Sam Altman’s ‘World’ Brings Iris Scanning to the U.S. to Fight AI Bots

Sam Altman’s ambitious identity verification project, now simply called “World,” is officially launching across the United States. The initiative, previously known as Worldcoin, is rolling out iris-scanning devices in several major cities with the goal of combating the growing threat of AI bots impersonating real people online.

With increasing concerns around distinguishing real humans from advanced AI, World is stepping in with a bold solution. In cities like Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, people can now visit a World location to verify their identity by scanning their face and iris using a metallic sphere called the Orb. Within 30 seconds, this process creates a unique “IrisCode” — essentially a biometric proof that you’re human.

At a recent press event in San Francisco, Altman explained the thinking behind the rollout. “As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, we need a reliable way to prove human identity,” he said, as reported by CNBC and TechCrunch. “World is about keeping people at the center of the internet, even as AI reshapes it.”

Once verified, users receive a World ID and a bit of the platform’s native cryptocurrency, WLD. That ID can be integrated into a variety of platforms — from Reddit and Discord to Minecraft and Shopify — to help reduce bot activity by allowing only verified humans to participate. World also announced a few major partnerships, including a World-branded Visa card launching this summer, and a pilot program with Tinder in Japan using World ID for age verification.

Globally, World has already signed up 26 million users, with 12 million fully verified through iris scans. The team’s goal is to reach one billion users. To help scale that effort, they’ve introduced the “Orb Mini,” a smaller and more portable version of the original device. By the end of the year, they plan to distribute 7,500 of these orbs across the U.S.

Co-founder Alex Blania emphasized accessibility, saying these orbs will soon be found in everyday places like gas stations and convenience stores, allowing users to complete verification in just a few minutes. A newly built facility in Richardson, Texas, will support the mass production of the orbs.

Despite the project’s ambitious goals, privacy remains a sticking point. Some user data is stored to help prevent fraud, raising questions about how that information is handled. However, Chief Information Security Officer Adrian Ludwig says the system is secure. “We break up sensitive data and store it across different systems, using advanced cryptography to keep it safe,” he explained.

World is backed by Tools for Humanity, a startup Altman co-founded. It’s raised over $140 million from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz and reached a $1 billion valuation back in 2021. The U.S. rollout also benefits from a recent shift in crypto regulation under President Trump’s administration, which began in January and has taken a more favorable stance toward blockchain technologies.

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