Latest news with #AlexBlania
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning identification tech expands to UK
Tools for Humanity, a start-up 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. Starting this week, people in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow will be able to scan their eyes using Tools for Humanity's proprietary orb device, the company said in a statement on Monday. 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. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during an event in Tokyo, Japan, on February 3, 2025. Photo: AFP 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.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Sam Altman's eye-scanning orbs have arrived, sparking curiosity and fear
Earlier this month, a mysterious store selling a vision of the future opened its doors in downtown San Francisco's Union Square district. A cryptic message appeared on the storefront window: "World is the real human network. Anonymous proof of human and universally inclusive finance for the age of AI. Millions of humans in over 160 countries. Now available in the USA." The store attracted a small crowd and curious onlookers. People took turns scanning their eyes by peering into white devices known as orbs - to prove they are human. Then they received, free of charge, a verified World ID they could use to log into online services and apps. As an extra bonus, participants were given some Worldcoin cryptocurrency tokens. Some just observed from a distance. "I'm afraid to walk inside," said Brian Klein, 66, as he peered into the window on his way to the theater. "I don't want that thing taking any of my data and biometric scanning me." The futuristic technology is the creation of a startup called Tools for Humanity, which is based in San Francisco and Munich, Germany. Founded in 2019 by Alex Blania and Sam Altman - the entrepreneur known for OpenAI's ChatGPT - the tech company says it's "building for humans in the age of AI." In theory, these iris scans offer a safe and convenient way for consumers to verify their human identity at a time when AI-powered tools can easily create fake audio and images of people. "We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and essential in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content," said Altman, the chairman for Tools for Humanity, at a glitzy event in San Francisco last month. Like the early stages of Facebook and PayPal, World is still in a growth phase, trying to lure enough customers to its network to eventually build a viable service. A chief draw, World says, is that people can verify their humanness at an orb without providing personal information, such as, their names, emails, phone numbers and social media profiles. But some are skeptical, contending that handing over biometric data is too risky. They cite instances where companies have reported data breaches or filed for bankruptcy, such as DNA research firm 23andMe. "You can't get new eyeballs. I don't care what this company says. Biometric data like these retinal scans will get out. Hacks and leaks happen all the time," said Justin Kloczko, a tech and privacy advocate at Consumer Watchdog. "Your eyeballs are going to be like gold to these thieves." World has been making waves in Asia, Europe, South America and Central America. More than 12 million people have verified themselves through the orbs and roughly 26 million have downloaded the World app, where people store their World ID, digital assets and access other tools, the company says. Now, World is setting its sights on the United States. The World app says people can claim up to 39 Worldcoin tokens, worth up to $45.49 if a user verifies they're human with an orb. World plans to deploy 7,500 orbs throughout the U.S. this year. It's opening up spaces where people can scan their eyes in six cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Miami and Nashville. The L.A. space opened on Melrose Avenue last week. Backed by well-known venture capital firms including Bain Capital, Menlo Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, Tools for Humanity has raised $240 million, as of March, according to Pitchbook. The crypto eye-scanning project has stirred up plenty of buzz, but also controversy. In places outside the United States, including Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, South Korea, and Kenya, regulators have scrutinized the effort because of data privacy concerns. Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked classified details of the U.S. government's mass surveillance program, responded to Altman's post about the project in 2021 by saying "the human body is not a ticket-punch." Ashkan Soltani, the former executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, said that privacy risks can outweigh the benefits of handing over biometric data. "Even if companies don't store raw biometric data, like retina scans, the derived identifiers are immutable … and permanently linked to the individuals they were captured from," he said in an email. World executives counter that the orb captures photos of a person's face and eyes, but doesn't store any of that data. To receive a verified World ID, people can choose to send their iris image to their phone and that data are encrypted, meaning that the company can't view or access the information. The idea for World began five years ago. Before the popularity of ChatGPT ignited an AI frenzy, Altman was on a walk with Blania in San Francisco talking about how trust would work in the age where AI systems are smarter than humans. "The initial ideas were very crazy, then we came down to one that was just a little bit crazy, which became World," Altman said onstage at an event about World's U.S. debut at Fort Mason, a former U.S. Army post in San Francisco. At the event, tech workers, influencers and even California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wandered in and out of a large building filled with orbs, refreshments and entertainment. Tools for Humanity Chief Executive Blania