Coinspeaker
Worldcoin Explores Collaboration with OpenAI and Other Tech Companies
Worldcoin is actively pursuing collaborations to expand its business footprint across the tech industry, targeting artificial intelligence (AI) and financial sectors. According to a Bloomberg report on Thursday, the iris scanning project, co-founded by Sam Altman, is in discussions with OpenAI, a leading US-based research organization specializing in responsible AI development.
Exploring Partnerships beyond AI
Worldcoin, through Tools for Humanity, the brains behind the development of the project, is also looking to team up with other companies outside the AI market.
CEO Alex Blania revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that Tools for Humanity is engaged in discussions with major players in both the tech and finance industries. However, he did not disclose their names.
In June 2023, Worldcoin partnered with Okta, an identity and access management software provider, to integrate “sign in with Worldcoin” into Okta’s authentication marketplace. The integration empowered developers to offer Worldcoin as a sign-in option on their apps to complement or replace existing offerings by tech giants like Apple and Google.
Advancing Identity Verification with Orb Technology
Worldcoin’s identity verification system revolves around its proprietary biometric imaging device, the Orb. According to Blania and Altman, this system establishes “proof of personhood,” distinguishing humans from AI tools and robots.
Given the rapid advancements in the AI market and the launch of chatbots like ChatGPT, the Tools for Humanity boss said validating whether someone is an actual person is more important and urgent now than ever.
“With the progress of AI, all the things that we thought would happen, I think, happened much faster than even we expected,” he said.
Worldcoin to Upgrade Orb
Blania said that Worldcoin is going to upgrade its verification system. The upgrade includes plans to introduce Orb models in various colors and expand their availability to more global locations.
Regarding the current Orb model used for scans, Blania clarified that it was initially a prototype never intended for commercial release. Worldcoin recently opened-sourced some parts of the verification software to everyone to encourage transparency. In addition to the upgrade, Worldcoin will transition away from its previous association with the term “universal basic income,” which had been a personal passion for Altman.
Initially launched in 2019, the project aimed to facilitate payments in specific markets. However, it faced criticism for its labor practices when conducting scans in various countries like Indonesia, Kenya, Sudan, Ghana, and Chile in exchange for financial compensation.
Blania said the preferred term now is “distribution of scarce resources” over “universal basic income,” citing the latter as a politically charged term with connotations of communism. He emphasized that the new term encompasses more than just monetary distribution, including resources like computing power essential for training AI models.
Worldcoin Explores Collaboration with OpenAI and Other Tech Companies
