World, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's new startup, launches in the US: Everything you need to know
World, a start-up backed by OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, launched in the United States this week with the opening of its first retail store in San Francisco. The store of the startup, which aims to allow users to verify their humanity online, features tech devices called the Orbs that scan a person's retina to ascertain if they are human.
Speaking at the launch, Altman said, '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 AI-driven content.'
The verified human network is being built one human at a time. pic.twitter.com/mzHuCXwKrO
— World (@worldcoin) May 1, 2025
Here is a look at the startup, how the Orbs work, and the concerns around them.
What is the World startup?
Formerly known as WorldCoin, World is based on the belief that it will eventually be impossible to distinguish humans from artificial intelligence (AI) agents on the Internet. To address this, the startup has created a program called World ID — 'an anonymous proof of human that securely and privately proves you are a unique human,' according to World'swebsite.
Ironically, World's implicit goal is to tackle the social ramifications of technologies developed by firms such as OpenAI, which is Altman's other company.
Also, in exchange for generating World ID, the startup gives cryptocurrency — called WorldCoin — rewards. Users can then save, send, deposit and withdraw cryptocurrency through the startup's mobile app, known as World App.
The World App. Credit: world.org
World was founded in 2023 internationally, and found traction in developing countries such as Kenya and Indonesia (the Orbs were installed at 17 locations in India as well).
The startup stayed away from the US initially due to the Biden administration's stringent cryptocurrency policies. However, this changed after the return of President Donald Trump to the White House in January, laying the ground for the startup's entry into the US.
How does one create a World ID?
The World ID is generated after the user gets their eyeballs scanned by the Orb, a glowing white sphere which looks like something out of a Black Mirror episode.
'Then they [users] follow a few instructions on a smartphone app and receive a unique biometric identifier that is storedon 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,' according to a report in The New York Times.
Apart from the Orbs, World has also launched the Orb Mini. It has the familiar shape of a smartphone and is designed to be portable, but serves the same purpose as the larger device.
What are the concerns around the startup?
Although World has insisted that it does not store the images of users' irises, its biometric data collection has faced opposition from privacy advocates and regulators. For instance, the startup was temporarily banned in several countries, including Kenya, Portugal, and Spain, and was ordered to stop operations in Hong Kong and Brazil.
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