Sam Altman’s biometric identity venture, "World", officially debuted in the US on May 1 with six retail locations.

The project, initially known as Worldcoin, aims to create a global system for verifying human identity using iris scans and blockchain technology to combat fraud and bots, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The process is simple: individuals visit an Orb, a spherical biometric device, which scans their face and iris for about 30 seconds. This generates a unique “IrisCode” that confirms the individual’s humanity and ensures they haven’t previously signed up. Participants are then rewarded with the project's cryptocurrency, WLD, and receive a World ID, allowing them to sign in to integrated platforms like Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, and Discord.

The world’s new retail locations are in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, and San Francisco, where individuals can sign up for their iris scans. Additionally, "World" announced major partnerships with Visa and Match Group. Visa plans to introduce the “World Visa Card” later this summer, available exclusively to users with verified iris scans, while Tinder, operated by Match Group, will pilot "World" ID and age verification tools in Japan.

At a San Francisco event on April 30, World co-founders Alex Blania and Altman demonstrated the technology, which had a rocky start due to technical difficulties. Altman emphasised that the project’s goal is to maintain human uniqueness in a world increasingly dominated by AI-generated content. Blania pointed out the growing concerns over AI bots and deepfake technology, labelling it a “wake-up moment for proof of human.”

Despite Altman’s involvement with OpenAI, a potential integration with the company wasn’t discussed at the event. Blania was open to future partnerships but stated no updates were available at the moment.

"World" has faced scrutiny, with some governments raising concerns about its data storage practices. The system stores personal data to prevent fraud but decentralises it across multiple parties, including financial institutions and blockchain organisations, using cryptography for security. This approach aims to prevent data breaches like the Panama Papers incident.

Founded by Altman’s startup Tools for Humanity, the project has raised over $140 million in funding, including investments from Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase, and Reid Hoffman. Despite this, "World"’s progress has been slower than anticipated, with the goal of reaching one billion users now set beyond its original 2023 target. Currently, the network has 26 million members across Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region, with 12 million verified users.

By Tamilla Hasanova

Source: caliber.az