world before coming to the United States. Some of them are related to regulatory changes," said Adrian Ludwig, chief architect at Tools for Humanity, the primary developer behind World. Altman and Alex Blania founded Tools for Humanity in 2019. It has raised about $200mn to date from venture capitalists including Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, as well as FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud last year. Altman and Blania argue a reliable method of distinguishing humans from computers is essential as AI becomes more advanced. World manufactures eyeball-scanning "orbs" that generate unique IDs, which can be used to access the group's Worldcoin token. The spherical devices are roughly the size of a basketball, but World is working on handheld models and wants to eventually integrate the technology directly into web cameras or mobile devices. The group aims to build as many as 10,000 orbs for the US market within the next 12 months, roughly five times its current global supply. It is building a new factory in Richardson, Texas, to assemble the orbs, according to Ludwig. The launch of advanced AI models -- which can accurately mimic human interaction -- has introduced real-world applications for World's technology and made the company's premise sound less like science fiction. The models opened the door to sophisticated fraud, phishing scams and duplicity online. On Wednesday, World announced a partnership with online dating company Match Group to verify users of apps including Tinder. Ludwig argued the technology could play a role across government and community services. It could also boost trust and safety on a social network, he said. OpenAI, which is reportedly developing its own social network, could be a future partner, though Ludwig added World's technology could also be used by rival groups such as Elon Musk's X or Meta. World has yet to make a profit and faced pushback in a number of countries over security and privacy concerns. Last year, the group was blocked by Spain's data protection regulator, which raised concerns the company was collecting personal information about minors. It also faced bans, probes or fines in Portugal, Hong Kong, South Korea and France. Ludwig said World, which offers eyeball scans in about 20 countries, ensured all biometric data was anonymous. He estimated that in "18 months or so we will begin to see the costs of operating the network begin to be offset by the fees that are generated by the network".

Sam Altman's World brings iris-scanning digital ID to the US

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Big quote: The US launch of "World" highlights the potential of digital ID technology in an era of growing AI-driven fraud. Co-founder Sam Altman describes World's technology as "a way to make sure humans remained central and special in a world where the internet had a lot of AI-driven content." The company's expansion comes amid ongoing scrutiny over its commitment to privacy, regulation, and public trust. Sam Altman's digital identity startup, World, has launched its iris-scanning technology and cryptocurrency token in the United States, aiming to make the country its core market after a global rollout that began in 2023. This expansion comes as the Trump administration signals its support for digital assets, with the president pledging to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet." At the heart of World's technology is the Orb, a metallic, spherical device designed to scan users' irises and generate unique digital IDs stored on the blockchain. The Orb is positioned as a defense against the rising threat of deepfakes and online impersonation - a problem Altman sees as urgent in an era where GenAI blurs the line between real people and automated bots. According to the company, the Orb's biometric ID system allows users to prove their humanity without revealing personal information. World's technology is debuting in six US cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco - with plans to deploy as many as 7,500 Orbs in the US over the next year, assembled at a new facility in Richardson, Texas. The company is also introducing a portable "Orb mini" device, expected to ship in 2026, to further expand access to its identity verification system. The Orb's launch seems timely, as more sophisticated AI models are making online scams, phishing, and digital fraud more prevalent. World is already piloting its technology with Match Group in Japan to verify users on dating apps like Tinder to boost trust. Adrian Ludwig, chief architect at Tools for Humanity - the company behind World - said the technology could also play a role in government, community services, and social networks, enhancing trust and safety across digital platforms. World claims its user base has nearly doubled to 26 million in the past six months, but now the company faces significant regulatory scrutiny. Privacy concerns have led to bans, investigations, or fines in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong, South Korea, and France. Spain's data protection regulator, for example, blocked the service over concerns about collecting minors' data. Ludwig maintains that "all biometric data was anonymous," and projected that "in 18 months or so we will begin to see the costs of operating the network begin to be offset by the fees that are generated by the network." The company's app is being updated to support more financial transactions, including stablecoins, and World has partnered with Stripe to enable payments on supported websites. At the San Francisco event, the company also announced a proposed Visa-backed debit card, which would allow users to spend their World currency at any location accepting Visa and potentially earn rewards on AI subscriptions like ChatGPT Plus. World's ambition is to become a "super app" for identity and payments, a vision shared by other tech leaders. The app now offers access to third-party "mini apps," including games and prediction markets, and continues to target global financial inclusion. However, the company's approach - particularly its collection and use of biometric data - remains controversial. In its early days, World marketed itself to unbanked populations, offering free crypto in exchange for iris scans, a practice that drew criticism from privacy advocates and regulators. While World's technology is now available in the United States, it is inaccessible to residents or organizations in New York or other unspecified restricted territories. The company has not explained this exclusion, and New York's Department of Financial Services has not commented on the matter.

Sam Altman's Start-Up Launches Eye-Scanning Crypto Orbs in the U.S.

