The line between human identity and digital automation is becoming increasingly blurred, but OpenAI seems intent on drawing a clear line. According to a recent report by Forbes, the artificial intelligence giant led by Sam Altman is reportedly developing a revolutionary social network specifically designed to solve the bot problem through the concept of 'proof of personhood'.
The news immediately shook the crypto markets: Worldcoin (WLD), the token of the biometric identity project co-founded by Altman himself, soared more than 16% vertically, reaching $0.53 within hours.
An elite team against the invasion of bots
The project, although still in its embryonic stages, would be run by a very small team of less than ten people. The goal is ambitious: to create a platform where every account can be traced back with certainty to a real and unique individual.
To achieve this, OpenAI is reportedly evaluating various biometric verification methods. Among the options under consideration are Apple's Face ID system and, most importantly, the iris-scanning technology developed by World (formerly known as Worldcoin). Interest in the latter is not surprising, given the direct link between Altman and the World project, and has prompted investors to bet on future mass validation of the protocol's central thesis.
What 'Proof of Personhood' is and how the Orb works
Unlike traditional KYC (Know Your Customer) processes, which aim to find out who a person is (name, surname, documents), proof of personhood aims exclusively at confirming that the user is a real and unique human being.
The 'Proof of personhood' is a mechanism that establishes the humanity and uniqueness of an individual. It can be thought of as the first and most fundamental building block to establish digital identity, has explained World on X.
Proof of personhood is a mechanism that establishes an individual's humanness & uniqueness. It can be thought of as the first & most fundamental building block in establishing digital identity. pic.twitter.com/LmrEqrJPom
- World (@worldcoin) October 9, 2023
The core of this technology is the Orb, a spherical hardware device that scans the user's iris to generate a cryptographic code called World ID. The network ensures that the raw biometric images are not stored; they are converted into privacy-preserving identifiers, preventing the creation of duplicate identities without revealing the user's sensitive data.
The decline of reactive moderation
The timing of OpenAI coincides with an identity crisis of existing social platforms. Recently, the X platform updated its APIs to block "InfoFi" projects, accused of feeding armies of bots through financial incentives.
While traditional social media seek to curb the problem with reactive moderation, the approach of OpenAI and World Network marks a paradigm shift: moving from content control to identity-based access control. Despite regulatory challenges and privacy concerns that have slowed the deployment of Orb in some markets, the reaction of the WLD market shows how high the focus is on decentralised solutions capable of distinguishing humans from machines in an increasingly synthetic web.
