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Sam Altman’s Worldcoin, the blockchain-based eyeball-scanning identifier, is to rebrand as ‘World’ in a change of strategy for the project.
The company is working to define its purpose and expand its reach as part of its ambitions to scan every human’s iris. This is done using a spherical biometric device known as The Orb, which produces a digital ID and a crypto token, which can then be used for payment.
World, as it will be known moving forward, is thought to be used by more than six million people across the world, including tech platforms Discord and Reddit which utilize the service for safe authentication.
OpenAI chief Sam Altman – who believes superintelligence may come sooner than expected – previously spoke of aspirations for World to be the secure means by which citizens would receive a universal basic income, but World’s parent company Tools For Humanity is moving further toward a focus on human ID verification.
The crux of their solution is to prove people are humans, not bots, amid the increasing proliferation of AI technology.
The lesser focus on crypto was also referred to by Forbes, citing a former Worldcoin employee who told the outlet last year: “Definitely the new DNA of the company is the whole identity thing. They no longer say they are a crypto company.”
Hello World pic.twitter.com/VIfL0wONbu
— World (@worldcoin) October 17, 2024
World has been banned temporarily in Portugal and Spain
As reported by Forbes, company CEO Alex Blania said at an event in San Francisco on Thursday: “Worldcoin as a name just doesn’t work anymore.” Altman also talked up the newly rebranded World platform as an infrastructure layer for AI, to help “humans and agents to send resources back and forth”, for better communication.
At the event, World also revealed some updates including a new version of its orb device and greater accessibility. The company stated users will be able to use the service as required with an orb coming to a specific location “much like a pizza you have delivered”.
There are also plans to launch orb-scanning stations in retail spaces and gathering points, in addition to boutique offerings with the chance to consult staff to answer questions. The latter “premium verification experiences” have already been set up in Buenos Aires and Mexico City.
Since Tools For Humanity launched the initial Worldcoin project in July last year, it has evoked suspicion and concerns from privacy campaigners around the use and storage of personal data.
Portugal and Spain have issued temporary bans to World, while Argentina and the United Kingdom have vowed to conduct further investigations into the company.
Image credit: Via Midjourney