Spend enough time in San Francisco, peering into the cyberpunk future, and you may find that weird things start seeming normal. Fleets of self-driving cars? Yawn. A start-up trying to resurrect the woolly mammoth? Sure, why not. Summoning a godlike artificial intelligence that could wipe out humanity? Ho-hum. You may even find yourself, as I did on Wednesday night, standing in a crowded room in the Marina district, gazing into a glowing white sphere known as the Orb, having your eyeballs scanned in exchange for cryptocurrency and something called a World ID. The event was hosted by World, a San Francisco start-up co-founded by Sam Altman of OpenAI that has come up with one of the more ambitious (or creepy, depending on your view) tech projects in recent memory. The company's basic pitch is this: The internet is about to be overrun with swarms of realistic A.I. bots that will make it nearly impossible to tell whether we're interacting with real humans on social networks, dating sites, gaming platforms and other online spaces. To solve this problem, World has created a program called World ID -- you can think of it as Clear or TSA PreCheck for the internet -- that will allow users to verify their humanity online. To enroll, users stare into an Orb, which collects a scan of their irises. Then they follow a few instructions on a smartphone app and receive a unique biometric identifier that is stored on their device. There are baked-in privacy features, and the company says it doesn't store the images of users' irises, only a numerical code that corresponds to them. In exchange, users receive a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, which they can spend, send to other World ID holders or trade for other currencies. (As of Wednesday night, the sign-up bonus was worth about $40.) At the event, Mr. Altman pitched World as a solution to the problem he called "trust in the age of A.G.I." As artificial general intelligence nears and humanlike A.I. systems come into view, he said, the need for a mechanism that tells bots and humans apart is becoming more urgent. "We wanted a way to make sure that humans stay special and central in a world where the internet was going to have lots of A.I.-driven content," Mr. Altman said. Eventually, Mr. Altman and Alex Blania, the chief executive of World, believe that something like Worldcoin will be needed to distribute the proceeds from powerful A.I. systems to humans, perhaps in the form of a universal basic income. They discussed various ways to create a "real human network" that would combine a proof-of-humanity verification scheme with a financial payments system that would allow verified humans to transact with other verified humans -- all without relying on government-issued IDs or the traditional banking system. "The initial ideas were very crazy," Mr. Altman said. "Then we came down to one that was just a little bit crazy, which became World." The project launched two years ago internationally, and it found much of its early traction in developing countries like Kenya and Indonesia, where users lined up to get their Orb scans in exchange for cryptocurrency rewards. The company has raised roughly $200 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures. There have been some hiccups. World's biometric data collection has faced opposition from privacy advocates and regulators, and the company has been banned or investigated in places including Hong Kong and Spain. There have also been reports of scams and worker exploitation tied to the project's crypto-based rewards system. But it appears to be growing quickly. Roughly 26 million people have signed up for World's app since it launched two years ago, Mr. Blania said, and more than 12 million have received Orb scans to verify themselves as humans. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton are the hosts of Hard Fork, a podcast that makes sense of the rapidly changing world of technology. Subscribe and listen. World stayed out of the United States at first, partly out of concern that regulators would balk at its plans. But the Trump administration's crypto-friendly policies have given it an opening. On Wednesday, World announced that it was launching in the United States and opening retail outposts in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Nashville, where new users can scan their eyes and get their World IDs. It plans to have 7,500 Orbs in the country by the end of the year. The company also revealed a new version of its Orb, the Orb Mini -- which is not, in fact, an orb. Instead, it looks like a smartphone with glowing eyes, but serves the same purpose as the larger device. And World announced partnerships with other businesses including Razer, the gaming company, and Match Group, the dating app conglomerate, which will soon allow Tinder users in Japan to verify their humanity using their World IDs. It's not clear yet how any of this will make money, or whether privacy-conscious Americans will be as eager to fork over their biometric data for a few crypto tokens as people in developing parts of the world have been. It's also not clear whether World can overcome basic skepticism about how strange and sinister the whole thing can feel. Personally, I'm sympathetic to the idea that we need a way to tell bots and humans apart. But World's proposed fix -- a global biometric registry, backed by a volatile cryptocurrency and overseen by a private company -- may sound too much like a "Black Mirror" episode to reach mainstream acceptance. And even on Wednesday, in a room packed with eager early adopters, I met plenty of people who were reluctant to stare into the Orb. "I don't give up my personal data easily, and I consider my eyeballs personal data," one tech worker told me. World's connection to Mr. Altman has also drawn scrutiny. During the event, a few skeptics pointed out that by virtue of his position atop OpenAI, he is in some sense fueling the problem -- an internet full of hyper-convincing bots -- that World is trying to solve. But it's also possible that Mr. Altman's connection could help World scale quickly, if it teams up with OpenAI or integrates with its A.I. products in some way. Maybe the social network that OpenAI is reportedly building will have a "verified humans only" mode, or perhaps users who contribute to OpenAI's products in valuable ways will someday be paid in Worldcoin. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. OpenAI and Microsoft have denied the claims.) It's also entirely possible that privacy norms may shift in World's favor and that what feels strange and sinister today may be normalized tomorrow. (Remember how weird it felt the first time you saw a Clear kiosk at the airport? Did you promise that you'd never hand over your biometric data, then eventually relent and accept it as the cost of convenience?) When it was my turn to step up to the Orb, I removed my glasses, opened my World app and followed the instructions it gave me. (Look this way, look that way, step back a bit.) The Orb's cameras whirred for a minute, capturing my iris's texture. A ring around the Orb glowed yellow, and it let out a happy chime. A few minutes later, I was the owner of a World ID and 39.22 Worldcoin tokens. (The tokens are worth $40.77 at today's prices, and I'll be donating them to charity, once I figure out how to get them off my phone.) My Orb scan was quick and painless, but I spent the rest of the night feeling vaguely vulnerable -- like I had just agreed to participate in a clinical trial for some risky new drug without reading about the possible side effects. But many in attendance seemed to have no such qualms. "What am I hiding, anyway?" a social media influencer named Hannah Stocking said, as she stepped up to take her Orb scan. "Who cares? Take it all."

