Sam Altman’s eyeball-scanning startup launches in the UK

Sam Altman wants to gaze deeply into your eyes: World (formerly Worldcoin), an ID verification project from Altman that aims to scan the eyeballs of every human on Earth, went live in the UK this morning amid an ongoing global expansion.

Eyes are the prize

The project uses retina-scanning “Orb” devices to create a unique user ID for each human who undergoes the scan. This World ID allows users to verify that they’re a real human and not a bot when using online apps, with participants offered payouts in the project’s WLD cryptocurrency for having their eyes scanned.

It aims to solve an issue Altman partially created: Determining whether online users are human has become a growing issue in the age of AI, making World an essential service according to Altman (who appears a bit like Tim Robinson).

• The company’s goal is to eventually profit from fees paid by apps to ensure their users are verified humans.
• Tinder, Reddit, Discord, Shopify, Telegram, and Minecraft have already integrated World’s technology.

But…At least a dozen jurisdictions across the globe have suspended or investigated World’s local operations due to privacy concerns, per the Wall Street Journal. The startup says its tech is secure.

Big picture: World has scanned the irises of ~13 million people across 40+ countries—including the US—since first launching in summer 2023.