Tools for Humanity Expands Eyeball-Scanning Tech Across Six US Cities

Tools for Humanity, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is expanding its iris-scanning Orb devices across six major US cities, aiming to provide biometric identity verification in response to rising concerns over AI-driven impersonation and fraud. The World project, formerly known as Worldcoin, enables users to scan their irises to create a unique, blockchain-based identity, which can be used for authentication on platforms like Reddit, Discord, and Shopify. Participants receive a cryptocurrency token, WLD, and the company has announced new partnerships, including a World Visa card and a pilot age-verification program with Match Group's Tinder in Japan. The initiative, previously limited in the US, has already verified over 12 million people globally but has faced regulatory scrutiny and privacy concerns regarding biometric data collection. Tools for Humanity asserts that stored data is encrypted, decentralized, and not personally identifiable, with additional measures in place to prevent fraud and double registration. Altman emphasizes that these efforts aim to address the challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated AI-generated fakes and to establish a reliable digital proof of personhood.