Visit this store for a free iris scan to 'prove' you're human, not AI

A start-up promoting a biometric ID network called World says dating apps, banks and governments need a way to separate bots from people. SAN FRANCISCO -- Clement Anthonioz, a 38-year-old telecommunications professional, walked into a sleek store in the Union Square shopping district Thursday and stared into a white orb as it scanned his iris to generate his "proof of personhood." It was opening day for one of six U.S. storefronts promoting World, a digital identity system built on the idea that dating apps, government agencies and more urgently need a reliable way to distinguish people from machines. "There's going to be more and more AI agents online -- and sometimes you want to prove that you're a human," said Anthonioz as his beagle, Tixi, waited patiently. (There is not yet a proof-of-pet option.) Anthonioz was willing to put his eyeball on the line for a World ID "proof of human" credential because he believes it will be useful in the future for all kinds of services. "I think at some point to vote we'll need this," he said. But some privacy experts question whether the World network will be able to deliver on its promises -- or keep user data safe. The orb that scanned Anthonioz's iris was made by start-up Tools for Humanity, which makes the technology behind the World network and was co-founded in 2019 by Alex Blania and Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The company previously scanned irises outside the United States, including in Argentina and Kenya, where regulators in 2023 halted its operations for months to clarify its privacy and security practices. As World launched in the United States this week, Tools for Humanity said that 12 million people have completed an iris scan. It also opened stores in Miami, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and Nashville on Thursday. Enrollment involves the orb taking images of a person's face and then comparing their eyes to a selfie taken using the World app on their phone. The entire process takes place on-device, Tools for Humanity said, and each World ID is encrypted with an anonymized, cryptographic key. Once the process is complete, the World app informs a user that their data is being deleted from the orb. A person can use the app with compatible services to prove that they are not a bot or an algorithm. At a launch event at a warehouse space on San Francisco Bay on Wednesday night, attendees dined on tuna poke bowls and roasted marshmallows with Ghirardelli chocolate at a make-your-own-s'mores bar. Frozen margaritas and gin slushies were on hand to loosen any inhibitions before an eyeball scan. A public relations representative confirmed that the disc jockeys spinning that night had also created World IDs. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) were spotted at the festivities, although their offices said they did not create World IDs. The company announced partnerships with Visa, dating app provider Match Group, video game hardware maker Razer and payments provider Stripe. Altman, whose OpenAI has popularized use of text and image-generating AI tools, told the crowd of nearly 1,000 attendees that five years ago it became clear to him and Blania that "we needed some sort of way for identifying, authenticating humans ... in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content." That conversation culminated in the creation of a "proof of human" system, Blania said, that is global, privacy-preserving and has a financial component. Anyone who enrolls with an iris scan is rewarded with cryptocurrency called Worldcoin. Those who did so at the event Wednesday received 150 of the crypto tokens, each of which is worth a little over a dollar. One attendee said she wasn't thrilled with the idea of an eye scan, but that she'd do it for the free crypto. Lorrie Cranor, who directs the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, saw Blania and Altman present the World vision at a privacy conference last week. Though the company positions its "proof of human" credential as a way of authenticating someone is a person and not a robot, she said it was not clear why having a scan of her iris was necessary or that it would accomplish that goal. "Now I have features from the scan of my iris encrypted and stored on my phone, but if somebody else gets access to my phone or if a robot takes over my phone, does that mean that they can demonstrate that they're human or maybe even me?" Cranor said in a phone interview Thursday. She said that she asked this question of the person accompanying the iris-scanning orb and wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer. Cranor said her research has shown that people still care about privacy, but they've given up on protecting it tightly. "The cat is out of the bag," she said. She has direct experience of the human-or-AI problem, but is unsure World can help. When doing research surveys, Cranor has often received answers she suspects were formulated by ChatGPT. "We've been trying to come up with all sorts of ways of figuring out who is not really human taking our surveys. It's really hard. ... I have trouble believing if this system will actually solve this problem." Rachael Yong, a start-up founder, said she wasn't wild about someone scanning her iris when she first heard about World a few years ago, but at the Wednesday event was impressed by the partnerships announced. "I have Stripe. I have dating apps," Yong said. "It's interesting to see that they're trying to integrate [World ID] into people's lives." Other attendees, like Chris Jackson, a marketing and advertising professional in San Francisco, were wooed by Altman's star power. "I genuinely think he has a vision of what the future is going to be," Jackson said. He thinks World ID could be useful in verifying people's ages and personhood online. More than a dozen states have already passed or enacted laws requiring online age checks, with many companies already offering the technology to social media companies such as Meta and TikTok. Debra Farber, privacy engineering manager at Lumin Digital, suggested in a recent LinkedIn post that data associated with a World ID such as where or how often it was used could be used to pierce a user's anonymity. "If World ID is linked to other accounts (e.g., social media, banking), it might be possible to re-identify individuals despite its privacy-preserving design," she said. Farber also sees hypocrisy in the company's mission. "World attempts to solve a crisis of human authenticity that Sam Altman's own work at OpenAI is accelerating, creating a feedback loop where the harms of one system justify the surveillance of another," she wrote in a message to The Washington Post. The software behind the World network and the iris-scanning orbs is open source, and Tools for Humanity has said it welcomes scrutiny from privacy and digital rights organizations. Anthonioz said he trusts Tools for Humanity with his biometric data in part because it's a well-funded American company, and he's impressed the background of the team. Besides, he said with a shrug, he's already given other companies access to much of his biometric data. "I think this is safer than Face ID," Anthonioz said, referring to Apple's method of unlocking and storing passwords on his iPhone.

Sam Altman-backed startup makes optical scanner to detect humans from AI

How else can you prove you're human? Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Have you ever wanted a mobile device designed solely to scan your eyeballs? No, that sounds a little creepy? Well, that's too dang bad, because you're getting it anyway. Tools for Humanity, a start-up backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, debuted the Orb Mini this week, a smartphone-sized device with two massive eye sensors on it. The hardware is part of the World project and app, a grand plan aimed at creating a global identification system. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The idea is that these sensors, paired with a blockchain registry, could serve as a tool for verifying someone's humanity. And yes, this is because artificial intelligence evangelists envision a world where it's impossible to distinguish between a human being and an AI agent online. The Orb orbital scanner is reminiscent of the retinal scanners in Minority Report, a dystopian science-fiction movie, which likely isn't the first association that Tools for Humanity wants for its product. So, how does the optical scanner work? Working in tandem with an app, the Orb Mini would scan your iris, which would be associated with a unique ID and stored with blockchain technology. The effort is part of the so-called "World human verification project," according to TechCrunch. Tools for Humanity also has a larger version of the device, simply called The Orb. Besides proving your humanity, other uses for the technology include verifying your identity on dating apps or being a part of a payment tool. Wired reported World is working with Match to run a pilot program in Japan where Tinder users can use the company's tech to verify their identity. The tech outlet also reported World is working on a Visa-backed debit card and will be launching identification services in six U.S. cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Tools for Humanity may also try to incentivize users to scan their eyes with Orb devices with -- what else? -- cryptocurrency. As The Verge noted, folks who scan their eyes into the system will receive 16 Worldcoin (WLD), a new cryptocurrency tied to the very same World human verification project. So, if you're eager to scan your retinas into Sam Altman's eyeball machine, now is your time.

