Sam Altman's Worldcoin Changes Signboard to 'World' and Expands Service

Authentication Possible with Electronic Passport

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who co-founded the startup Worldcoin, is rebranding it as ‘World’ and accelerating the expansion of its services.

On the 17th (local time), according to Bloomberg and other media, Worldcoin’s developer ‘Tools for Humanity (TFH)’ held an event called ‘a new world’ in San Francisco, USA, and made this announcement.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Altman and co-founder Alex Blania launched the iris recognition-based cryptocurrency Worldcoin in July last year. Using the ‘Orb’ device, personal iris data is collected and linked to the blockchain to create a ‘World ID,’ which grants a certain amount of coins. With this ID, users can store Worldcoin in the cryptocurrency wallet called the ‘World App.’ According to TFH, about 6.9 million people have created a World ID since the service started in July last year.

Authentication will also be possible using passport information instead of iris data. By storing an electronic passport that supports Near Field Communication (NFC) in the World App, users can receive coins. This allows users to sign up without iris recognition. This is interpreted as a measure taken in response to privacy concerns. Because of this, the service was blocked in the United States and was suspended earlier this year in Spain and Portugal. In South Korea, a fine was imposed for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

A new version of the Orb will also be introduced to speed up expansion. It is equipped with NVIDIA’s Jetson chip for robotics, which has about five times improved artificial intelligence (AI) performance compared to the previous version. To increase accessibility to the Orb, it will be installed in retail stores such as local cafes, and a system will be introduced where users can order an Orb through an application (app) and have it delivered, similar to ordering pizza.

They also introduced the ‘World ID Deep Face’ technology, which enhances privacy protection and distinguishes between humans and AI to prevent online deepfakes and impersonation.

Worldcoin’s official name will be changed to ‘World,’ and its own blockchain platform ‘Worldchain’ will be launched to directly manage digital identities on the blockchain. Mini apps will be added so that third-party apps can also be managed within the World App.

Meanwhile, co-founder Blania told the US IT media TechCrunch that although OpenAI and World are separate entities, he did not deny the possibility of integration between Worldcoin and ChatGPT.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.