Sam Altman Brings Eye-Scanning ID Project “World” to the UK

“World,” the biometric identity project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, officially launches in the UK with its unique Orb eye-scanning device to fight AI-driven fraud and support secure digital identity.

World Launches in the UK to Revolutionize Digital Identity Verification

World, the biometric identity verification project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is officially launching in London this week. The company’s mission is to combat AI fraud and impersonation by verifying real human identity using iris-scanning technology.

Following its success in the U.S., the rollout in the UK marks the next phase in World’s global expansion, with more cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow set to follow.

How World’s Orb Device Works

At the core of World’s technology is a futuristic, spherical scanner called the Orb. The device scans a person’s face and iris to generate a unique biometric code that proves they are human—not a bot or deepfake.

Once a user is verified, they receive a small amount of WLD cryptocurrency and gain access to a World ID — a privacy-preserving digital identity that can be used to log in anonymously to supported platforms like Minecraft, Reddit, and Discord.

From Science Project to Real-World Solution

According to Adrian Ludwig, Chief Architect at Tools for Humanity (a key contributor to World), demand for biometric verification is growing rapidly — especially from enterprises and governments increasingly concerned about AI threats.

“This is no longer just a theoretical concept. It's real, and it's affecting people every single day,” said Ludwig.
“We’re transitioning from a science experiment to a global network.”

World recently opened six flagship locations in the U.S., including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, and San Francisco. The company plans to scale verification capabilities exponentially in the coming months.

Privacy and Data Security at the Forefront

Since its early days as Worldcoin in 2021, the project has faced concerns about user privacy and data protection. However, World says it addresses these by:

Encrypting all biometric data;

Deleting the original scan after identity creation;

Performing computations locally on the user’s device, not in the cloud.

This architecture minimizes the risk of large-scale data exposure, even as the network scales to millions — and potentially billions — of users.

Filling the Gap in Digital ID Systems

As AI grows more capable of defeating CAPTCHA, facial recognition, and other legacy systems, World sees itself filling a critical gap in global digital identity infrastructure.

Governments around the world are exploring digital ID programs, and World has already begun discussions with regulators such as the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Ludwig shared that World is working closely with regulators to ensure its system is safe, compliant, and scalable.

“There have been lots of questions: how do we ensure privacy? What are the risks? How do we protect users?”
“So far, we’ve been able to answer all of them,” he said.

Conclusion: A Step Toward a Secure Digital Identity Future

World represents a major step forward in building a trusted, secure, and decentralized digital identity ecosystem for the AI era. With its UK expansion, the project continues to gain momentum as a global platform to verify humanity online — one iris scan at a time.

Gain a competitive edge with up-to-date market intelligence from InfoFinance – follow us for the latest insights.