Wanna scan your iris for crypto? Sam Altman's orb comes to U.S.

Table of Contents Table of Contents How it works Want to sign up? OpenAI chief Sam Altman launched his World crypto project in 2023, and now it's coming to the U.S. in a big way. The sci-fi-sounding initiative uses an orb to scan your iris to create your very own World ID, which the company describes as a "digital passport." Recommended Videos In return for registering, you get some free World (WLD) cryptocurrency, which you can add to later or spend whenever you like. Your World ID will also allow you to sign in and authenticate into web, mobile, and decentralized apps, anonymously showing that you're a unique human and not a bot or AI system. Essentially, the project is an attempt at building a financial and social infrastructure to address challenges posed by AI's rapid advancement. For the last couple of years, World's orb has been scanning people's irises in more than a dozen countries, including the U.K., Japan, Germany, Spain, and India. At a special event on Wednesday night, Altman's company announced that from Thursday, folks in the U.S. will be able to register, too. World executive Rich Heley said a new, smaller, and more advanced version of the orb will be rolling out across the U.S. and globally from today. By the end of the year, 7,500 orbs will be scanning irises in the U.S., at locations within relatively easy reach of around 180 million Americans. How it works Heley offered a sneak peek at its new self-verification system where you'll be able to set up a WorldID by yourself using an orb in places like coffee shops and convenience stores. Demonstrated on stage, WorldID product manager Tawanda Michael Mahere began the self-verification process by pairing the orb with his phone, which involved scanning the QR code on his World app. Facing the orb, the device then scanned his iris and, in just a few seconds, the process was complete and Mahere was the recipient of a number of WLD cryptocurrency tokens as a little thank you gift. "First, it's verifying that he's a human," Heley explained. "Then it's informing him that his data is being sent just to his device so that he controls it, and then reminding him that all his data is being deleted from the orb." Want to sign up? From Thursday, orbs will be available at select locations in the U.S., including San Francisco World Flagship Space at 281 Geary St; Austin World Space at 417 2nd St in Austin, Texas; Los Angeles World Flagship Space at 8585 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood; and Miami World Flagship Space at 257 NW 24th St in Miami, Florida. While some people are very much into the idea of a secure, global digital identity and new ways to distribute money, others have voiced concerns about privacy, surveillance, and how the biometric data is handled, despite World saying that it doesn't store raw eye images and uses cryptography to protect people's identity. Please enable Javascript to view this content

Sam Altman's Eyeball-Scanning Crypto Project Hits the US 'At Last'

The promise of free crypto in exchange for your biometric data is now live in the U.S., courtesy of World, the eyeball-scanning project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It announced Wednesday that it is officially rolling out its orbs in six major American cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. While it toured its orbs around the U.S. in earlier promotional efforts, it stopped short of offering full services stateside. The U.S. debut for World, formerly known as Worldcoin, comes far later than other jurisdictions across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Previously, World's terms and conditions barred Americans from receiving its WLD crypto tokens, which are paid out to those who obtain a World ID through an eyeball scan, due to regulatory risk. Under Trump, it seems that's changed. "The United States of America stands at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation. Now, it's time for the world's AI hub to embrace the essential counterpart: proof of human," World said in a statement. "World launches in the USA, at last," the title of its announcement reads. Globally, World claims more than 12 million people have already enrolled on its platform, with over 400,000 signing up in just the past week. It believes this biometric credential is necessary proof of personhood in a world increasingly overrun by AI-generated content -- a threat that, ironically, Altman helped create through his leadership at OpenAI. The company behind World, Tools for Humanity, argues that World ID is a privacy-first digital identity solution. Its co-founders, Altman and Alex Blania, tout cryptographic protections and claim that data remains on users' devices, not on central servers. But critics aren't exactly reassured. World has been the target of fierce backlash from privacy groups, data watchdogs, and regulators across the globe. Police in multiple countries have raided World outposts, which has led to the project being suspended in places like Hong Kong. In Germany, regulators demanded in December that World delete biometric data over GDPR violations. It appealed the decision. In February, Brazilian regulators denied an appeal by World to lift restrictions on its operations in the country. World said its locations in Brazil would remain open "to provide education and information to the public." Recruitment tactics have also drawn scrutiny. Reports allege that orb operators have coerced individuals into scans, and a black market has emerged where iris data is reportedly sold for as little as $30.

Orb device at San Francisco store aims to fight bots with biometric scans

Amid the rise of artificial intelligence and an increase in online bots, the reality of humankind can easily be skewed. A high-tech device in San Francisco's Union Square is offering one way to prove your humanness, as part of a global database. World Network, a digital identity project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, opened its first U.S. flagship in San Francisco on Thursday. The store offers a futuristic way to verify a person's "humanness" using a biometric device called the Orb. It's a metallic sphere that scans the iris, face curvature, pulse, and temperature of users. The goal is to prove you're human and not a bot. "I wanted to understand it better," said Clement, a Bay Area resident who tested the Orb out of curiosity. "At some point, it's going to be an issue online to know if we are real or if we're talking to a machine." The store, located beside the Macy's building in Union Square, is home to a handful of the eyeball-looking devices. After downloading the World App and scanning a QR code, visitors interact with the Orb, which verifies that they are unique biological humans and issues them a World ID, which the group describes as an anonymous digital passport. More than 26 million people in over 160 countries have already signed up for World Network. But this is the first time the technology has landed on U.S. soil. The initiative comes amid recent data that suggests by 2026, up to 90% of online interactions could involve AI in some form. The creators of the Orb see their technology as a way to give humans a fighting chance in the digital arms race. "We want to make sure that all technology being built today is for the benefit of the people," said Adrian Ludwig, chief architect at Tools for Humanity, the company behind the Orb. "Unfortunately, it's hard to tell who people are online. The first thing you need to know is: Is this a person?" Ludwig emphasized that the device is designed with privacy in mind. "The Orb gives that picture to the person, then immediately deletes it," he said. "It's analyzed it, confirmed they're human, and once it knows that, it can keep that proof around that at one point in the past did the analysis, it doesn't need to store it." Still, the concept raises questions for some users who question the safety of not just their data privacy, but also their physical privacy. "It's the unknown -- it's the path we're going down," said Maggie Peña, a passerby. "If it helps in some way, I'd say yes to everything. But that unknown path is scary." World Network's founders say the technology could be used across platforms -- from dating apps to social media -- offering reassurance that users are interacting with real people, not AI-generated personas or bots. "There's real value to be a human at the end of the day," Clement said. The system also has a cryptocurrency component. Each user is allotted 16 "World Coins" that, at this point, roughly hold the value of the U.S. dollar. The group says the purpose of the digital currency is for scalability and hopes to use it as a global currency both for in-app purchases and externally.

