Sam Altman’s Digital ID project WorldCoin has been launched in the U.S., which has made its controversial iris scanning technology and cryptocurrency tokens available in the country as Donald Trump’s administration covers the digital asset industry.
The group aims to form the core market in the U.S. after the product was initially launched abroad in 2023, partly because of the more hostile attitude of the Joe Biden administration toward cryptocurrencies. Altman, also the CEO of $30 billion artificial intelligence company Openai, lamented that it would be "the world's coin" when he was recently renamed the adventure of the world.
Since then, Trump has promised to make the United States "the crypto capital of the earth."
Altman announced the launch of the United States at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday night: “I am a very proud American and I think the United States should lead innovation, not fight it.”
World technology is “to ensure humans stay central and special in a world where there is a lot of AI-driven content on the internet.”
“There are good reasons why we focus on making sure that the product works around the world before entering the U.S. Some of it has to do with regulatory changes,” said Adrian Ludwig, chief architect of Tools for Humanity, the leading developer behind the world.
Altman and Alex Blania founded Human Tools in 2019. To date, it has raised about $200 million from venture capitalists, including Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried, the company was found guilty of 25 years in prison the previous year.
Altman and Blania believe that reliable ways to distinguish humans from computers are crucial because AI becomes more advanced.
World produces scanned "spheres" that produce unique IDs that can be used to access the group's WorldCoin token. Ball devices are roughly the size of a basketball, but the world is developing handheld models and ultimately hopes to integrate technology directly into a webcam or mobile device.
The group aims to build up to 10,000 spheres for the U.S. market in the next 12 months, about five times the current global supply. According to Ludwig, it is building a new factory in Richardson, Texas to assemble the sphere.
The launch of advanced AI models (which can accurately mimic human interactions) introduces real-world applications to world technology and makes the company's premise sound less like science fiction.
These models open the door to complex online fraud, phishing scams and repetition. On Wednesday, the World announced a partnership with online dating company Match Group to verify users of apps including Tinder. Ludwig believes that this technology can play a role in government and community services.
This can also increase trust and security on social networks, he said. Openai may be a future partner, reportedly, although Ludwig added that competitors such as Elon Musk's X or Meta can also use world technology.
The world has not yet made a profit and faces challenges in many countries regarding security and privacy issues. Last year, the group was blocked by Spain's data protection regulator, which raised questions about the company's collection of personal information about minors. It also faces bans, investigations or fines in Portugal, Hong Kong, South Korea and France.
Ludwig said the world of providing eye scans in about 20 countries ensures that all biometric data is anonymous.
He estimates, “In about 18 months, we will start to see the cost of operating the network start to be offset by the costs incurred by the network.”