Worldcoin, an entity offering a World ID to distinguish earthlings from artificial intelligence, was launched Monday. The company rolled out an eyeball-scanning technology and a crypto token called WLD.
Co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with Alex Blania three years ago, WorldCoin said it is looking to revolutionize digital identity. It’s designed by developers at Tools for Humanity (TFH). A user can use WorldCoin to authenticate their World ID to prove they are a real person and will receive the digital currency in their account, which they can send anywhere.
Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, said it will list Worldcoin, which will not be available in the US, on Monday, reported Reuters.
How to register?
The user will have to download the World App, a digital wallet, where they will reserve their share. Then the user will have to visit an Orb. An orb is a custom biometric imaging device to verify humanness and uniqueness. It contains custom-made software and hardware, including a custom telephoto lens.
These Orbs are currently available in over 35 cities across 20 countries. After completing a process at an Orb, the user will receive their World ID.
Altman has claimed that over 2 million people signed up for Worldcoin during the beta phase between May 2021 and July 2023.
WorldCoin raised $250 million
The motivating idea behind Worldcoin, according to one of their pamphlets, is: “If a billion people all held Worldcoin, each person could send money very quickly and easily to a billion other people across the globe. This billion-person network would make Worldcoin very powerful and also very valuable.”
Apple’s Optic ID is similar to the retina-scanning technology used by Worldcoin. Featured in its latest AR/VR headset Vision Pro, it is a new authentication system that uses infrared cameras and LED illuminators inside the headset to analyze a unique iris for mapping. The technology can even distinguish between identical twins.
Altman’s blog post further said:
“Worldcoin is an attempt at global scale alignment,” which invited a jibe by the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey.
The response to the launch of Worldcoin is just starting to come in, with some saying they can’t wait to visit an Orb to get their world ID, while some call it dangerous for one entity to have a global database of sensitive human IDs.