Sam Altman, the architect of ChatGPT, is rolling out a device that verifies you're human

Anne Marie D. Lee is an editor for CBS MoneyWatch. She writes about topics including personal finance, the workplace, travel and social media. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and the architect of ChatGPT, is behind a venture that wants to solve a modern-day problem: proving you're human amidst a proliferation of bots and artificial intelligence. The startup, called World (formerly Worldcoin), is launching in the U.S. with the distribution of 20,000 tech devices called Orbs that scan a person's retina to verify they are human. After confirming a person's humanity, World then creates a digital ID for users that proves their personhood, distinguishing them from a bot or AI program that can mimic human behavior. The device, which looks like something out of "Black Mirror," may seem ironic coming from Altman, given that its purpose is to help people stand out from the very same types of technology he helped develop. But World's backers say the Orb and its "proof of personhood" is addressing a problem that can stymie everything from finance to online dating: bots impersonating people. The Orb "is a privacy-first way to prove you are a human in the world of AI and bots," said Jake Brukhman, co-founder of CoinFund, one of the project's earliest backers. "That is getting relevant as AI is becoming much more prevalent in the world." World isn't exactly new, as it debuted outside the U.S. in 2023 and has already sparked privacy backlash, with Kenya's government shutting down the service, according to the Associated Press. Other jurisdictions followed suit, including Hong Kong and Spain. "I will say that upon the launch in 2023 there was a lot of noise about this," Brukhman said. "But a lot of noise came from the lack of understanding about the Orb and how it works." The Orb doesn't store any biometric data, he added. The device takes photos to ensure a person is human, but then stores that info on the user's device, not in the Orb, according to World's website. World also has a link to cryptocurrencies, as the Orb's human-verification process is designed to be used in the World App, which is a digital wallet that gives people access to decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies. The time is right for a rollout in the U.S., Brukhman said, with expectations of looser crypto regulations under Trump administration. President Trump, who has vowed to turn the U.S. into the cryptocurrency capital of the world, is working on a "crypto strategic reserve" for the nation. The Orbs will be rolled out in stores in six U.S. cities, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami and San Francisco, as well as at gaming retailer Razer, with the idea that people can go to physical locations to get themselves verified as human. "It takes a founder of the brand and acumen of a Sam Altman to really do digital identity," Brukhman said. The U.S. rollout "will massively bolster the adoption of registered users on the network."

Sam Altman, the architect of ChatGPT, is rolling out an orb that verifies you're human

Anne Marie D. Lee is an editor for CBS MoneyWatch. She writes about topics including personal finance, the workplace, travel and social media. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and the architect of ChatGPT, is behind a venture that wants to solve a modern-day problem: proving you're human amidst a proliferation of bots and artificial intelligence. The startup, called World (formerly Worldcoin), is launching in the U.S. with the distribution of 20,000 tech devices called Orbs that scan a person's retina to verify they are human. After confirming a person's humanity, World then creates a digital ID for users that proves their personhood, distinguishing them from a bot or AI program that can mimic human behavior. The device, which looks like something out of "Black Mirror," may seem ironic coming from Altman, given that its purpose is to help people stand out from the very same types of technology he helped develop. But World's backers say the Orb and its "proof of personhood" is addressing a problem that can stymie everything from finance to online dating: bots impersonating people. The Orb "is a privacy-first way to prove you are a human in the world of AI and bots," said Jake Brukhman, co-founder of CoinFund, one of the project's earliest backers. "That is getting relevant as AI is becoming much more prevalent in the world." World isn't exactly new, as it debuted outside the U.S. in 2023 and has already sparked privacy backlash, with Kenya's government shutting down the service, according to the Associated Press. Other jurisdictions followed suit, including Hong Kong and Spain. "I will say that upon the launch in 2023 there was a lot of noise about this," Brukhman said. "But a lot of noise came from the lack of understanding about the Orb and how it works." The Orb doesn't store any biometric data, he added. The device takes photos to ensure a person is human, but then stores that info on the user's device, not in the Orb, according to World's website. World also has a link to cryptocurrencies, as the Orb's human-verification process is designed to be used in the World App, which is a digital wallet that gives people access to decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies. The time is right for a rollout in the U.S., Brukhman said, with expectations of looser crypto regulations under Trump administration. President Trump, who has vowed to turn the U.S. into the cryptocurrency capital of the world, is working on a "crypto strategic reserve" for the nation. The Orbs will be rolled out in stores in six U.S. cities, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami and San Francisco, as well as at gaming retailer Razer, with the idea that people can go to physical locations to get themselves verified as human. "It takes a founder of the brand and acumen of a Sam Altman to really do digital identity," Brukhman said. The U.S. rollout "will massively bolster the adoption of registered users on the network."

