NEW 'WORLD' IDS AND CRYPTOCURRENCY: OPENAI CEO'S PROJECT SETS EYES ON AUTHENTICATING HUMANITY, AMIDST GLOBAL PRIVACY CONCERNS!
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's ambition to pioneer a human identity network and universal basic income (UBI) project known as Worldcoin has taken a new twist, with promising developments and looming challenges. Altman's project, which aims to build an all-encompassing, global database of human identity based on biometric data, has officially rebranded, shedding the 'coin' from its name to now simply go by 'World.'
Of all the major advancements made, World introduced an updated version of its Orb device, a tool used for authenticating human identity in the increasingly AI-dominated era. This step further emphasizes the company’s aim to lead the charge in establishing an extensive human identity network. Under the new system, registered users, by virtue of their enrolment, receive a World ID, and are given a share of the associated WLD cryptocurrency token.
The revamped Orb device comes with fewer parts, a move that's aimed at making the tool easier and cheaper to produce. This is an attempt to make the technology more accessible to a wider pool of people across the world. With this shift, World plans to significantly increase the distribution of Orbs. It also intends to let people buy or rent their own devices, so they can verify humans within their communities, thereby growing the network.
In a further attempt to widen their reach, World has introduced a new service dubbed "Orb on Demand," an initiative that makes it easy for people to order Orbs for delivery right to their doorstep. This move speaks volumes about the company’s dedication to make their technology readily available to their growing user base.
Furthermore, in its expansion plans, World is extending its services beyond current markets, laying down strategies of landing in Costa Rica, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, UAE, Morocco, and other countries. This is a bold move expected to increase the number of "unique humans" registered on its platform. This figure is reportedly approaching the seven million mark, further cementing the project’s potential for enormous impact. However, despite World's crypto token availability worldwide, it remains notably absent in the US markets.
While World records impressive strides in its evolution, it is not without considerable challenges. There have been mounting concerns around potential privacy risks associated with the company's method of building a global biometric database. These anxieties emanate from the possible misuse of this data, given its sensitive nature. This unease has sparked investigations and actions against the project in countries such as Kenya, Hong Kong, Portugal, and Spain, bringing World into the limelight for not entirely admirable reasons.
Looking ahead, the new developments offer promising prospects for Altman's universal basic income project. The amalgamation of biometric data, AI, and cryptocurrency is indeed a futuristic take on identity verification and income distribution. However, World must also carefully navigate the landscape of biometrics and data privacy, understanding that trust in the system stands to make or break the future of this groundbreaking project.