Sam Altman's Eye-Scanning Identity Tech Expands to UK
(Bloomberg) -- Tools for Humanity, a startup co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, is rolling out its eyeball-scanning Orb devices to the UK as part of a global expansion of the company's novel identification services.
Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga!
Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World
Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There.
ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract
US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn
Starting this week, people in London will be able to scan their eyes using Tools for Humanity's proprietary Orb device, the company said in a statement on Monday. The service will roll out to Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow in the coming months.
The spherical Orbs will be at dedicated premises in shopping malls and on high streets, said Damien Kieran, chief legal and privacy officer at Tools for Humanity. Later, the company plans to partner with major retailers to provide self-serve Orbs that people can use as they would an ATM, Kieran added.
The company, led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Alex Blania, has presented its eye-scanning technology as a way for people to prove they are human at a time when artificial intelligence systems are becoming more adept at mimicking people. AI bots and deepfakes, including those enabled by generative AI tools created by Altman's OpenAI, pose a range of security threats, including identity theft, misinformation and social engineering.
The Orb scan creates a digital credential, called World ID, based on the unique properties of a person's iris. Those who agree to the scan can also receive a cryptocurrency token called Worldcoin through the company.
Tools for Humanity has faced regulatory scrutiny over privacy concerns about its technology in several markets, including investigations in Germany and Argentina, as well as bans in Spain and Hong Kong. The company said it doesn't store any personal information or biometric data and that the verification information remains on the World ID holder's mobile phone.
Kieran said Tools for Humanity had been meeting with data regulators including the UK's Information Commissioner's Office and privacy advocates ahead of the planned expansion.
So far, about 13 million people in countries including Mexico, Germany, Japan, Korea, Portugal and Thailand have verified their identities using Tools for Humanity's technology, the company said. In April, the company announced plans to expand to six US cities.
There are 1,500 Orbs in circulation, Kieran said, but the company plans to ramp up production to ship 12,000 more over the next 12 months.
(Corrects timing of rollout to cities outside of London in second paragraph)
The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling
Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again
Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent?
What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'?
Cuts to US Aid Imperil the World's Largest HIV Treatment Program
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Wall Street Journal
39 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Gives U.S. Negotiators Room to Lift Export Controls on China
Ahead of U.S.-China talks in London, President Trump authorized Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's team to negotiate away recent restrictions on the sale of a wide variety of technology and other products to China, according to people familiar with the matter. It's a novel strategy, underscoring the impact of China's rare-earth controls on U.S. industries. 'Historically, export controls have never been used as leverage for trade negotiations,' said Kevin Wolf, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who specializes in international trade. 'There is no precedent for this.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boss of London ad champion quits after losing crown to French rival
The boss of WPP is to step down months after the British advertising behemoth lost its crown to a French rival. Mark Read will leave after more than three decades at WPP, including seven years as chief executive. He will continue in the role until the end of the year while the board searches for his successor. Mr Read's departure, though long-expected in the industry, comes at a turbulent time for WPP. The London-based group, which employs around 110,000 people worldwide, last year lost its title as the world's largest ad company by revenues to French rival Publicis. Meanwhile, its two other largest rivals – Omnicom and Interpublic – have agreed to merge in a $30bn (£22bn) deal that will further erode WPP's dominance. The British company is also grappling with industry-wide turmoil sparked by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which threatens to upend the work of ad agencies. This has compounded the challenge posed by tech giant such as Google and Meta, which have grown their share of the advertising market in a direct threat to traditional holding groups. Mr Read's tenure has been dominated by efforts to simplify WPP, which had ballooned into a sprawling network of companies under his predecessor Sir Martin Sorrell, who left the company he founded following allegations of misconduct, which he has always denied. As chief executive, Mr Read oversaw the merging of a number of agencies while selling off some non-core businesses, including the £2.5bn sale of a 60pc stake in market research group Kantar. More recently, the ad boss has also vowed to invest heavily in AI, pumping £300m into the technology this year and investing in generative AI startup Stability AI. However, WPP's growth has ground to a halt in recent years and the company's share price has more than halved during Mr Read's tenure, pushing its market value below £6bn. Shares fell a further 2pc after his departure was announced. Alex DeGroote, a media analyst, said: 'The company is much simpler today than it was when he came on board as chief executive.' But he added: 'There's just a feeling of the company having lost a lot of ground to the likes of Publicis, so I can't honestly say that he will be remembered as having delivered immense shareholder value.' Mr Read's future has been in doubt since Philip Jansen, the former BT boss, was appointed as WPP chairman at the beginning of the year. Mr Jansen said Mr Read had 'played a central role in transforming the company into a world leader in modern marketing services'. Mr Read said: 'After seven years in the role, and with the foundations in place for WPP's continued success, I feel it is the right time to hand over the leadership of this amazing company. 'I am excited to explore the next chapter in my life and can only thank all the brilliant people I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 30 years, and who have made possible the enormous progress we have achieved together.'


Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Barclays Cuts More Than 200 Investment Bank Jobs to Reduce Costs
Barclays Plc is preparing to cut more than 200 jobs in its investment bank in the coming days as part of Chief Executive Officer C.S. Venkatakrishnan's plan to boost the profitability of the division. Staffers in investment banking, global markets and research will likely be affected, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing personnel. Managing directors will be the most senior roles affected, they added. The reduction represents about 3% of the investment bank's headcount.