Sam Altman's eye-scanning crypto project World launches in US

The OpenAI CEO's eyeball scanning crypto project is going live in six US cities and has also partnered with credit card giant Visa to offer a card. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's crypto-tied digital identity project World, formerly Worldcoin, has made its US debut in six cities. The project, which aims to verify humans in the age of artificial intelligence, is initially coming to what it calls the "key innovation hubs" of Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco, according to an April 30 announcement. World offers a crypto token, Worldcoin (WLD), to those who verify their identity with its spherical device called The Orb, which scans a user's face and eyes. The data can be used to make a World ID on the company's platform to verify a user is human and to sign in to integrated platforms, which currently include Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify and Discord. In addition to World's US rollout, the company said at an event in San Francisco on April 30 that it would partner with Visa for a "World Visa card" to launch later this year for those who have scanned their eyeballs, which allows for payments using WLD tokens and other cryptocurrencies. The online dating giant Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge, Match.com and Plenty of Fish, will also begin a pilot program testing out World ID for its apps. The firm said that the project aims to provide dating app users with the means of verifying that the profiles they interact with represent real people seeking real connections. Related: World competitor Billions Network launches non-biometric digital ID World has established separate partnerships with prediction market startup Kalshi and decentralized lending platform Morpho. Altman co-founded the project in 2019, when it was known as Worldcoin, to create a global identity verification system using the blockchain to combat fraud and bots. It rebranded to World in 2024 and currently has 26 million users globally, with 12 million of them verified through Orb scans. WLD prices initially jumped around 15% following the announcement. However, those gains have since been lost, with the token down more than 5% over the past 24 hours, trading at just over $1 at the time of writing. WLD is down more than 90% from its March 2024 all-time high of $11.74, according to CoinGecko.

Sam Altman wants to scan your eyes with this orb to verify your humanity

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you. A startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO and founder Sam Altman has launched its eyeball-scanning orbs in the United States. The startup behind the odd-looking orbs is called Tools for Humanity, and it's pioneering the World Human Verification project, which it unveiled on Wednesday. The idea behind the project is to produce a device called an Orb that is able to scan the irises of an individual and assign a verifiable identification profile, putting that identification profile on the blockchain to verify that you are, in fact, human. Yes, that is right, Sam Altman's co-founded startup wants to verify your humanity with a device. But why? The use is quite practical, as World intends to create digital "proof of human" tools which it believes will be useful in the future, since AI will eventually become so sophisticated it will be difficult to distinguish humans from AI agents on the internet. The idea is that World will create a WorldID with the gathered unique IrisCode from an individual, and with that, users will be able to log in to various platforms and services, including Minecraft and Reddit. Tools for Humanity retains access to some of the user data to ensure user biometrics isn't being duplicated, but the company said the majority of the personal data it collects will be decentralized, anonymized, and allegedly impossible to reverse-engineer. World has already rolled out in Latin America, South America, and Asia, but has now entered the US, with six locations in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, and San Francisco being opened up for iris scanning purposes.

Meet the Orb: The futuristic device that verifies you're human in the age of AI

It's been said that by this time next year, 90% of what you see online could be generated by artificial intelligence. That claim -- often cited by Europol and Gartner -- isn't just a prediction. It's a warning. If it holds true, we'll soon have no clue what to trust online, let alone who. Product reviews? Maybe fake. Instagram crush? Possibly a bot. News reports? Let's hope this one's still human. But what if a wildly ambitious new piece of tech could prove -- instantly -- that the person you're talking to is real? Like, born-with-a-bellybutton real? America, meet the Orb: a bold new attempt to verify you're not a bot -- just by looking you in the eye. This week in San Francisco, Tools for Humanity (TFH) -- a startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman -- launched the U.S. rollout of World ID, a sci-fi-looking little globe that can verify actual humans. The rollout is starting in six cities: San Francisco, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Austin and Nashville. But this isn't just some startup stunt. Tucked inside that shiny, white, crystal-ball-looking sphere isn't magic. It's math -- the kind that powers secure online transactions and could someday help restore trust to the internet."Right now, the only ways we have to prove someone's human are either invasive or super annoying," TFH Chief Architect Adrian Ludwig told me when I met with him at the company headquarters in San Francisco earlier this week. "Like CAPTCHAs -- or handing over private data like your phone number or ID." The Orb tech is basically the best patch we've seen yet for a massive design flaw that dates back to the birth of the internet. "We focused on the tech -- and made people an afterthought," Ludwig said. Now, TFH says they want to fix that before the bots completely take over. What exactly does the Orb do? The pitch is simple: look into the Orb. It takes a quick image of your face, and most notably, your iris -- more unique than a fingerprint -- to check that you're a unique, living, breathing human who hasn't registered before (so you can't create more than one "self"). If it deems you real, it gives you a blue checkmark in the World App and creates your World ID. The image? Instantly deleted. Your World ID lives only on your smartphone. What's left is like a digital barcode for your eyeball that's encrypted, split into pieces, and scattered across a decentralized network, kind of like a glitter bomb. Ludwig said nothing's stored on the Orb, sent to the company, or left to exploit, sell or leak. "The code can confirm you're human," Ludwig explained. "But it can't recreate your face or eyeball -- just like a barcode on a cookie box tells you what's inside, but doesn't give you the cookie." Your World ID can't even identify you -- it only confirms that a human (not a bot) is behind the screen. Can your World ID get hacked? Is it safe? That's the big question. I came in just as skeptical as the Reddit threads full of "hard pass" reactions.But if hackers come for World ID, Ludwig says they'll find nothing useful. The scrambled bits of iris data are anonymous and useless on their own. It's like trying to solve a 1,000-piece puzzle with only seven random pieces.Still, we've heard promises like this before -- from Meta, Google and so many others. Anyone who remembers the fallout from Cambridge Analytica is right to be wary. Harvard cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier flat-out dismissed it: "This is more blockchain stupidity. Just run away," he told me via email. Privacy concerns have trailed the Orb since it launched overseas in 2023. Authorities in Hong Kong banned it. South Korea fined TFH -- though the company says that's since been resolved. And critics are still wary of its original incentive model, which offered cryptocurrency (Worldcoin tokens) to those who signed up. TFH says they've learned from the backlash, made major changes, and waited to launch in the U.S. until they were sure they "got it right." What problem does World ID solve? In theory, a verified World ID helps crack down on deepfake-driven scams, bot-run social media accounts, and marketplace rip-offs that vanish after payment hits "send," and that's just the beginning of the real-world problems it can solve. Imagine using a platform where every user is a verified human. That could be game-changing for everything from dating apps to political forums to online education. But here's the catch: it only works if people actually use it. Until the masses adopt it, fraudsters can simply avoid platforms that require World ID and continue doing business as usual. So far, a handful of notable companies are on board, including gaming giant Razer. The company also just announced partnerships with Visa and the Match Group (think Tinder and Hinge). TFH says more are coming, but it's not quite a stampede yet. And let's be real: getting millions of people to scan their irises in public isn't going to be easy. Even with privacy safeguards in place, asking someone to stare into a glowing orb to prove they're human still feels... weird. Yes, I scanned my eyeball. Here's why. The Orb promises trust without surveillance. Privacy without passwords. And, eventually, the ability to know not just that someone is real, but that they're the person they claim to be. TFH says they're working on that too. So, will I sign up? Yes. I already did. Not because it's perfect. Not because it's risk-free. But because we have to start somewhere. In a world where AI is already writing emails, creating fake girlfriends, shaping elections and spreading deadly misinformation, it feels like time to put a few safeguards in place. We built the internet without a way to prove we're real. Now, with AI blurring the lines faster than we can keep up, maybe it's time to fix that -- one eyeball at a time.

