Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Drops Crypto Focus to Concentrate on Orbs

The new eye-scanning device can verify identities to combat image-based fraud.

World Reinvents Itself from Worldcoin

World, previously known as Worldcoin, is undergoing a transformation. The startup led by OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, is shedding its old name and cryptocurrency focus to pivot towards identification technology—a shift signaling the need for new business cards.

Identification Technology to Combat Deep Fakes

According to Bloomberg, the newly named World will hone in on its eye-scanning technology to verify identities, offering a potent tool against the surge of deep fake videos online.

The Orb: World’s New Device

Alex Blania, co-founder and CEO of World, introduced the company’s latest invention: the Orb. This eye-scanning biometric device aims to confirm human identities through a service named Deep Face.

The latest Orb model, powered by NVIDIA’s Jetson chipset, will be deployed to clients as needed. As Rich Heley, Director of Devices at World, explains, access to the Orb will be on-demand, delivered as easily as ordering a pizza. A company statement highlights, “These advancements offer new ways to provide proof of human ID verification by World ID across the globe.”

A Proven Success

According to the company’s website, nearly 7 million people have already been scanned by World’s Orbs. Each attendee of the launch event in San Francisco received a free Orb for their identification needs.

By renaming to World and refocusing on identification technology, the startup continues its journey in the Big Tech landscape, adopting a new strategic direction.