highlighted three ways people could use their verified World ID: gaming, dating and social media. Currently, online services use a variety of ways to confirm people's identities including video selfies, phone numbers, government-issued IDs and two-factor authentication. World recently teamed up with gaming company Razer, based in Irvine, California, and Singapore, to verify customers are human through a single-sign on, and is placing orbs in Razer stores. Blania also touted a partnership with Match Group, where people can used World to verify themselves and their ages on apps such as Tinder, an effort that will be tested in Japan. "We think the internet as a whole will need a proof of human and one space that I'm personally most excited about will be social," Blania said at the San Francisco event. Back at the World store in San Francisco, Zachary Sussman was eager to check out the orbs with his two friends, both in their 20s. "For me, the more 'Black Mirror' the technology is, the more likely I am to use it," Sussman said, referring to the popular Netflix sci-fi series. "I like the dystopian aesthetic." Doug Colaizzo, 35, checked out the store with his daughter and parents. Colaizzo, a developer, described himself as an "early adopter" of technology. He already uses his fingerprint to unlock his front door and his smartphone to pay for items. "We need a better way of identifying humans," he said. "I support this idea, even if this is not gonna be the one that wins." Andras Cser, vice president and principal analyst of Security and Risk Management at Forrester Research, said the fact that people have to go to a store to scan their eyes could limit adoption. World is building a gadget called the "mini Orb" that's the size of a smartphone, but convincing people to carry a separate device around will also be an uphill battle, he said. "There's big time hype with a ton of customer friction and privacy problems," he said. The company will have to convince skeptics like Klein to hand over their biometric data. The San Francisco resident is more cautious, especially after he had to delete his DNA data from 23andMe because the biotech company filed for bankruptcy. "I'm not going to go off and live in the wilderness by myself," he said. "Eventually, I might have to, but I'm going to resist as much as I can." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sam Altman's eye-scanning orbs have arrived, sparking curiosity and fear
Earlier this month, a mysterious store selling a vision of the future opened its doors in downtown San Francisco's Union Square district. A cryptic message appeared on the storefront window: 'World is the real human network. Anonymous proof of human and universally inclusive finance for the age of AI. Millions of humans in over 160 countries. Now available in the USA.' The store attracted a small crowd and curious onlookers. People took turns scanning their eyes by peering into white devices known as orbs — to prove they are human. Then they received, free of charge, a verified World ID they could use to log into online services and apps. As an extra bonus, participants were given some Worldcoin cryptocurrency tokens. Read more: Bay Area tech workers thought their jobs were safe. Then the 'golden handcuffs' came off Some just observed from a distance. 'I'm afraid to walk inside,' said Brian Klein, 66, as he peered into the window on his way to the theater. 'I don't want that thing taking any of my data and biometric scanning me.' The futuristic technology is the creation of a startup called Tools for Humanity, which is based in San Francisco and Munich, Germany. Founded in 2019 by Alex Blania and Sam Altman — the entrepreneur known for OpenAI's ChatGPT — the tech company says it's 'building for humans in the age of AI.' In theory, these iris scans offer a safe and convenient way for consumers to verify their human identity at a time when AI-powered tools can easily create fake audio and images of people. "We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and essential in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content," said Altman, the chairman for Tools for Humanity, at a glitzy event in San Francisco last month. Like the early stages of Facebook and PayPal, World is still in a growth phase, trying to lure enough customers to its network to eventually build a viable service. A chief draw, World says, is that people can verify their humanness at an orb without providing personal information, such as, their names, emails, phone numbers and social media profiles. But some are skeptical, contending that handing over biometric data is too risky. They cite instances where companies have reported data breaches or filed for bankruptcy, such as DNA research firm 23andMe. Read more: 'People should be worried': 23andMe bankruptcy could expose customers' genetic data 'You can't get new eyeballs. I don't care what this company says. Biometric data like these retinal scans will get out. Hacks and leaks happen all the time,' said Justin Kloczko, a tech and privacy advocate at Consumer Watchdog. 'Your eyeballs are going to be like gold to these thieves.' World has been making waves in Asia, Europe, South America and Central America. More than 12 million people have verified themselves through the orbs and roughly 26 million have downloaded the World app, where people store their World ID, digital assets and access other tools, the company says. Now, World is setting its sights on the United States. The World app says people can claim up to 39 Worldcoin tokens, worth up to $45.49 if a user verifies they're human with an orb. World plans to deploy 7,500 orbs throughout the U.S. this year. It's opening up spaces where people can scan their eyes in six cities — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Miami and Nashville. The L.A. space opened on Melrose Avenue last week. Read more: Elon Musk's feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, explained Backed by well-known venture capital firms including Bain Capital, Menlo Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, Tools for Humanity has raised $240 million, as of March, according to Pitchbook. The crypto eye-scanning project has stirred up plenty of buzz, but also controversy. In places outside the United States, including Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, South Korea, and Kenya, regulators have scrutinized the effort because of data privacy concerns. Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked classified details of the U.S. government's mass surveillance program, responded to Altman's post about the project in 2021 by saying 'the human body is not a ticket-punch.' Ashkan Soltani, the former executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, said that privacy risks can outweigh the benefits of handing over biometric data. 'Even if companies don't store raw biometric data, like retina scans, the derived identifiers are immutable … and permanently linked to the individuals they were captured from,' he said in an email. World executives counter that the orb captures photos of a person's face and eyes, but doesn't store any of that data. To receive a verified World ID, people can choose to send their iris image to their phone and that data are encrypted, meaning that the company can't view or access the information. The idea for World began five years ago. Before the popularity of ChatGPT ignited an AI frenzy, Altman was on a walk with Blania in San Francisco talking about how trust would work in the age where AI systems are smarter than humans. 'The initial ideas were very crazy, then we came down to one that was just a little bit crazy, which became World,' Altman said onstage at an event about World's U.S. debut at Fort Mason, a former U.S. Army post in San Francisco. At the event, tech workers, influencers and even California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wandered in and out of a large building filled with orbs, refreshments and entertainment. Tools for Humanity Chief Executive Blania highlighted three ways people could use their verified World ID: gaming, dating and social media. Currently, online services use a variety of ways to confirm people's identities including video selfies, phone numbers, government-issued IDs and two-factor authentication. World recently teamed up with gaming company Razer, based in Irvine and Singapore, to verify customers are human through a single-sign on, and is placing orbs in Razer stores. Read more: OpenAI takes its pitch to Hollywood creatives after launching controversial video tool Blania also touted a partnership with Match Group, where people can used World to verify themselves and their ages on apps such as Tinder , an effort that will be tested in Japan. "We think the internet as a whole will need a proof of human and one space that I'm personally most excited about will be social," Blania said at the San Francisco event. Back at the World store in San Francisco, Zachary Sussman was eager to check out the orbs with his two friends, both in their 20s. 'For me, the more 'Black Mirror' the technology is, the more likely I am to use it,' Sussman said, referring to the popular Netflix sci-fi series. 'I like the dystopian aesthetic.' Doug Colaizzo, 35, checked out the store with his daughter and parents. Colaizzo, a developer, described himself as an 'early adopter' of technology. He already uses his fingerprint to unlock his front door and his smartphone to pay for items. 'We need a better way of identifying humans,' he said. 'I support this idea, even if this is not gonna be the one that wins.' Andras Cser, vice president and principal analyst of Security and Risk Management at Forrester Research, said the fact that people have to go to a store to scan their eyes could limit adoption. World is building a gadget called the 'mini Orb' that's the size of a smartphone, but convincing people to carry a separate device around will also be an uphill battle, he said. 'There's big time hype with a ton of customer friction and privacy problems,' he said. The company will have to convince skeptics like Klein to hand over their biometric data. The San Francisco resident is more cautious, especially after he had to delete his DNA data from 23andMe because the biotech company filed for bankruptcy. 'I'm not going to go off and live in the wilderness by myself,' he said. 'Eventually, I might have to, but I'm going to resist as much as I can.' Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Sam Altman's eye-scanning orbs have arrived, sparking curiosity and fear
SAN FRANCISCO — Earlier this month, a mysterious store selling a vision of the future opened its doors in downtown San Francisco's Union Square district. A cryptic message appeared on the storefront window: 'World is the real human network. Anonymous proof of human and universally inclusive finance for the age of AI. Millions of humans in over 160 countries. Now available in the USA.' The store attracted a small crowd and curious onlookers. People took turns scanning their eyes by peering into white devices known as orbs — to prove they are human. Then they received, free of charge, a verified World ID they could use to log into online services and apps. As an extra bonus, participants were given some Worldcoin cryptocurrency tokens. Some just observed from a distance. 'I'm afraid to walk inside,' said Brian Klein, 66, as he peered into the window on his way to the theater. 'I don't want that thing taking any of my data and biometric scanning me.' The futuristic technology is the creation of a startup called Tools for Humanity, which is based in San Francisco and Munich, Germany. Founded in 2019 by Alex Blania and Sam Altman — the entrepreneur known for OpenAI's ChatGPT — the tech company says it's 'building for humans in the age of AI.' In theory, these iris scans offer a safe and convenient way for consumers to verify their human identity at a time when AI-powered tools can easily create fake audio and images of people. 