Sam Altman’s biometric identity project, now called “World” iris-based digital identification .

Users visit one of six retail locations in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, or San Francisco.

At these sites, participants approach an “Orb,” a chrome, spherical device that scans their face and iris in about 30 seconds.

 The scan creates a unique “IrisCode” to verify the user is human and has not registered before.

After verification, users receive a free allocation of the project’s cryptocurrency, WLD, and a digital ID (World ID) that can be used to sign in to platforms like Reddit, Discord, Shopify, Telegram, and Minecraft

The project aims to build a global, blockchain-based identity verification system to combat fraud, bots, and AI-driven deception online.

 At the San Francisco launch event, World announced partnerships with Visa (for a World-branded debit card) and Match Group (testing World ID for age verification on Tinder in Japan

World plans to deploy 7,500 Orbs across the U.S. by the end of 2025, targeting over half the U.S. population

The project has faced scrutiny and legal challenges in several countries over privacy and biometric data collection, with some regulators suspending operations 

World says most personal data is decentralized and anonymized, but retains some access to prevent duplicate registrations

Altman frames World as a necessary tool for digital trust in an AI-driven future, aiming to establish a “proof-of-human” standard as AI-generated content proliferates online

Sam Altman’s World project is now live in six major U.S. cities, offering iris scans in exchange for crypto and a digital ID, with ambitions to redefine online identity verification amid rapid AI advancement