Sam Altman's eye-scanning ID project launches in the US
Tools for Humanity, the startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has officially launched its World identity verification system across the United States. This marks a significant milestone for the ambitious project, which uses biometric scanning to authenticate human identity in an increasingly AI-dominated digital landscape.
During a recent launch event in San Francisco, Altman emphasized the project's core mission: ensuring that "humans remain central and special" as AI-generated content continues to flood the internet. The technology at the heart of World (formerly Worldcoin) revolves around a unique device known as the Orb — a metallic, basketball-sized sphere that scans a user’s iris and converts it into a unique, anonymized IrisCode. This code becomes the foundation for a user’s World ID, which can be used to authenticate their identity on digital platforms like Reddit and even in games like Minecraft.
The rebranding from Worldcoin to World reflects a strategic pivot. Tools for Humanity chose to de-emphasize the crypto aspect of the project in favor of focusing on digital ID infrastructure — reportedly in response to the U.S. government’s less-than-welcoming stance on cryptocurrency under the Biden administration.
Despite privacy concerns, Tools for Humanity insists that the system is secure. While the platform does retain minimal data to prevent double enrollment, the majority of biometric information is decentralized, anonymized, and — according to the company — mathematically impossible to trace back to an individual.
To facilitate adoption, World is opening six physical locations where people can have their irises scanned: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, and San Francisco. Users who complete the verification process will receive free cryptocurrency as an incentive.
Looking ahead, the company unveiled a more compact version of its hardware: the Orb Mini, a smartphone-sized device aimed at streamlining ID verification and potentially serving as a point-of-sale system in the future. Additional initiatives include a World Visa card for verified users and a partnership with Tinder in Japan to pilot identity and age verification tools.
Altman’s dual roles at OpenAI and Tools for Humanity place him at the intersection of two massive technological shifts — artificial intelligence and digital identity. With World, he’s betting that biometric verification will be key to navigating the future internet, where distinguishing between real people and synthetic content becomes increasingly critical.
