Sam Altman’s Eyeball-Scanning Crypto Project Gets a New Name and a New Orb

The cryptocurrency and identity verification project Worldcoin, co-founded by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has undergone a significant rebranding. Now known as just World, the project also revealed an upgraded version of its eyeball-scanning Orb device, which aims to authenticate human identity in an increasingly AI-driven world.

The Purpose Behind World

The central idea behind World remains the same: proving that people are human, not bots. Using the Orb’s biometric technology, individuals can register for a World ID, allowing them to securely and anonymously prove their human status online. In addition, they gain access to World’s cryptocurrency token, WLD, which is tied to the project’s ambitious goal of implementing a universal basic income (UBI) framework for the future.

The project, which merges blockchain technology with biometric identity verification, claims to have verified nearly 7 million "unique humans". However, it continues to raise questions about privacy, data collection, and the ethical concerns of building a global biometric database controlled by a private organization.

A New Orb: Simplified and More Accessible

The latest version of the Orb has been redesigned with 30% fewer parts, which World says will make the device easier and cheaper to manufacture. The new Orb is also powered by Nvidia’s Jetson robotics and AI platform, though the reason for this particular upgrade is still unclear.

During an event on Thursday, Rich Heley, Chief Device Officer of Tools for Humanity, the foundation behind the project, emphasized that the streamlined design is key to scaling up Orb availability. “To provide access to every human, we need more Orbs. Lots more Orbs,” said Heley. He estimated the need for 1,000 times more Orbs than are currently available to achieve the project's goal.

Orb on Demand: Verifying Humans Just Got Easier

In addition to expanding Orb production, World is introducing a service called “Orb on Demand,” allowing people to order an Orb to their location much like ordering a pizza. This initiative aims to bring the eyeball-scanning device to more countries and regions, including Costa Rica, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the UAE, Morocco, and others. World is also letting people purchase or rent Orbs for use in their communities, potentially making them community-based hubs for human verification.

Global Concerns Over Privacy

Despite its rapid expansion, World has faced significant pushback from regulators in several countries. Last year, Kenya suspended World’s operations while it conducted an investigation into its data collection practices. Although the investigation has since been dropped, Hong Kong also raised privacy concerns, asking World to stop all operations in the country. Similarly, Portugal and Spain have taken action against the project for privacy risks.

In the US, while the World ID service is available, the WLD cryptocurrency token is not due to regulatory issues, adding another layer of complexity to World’s global rollout.

Conclusion: What’s Next for World?

Sam Altman’s rebranded World project continues to expand, but not without challenges. As it pushes forward with plans to make its biometric verification and cryptocurrency system more accessible, the underlying questions of privacy, ethical concerns, and the necessity of such technology in today’s digital landscape remain unanswered. Whether World can achieve its lofty ambitions while addressing these concerns will be key to its long-term success.

The introduction of the new Orb and expansion into more regions shows that World is determined to press ahead, but only time will tell if it can gain global acceptance—or face more hurdles from concerned regulators.