Sam Altman’s orb is watching to check if you are human

A biometric identity verification project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alex Blania is launching in the United Kingdom this week. The initiative, known as 'World', relies on a device called the 'Orb' to scan people's eyes to confirm whether users are human.

The Orb will be available in London, with plans to expand to Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow in the coming months. The technology uses facial and iris recognition to generate a unique code that verifies an individual's humanity and guards against fraudulent misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as deep fakes.

According to the project's website, once verified, users receive a portion of Worldcoin (WLD), the project's native cryptocurrency, and gain access to a digital identity known as World ID. This ID can be used anonymously to log in to applications including Minecraft, Reddit and Discord.

In April 2025, World expanded to the United States with six flagship locations, including in Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco. The goal is to significantly increase the number of verified users over the coming months. The company says it has already registered 13 million users.

World has stated that all biometric information is encrypted and deleted after processing, and identity checks occur on users' devices rather than in the cloud. Only the infrastructure for confirming uniqueness relies on third-party providers, as per the company.

The project's broader aim is to provide a scalable, digital alternative to traditional physical identification systems. While governments globally are exploring digital ID schemes, existing models such as India's Aadhaar have faced criticism for data security and social equity concerns.