Sam Altman’s World Launches in 6 Cities in the US
Sam Altman’s World has officially launched in the United States, with plans to deploy 7,500 of its eye-scanning orbs across American cities by the end of the year.
The project has also revealed a suite of new features and partnerships as part of the expansion.
US Expansion Plans
An April 30 announcement reveals that the project will initially roll out in six cities. This includes “key innovation hubs” like Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.
Residents in these areas will be able to verify their personhood using the Orb technology and receive WLD tokens in return. These tokens are tied to the creation of a World ID, which the company says is important for differentiating between real humans, AI-driven bots, and digital actors.
Speaking at a press conference in San Francisco, Altman emphasized the urgency of creating a system that can verify human identity online.
“We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and central in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content,” he said.
World also announced several new features tied to the U.S. launch. Through the platform’s app, users will now be able to access crypto-backed loans via the lending platform Morpho and explore prediction markets through Kalshi. Later this year, the company also plans to roll out a Visa card that will let people pay for everyday items using their WLD tokens or other digital assets.
The blockchain-based identity project is also stepping into the world of online dating. World revealed a partnership with Match Group, the parent company of popular dating platforms like Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, and Plenty of Fish. The collaboration will officially begin with a pilot in Japan, where Tinder users will be able to use World ID for age verification.
Privacy and Regulatory Concerns
To date, World has relied on its silver orbs to verify individuals by scanning their irises. The company claims the biometric data is only used to confirm that a person is human and is not stored, which it says helps avoid potential privacy concerns.
Despite these assurances, the project has faced criticism from privacy advocates and regulators around the globe. Over the last two years, authorities in Kenya have raided World’s warehouses while operations were suspended in places like Hong Kong due to privacy violations.
In Germany, officials ordered the deletion of biometric data over GDPR violations, a ruling the company has appealed. In Brazil, regulators maintained restrictions despite World’s attempts to comply, though the project continues to operate there under the banner of public education.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, an investigation was launched last year into the alleged sale of World accounts, amid concerns they could be misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.
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