'Way for Identifying Humans': Sam Altman's Startup Is Bringing Eyeball-Scanning Orbs to the U.S.

Tools for Humanity, a startup co-founded in 2023 by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is expanding its field of vision. The startup announced at a Wednesday event in San Francisco that it is sending out thousands of its eyeball-scanning Orb systems to the U.S. for the first time on a mass scale this week, per Bloomberg. The Orb is a spherical device that allows people to scan their eyes to prove they are human, in exchange for a cryptocurrency token called Worldcoin. The eye scans create a unique user ID or digital passport, which can then be used to verify user identities and differentiate them from AI and bots. The Orbs will be accessible through six new World Spaces stores, modeled after Apple stores and opening this week, reports Wired. The stores will be based in six U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. Tools for Humanity is also partnering with Razer to bring Orbs to Razer's retail stores, with the goal of having 7,500 Orbs in the U.S. by the end of the year. "We needed some sort of way for identifying, authenticating humans in the age of AGI," Altman said at the event while explaining how the startup originated. (AGI refers to artificial general intelligence that can meet or surpass human abilities.) According to TIME, Tools for Humanity offered 25 units of its WLD cryptocurrency (worth about $26 today) to those who had their eyes scanned by the Orb last year. It's unclear how much cryptocurrency the startup will offer U.S. users. Related: Sam Altman's Crypto Project Collects Personal Data With an Eye-Scanning Orb -- And Now It's Banned in Spain While the promise of a cryptocurrency payment may entice some users to scan their eyes, Tools for Humanity Chief Architect Adrian Ludwig told Axios that the real draw was the services that an Orb eye scan unlocks, like age verification on dating apps. Tools for Humanity announced on Wednesday at the event that it is joining forces with dating app giant Match Group to offer the option to verify ages with Orb scan. This initiative starts with Tinder users based in Japan. "It's not about a small amount of crypto payment," Ludwig told the outlet. "It's really about unlocking the potential of all those other services." The startup is additionally partnering with Visa to launch The World Card, which allows users to spend cryptocurrency anywhere Visa is accepted, in the U.S. later this year. Related: Sam Altman Says Mastering AI Tools Is the New 'Learn to Code' Tools for Humanity previously only conducted limited tests of the Orbs in the U.S. and didn't offer the scanning technology on a broad scale, per Bloomberg. The startup has scanned the eyes of more than 12 million people around the world through the Orb, including in countries like Portugal and Thailand, per Axios. The startup, which was called Worldcoin until its rebrand late last year, encountered opposition in Spain last year, with regulators blocking the company over concerns that it was collecting biometric data. As of August, the startup had halted its activity in the country.

Sam Altman's Eyeball-Scanning Project Expands to 6 US Cities

World, a biometric identification project, says it will make its Orb devices available to 180,000 Americans by the end of the year. The "Orb," a silver, basketball-sized device that scans human irises to generate and store unique biometric data, sounds like it's straight out of a science fiction tale. But these devices are real, developed by a startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and are now available in six U.S. cities. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters "America should lead innovation, not fight it off," said Altman yesterday (April 30) during an event unveiling the U.S. expansion of World, the digital identification project behind Orbs. The devices can now be found in seven locations cross Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. World is the brainchild of Tools for Humanity, a company established by Altman and deep learning researcher Alex Blania in 2019. Its mission is to establish a simple, secure form of human verification in a future where A.I. could blur the line between people and bots online. Initially called Worldcoin and rebranded as World last year, the project aims to create a unique "World ID" for individuals -- verifiable proof of personhood that can also be used for cryptocurrency transactions and other digital services. World IDs are generated by scans from Orbs, which are currently available in nearly 900 locations worldwide, according to the World website. World aims to deploy 7,500 Orb devices across the U.S. by the end of the year, with the goal of reaching 180 million Americans. Globally, the project already claims 12 million verified World ID holders and ultimately aims for 1 billion users. How do the Orbs work? Here's how the Orbs work: the device takes about 30 seconds to scan a person's irises, collecting data to generate a World ID and rewarding users with a small amount of the project's WLD cryptocurrency. Powered by Nvidia (NVDA)'s Jetson chipset, the Orb measures iris patterns rather than more common biometric data like fingerprints, which are more susceptible to external changes. For the first time, Tools for Humanity will begin assembling some of its Orbs in the U.S., launching a domestic production line in Richardson, Texas. Following the initial rollout in its first six cities, the company plans to expand to Seattle, Orlando, San Diego and Las Vegas. "They will really be everywhere," said Blania at the launch event. "They'll be in gas stations, convenience stores -- you'll be able to verify yourself in 10 minutes, basically wherever you are." Despite its seemingly wacky premise, World has attracted the backing of major Silicon Valley investors. Since 2019, it has raised more than $240 million from firms including Andreessen Horowitz, khosla ventures, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, according to Crunchbase. Alongside its U.S. expansion, World also announced two new partnerships aimed at advancing its digital ID vision. A collaboration with Visa will introduce the "World Card" later this year, allowing World ID holders to spend digital assets anywhere Visa is accepted. World is also partnering with Match Group to pilot World ID as an age verification tool for online dating platforms, starting with Tinder (MTCH) users in Japan.