'We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and essential in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content,' said Altman, the chairman for Tools for Humanity, at a glitzy event in San Francisco last month. Like the early stages of Facebook and PayPal, World is still in a growth phase, trying to lure enough customers to its network to eventually build a viable service. A chief draw, World says, is that people can verify their humanness at an orb without providing personal information, such as, their names, emails, phone numbers and social media profiles. But some are skeptical, contending that handing over biometric data is too risky. They cite instances where companies have reported data breaches or filed for bankruptcy, such as DNA research firm 23andMe. 'You can't get new eyeballs. I don't care what this company says. Biometric data like these retinal scans will get out. Hacks and leaks happen all the time,' said Justin Kloczko, a tech and privacy advocate at Consumer Watchdog. 'Your eyeballs are going to be like gold to these thieves.' World has been making waves in Asia, Europe, South America and Central America. More than 12 million people have verified themselves through the orbs and roughly 26 million have downloaded the World app, where people store their World ID, digital assets and access other tools, the company says. Now, World is setting its sights on the United States. The World app says people can claim up to 39 Worldcoin tokens, worth up to $45.49 if a user verifies they're human with an orb. World plans to deploy 7,500 orbs throughout the U.S. this year. It's opening up spaces where people can scan their eyes in six cities — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Miami and Nashville. The L.A. space opened on Melrose Avenue last week. Backed by well-known venture capital firms including Bain Capital, Menlo Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, Tools for Humanity has raised $240 million, as of March, according to Pitchbook. The crypto eye-scanning project has stirred up plenty of buzz, but also controversy. In places outside the United States, including Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, South Korea, and Kenya, regulators have scrutinized the effort because of data privacy concerns. Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked classified details of the U.S. government's mass surveillance program, responded to Altman's post about the project in 2021 by saying 'the human body is not a ticket-punch.' Ashkan Soltani, the former executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, said that privacy risks can outweigh the benefits of handing over biometric data. 'Even if companies don't store raw biometric data, like retina scans, the derived identifiers are immutable … and permanently linked to the individuals they were captured from,' he said in an email. World executives counter that the orb captures photos of a person's face and eyes, but doesn't store any of that data. To receive a verified World ID, people can choose to send their iris image to their phone and that data are encrypted, meaning that the company can't view or access the information. The idea for World began five years ago. Before the popularity of ChatGPT ignited an AI frenzy, Altman was on a walk with Blania in San Francisco talking about how trust would work in the age where AI systems are smarter than humans. 'The initial ideas were very crazy, then we came down to one that was just a little bit crazy, which became World,' Altman said onstage at an event about World's U.S. debut at Fort Mason, a former U.S. Army post in San Francisco. At the event, tech workers, influencers and even California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wandered in and out of a large building filled with orbs, refreshments and entertainment. Tools for Humanity Chief Executive Blania highlighted three ways people could use their verified World ID: gaming, dating and social media. Currently, online services use a variety of ways to confirm people's identities including video selfies, phone numbers, government-issued IDs and two-factor authentication. World recently teamed up with gaming company Razer, based in Irvine and Singapore, to verify customers are human through a single-sign on, and is placing orbs in Razer stores. Blania also touted a partnership with Match Group, where people can used World to verify themselves and their ages on apps such as Tinder , an effort that will be tested in Japan. 'We think the internet as a whole will need a proof of human and one space that I'm personally most excited about will be social,' Blania said at the San Francisco event. Back at the World store in San Francisco, Zachary Sussman was eager to check out the orbs with his two friends, both in their 20s. 'For me, the more 'Black Mirror' the technology is, the more likely I am to use it,' Sussman said, referring to the popular Netflix sci-fi series. 'I like the dystopian aesthetic.' Doug Colaizzo, 35, checked out the store with his daughter and parents. Colaizzo, a developer, described himself as an 'early adopter' of technology. He already uses his fingerprint to unlock his front door and his smartphone to pay for items. 'We need a better way of identifying humans,' he said. 'I support this idea, even if this is not gonna be the one that wins.' Andras Cser, vice president and principal analyst of Security and Risk Management at Forrester Research, said the fact that people have to go to a store to scan their eyes could limit adoption. World is building a gadget called the 'mini Orb' that's the size of a smartphone, but convincing people to carry a separate device around will also be an uphill battle, he said. 'There's big time hype with a ton of customer friction and privacy problems,' he said. The company will have to convince skeptics like Klein to hand over their biometric data. The San Francisco resident is more cautious, especially after he had to delete his DNA data from 23andMe because the biotech company filed for bankruptcy. 'I'm not going to go off and live in the wilderness by myself,' he said. 'Eventually, I might have to, but I'm going to resist as much as I can.'