Sam Altman's Crypto Project Unveils AI-Spotting Gizmo, Brings 'World' To The US

Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter Nearly two years after its launch, World WLD/USD, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, debuted in the U.S. on Thursday. The decentralized identity verification project also unveiled a new smartphone-like device for identity verification and a debit card to make WLD payments. What Happened: The launch will allow Americans to earn WLD tokens by verifying their identities and creating a World ID. Initially, the project will be available in six cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. In addition, World, formerly known as Worldcoin, plans to launch a Visa card that will allow users to make purchases using their WLD tokens and other digital assets. This card is slated to be available in the U.S. later this year. To scale up its identity verification model, World also teased "Orb Mini," a portable handheld device in the shape of a smartphone, during its "At Last" event in San Francisco. The device, like the flagship Orb devices at different locations, could be used to differentiate between a human and artificial intelligence. See Also: Shiba Inu Burn Rate Skyrockets 2,094%: What Is Going On? Get StartedStart Your Crypto Journey Today and Get $500 in RewardsExclusively for new Crypto.com App users, unlock up to $500 worth of rewards in the most popular tokens when you start trading.Get Started World is an identity verification project that captures people's irises to confirm their humanness and build a digital ID, allowing them to receive free WLD tokens. However, it has courted controversy over personal data privacy concerns and stands outlawed in Hong Kong, Kenya, and Spain as of this writing. To address these concerns, World implemented a personal custody feature that ensures users' data remains on their devices and not with World or any third party. Price Action: At the time of writing, WLD was exchanging hands at $1.04, down 3.37% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro. The coin sharply reversed course after surging to a high of $1.17 overnight. Photo: jamesonwu1972/Shutterstock Read Next: El Salvador Committed To Buy Bitcoin Despite IMF Requirement, Says Minister -- 'Important Project' Started By Nayib Bukele Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Sam Altman Brings Iris-Scanning Company World to US | PYMNTS.com

As the Financial Times (FT) reported late Wednesday (April 30), the debut of this project -- which involves eyeball scanning technology and a digital token -- is happening as the U.S. government is taking a pro-cryptocurrency stance. World has initially launched its product outside of the U.S., in part because the Biden administration had cracked down on the crypto sector. Since then, President Donald Trump has campaigned to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the planet." According to the FT, Altman -- also CEO of OpenAI -- announced the U.S. launch at an event Wednesday in San Francisco, telling the audience: "I'm a very proud American, I think America should lead innovation, not fight it off." Altman added that the company's tech was "a way to make sure humans remained central and special in a world where the internet had a lot of AI-driven content." "There were very good reasons why we focused on making sure that the product worked in the entire world before coming to the United States. Some of them are related to regulatory changes," said Adrian Ludwig, chief architect at Tools for Humanity, which developed World. The company's founders contend that a dependable way to distinguish humans from computers is critical as artificial intelligence (AI) evolves. World manufactures eyeball-scanning "orbs" that generate unique IDs, letting users access the group's Worldcoin token. The FT says the company hopes to build up to 10,000 orbs for the American market in the next 12 months. The company is also reportedly at work on a super app that Altman and CEO Alex Blania say could someday compete with X, assuming that company develops its own super app plans. Weeks later, reports emerged that World was in talks with Visa to add on-chain card features to the group's self-custody crypto wallet. The company has also faced regulatory scrutiny in several countries due to privacy concerns. Spain blocked World last year, saying there were concerns that the company was collecting personal data of minors. World has also faced bans, fines or investigations in France, Portugal, Hong Kong and Kenya.

Sam Altman's Eye-Scanning Crypto Project Launches in the U.S.

Sam Altman's project that aims to scan the irises of every single person on Earth in exchange for cryptocurrency has made its debut in the U.S., even as concerns around biometric data collection and processing remain. The U.S. rollout was made at an event late Wednesday in San Francisco, where the digital initiative called World also announced the planned launch of a payments card with Visa and a partnership with online-dating service Match Group, beginning with its Tinder users in Japan. "As AI advances, it's increasingly important to distinguish between humans and bots online," World said on its website. Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, co-founded the venture in 2019 as an "anonymous proof-of-human" system for people to verify their identity and prevent AI bots from pretending to be humans. World, formerly known as Worldcoin, works as an open-source protocol, according to its website. Users download a wallet app that supports the creation of a digital identity known as World ID. To get their identity verified, users visit a physical imaging device called the Orb that uses sensors "to verify humanness and uniqueness." As of March, World has Orb-verified 11 million people worldwide. The World Card with Visa, which it aims to launch in the U.S. by this year, will be connected directly to users' World App wallet, allowing them to spend the digital assets anywhere Visa is accepted worldwide, it said. The U.S. launch comes amid the Trump administration's support for the digital asset sector. The president has said he aims to make the country the "crypto capital of the world." The project was initially rolled out to countries outside the U.S. in 2023 during the Biden administration. Altman's efforts have come under much scrutiny by authorities worldwide over concerns about how it handles user data. World has been raided in Hong Kong, blocked in Spain, fined in Argentina and criminally investigated in Kenya. More than a dozen jurisdictions have either suspended World's operations or looked into its data processing. The project says its technology is completely private.