World, the biometric identity verification project co-founded by Sam Altman, released the latest version of its app today, debuting several new features, including encrypted chat integration and an expanded Venmo-like ability to send and request cryptocurrencies.
“The World” was created by startup Tools for Humanity in 2019, and originally launched its app in 2023. The company says it hopes to create “human proof” digital tools that can help separate humans from robots, in a world ravaged by digital fakery generated by artificial intelligence.
During a small meeting at World’s San Francisco headquarters on Thursday, Altman and World’s co-founder and CEO, Alex Blania, briefly introduced the new version of the app (which the developers have dubbed a “super app”) before the product team took over to explain New features. During his remarks, Altman said the concept of the world arose from conversations he and Plania had about the need to create a new kind of economic model. This model, based on web3 principles, is what World is trying to achieve with its verification network. “It’s really hard to identify special people and do it in a way that preserves privacy,” Altman said.
World Chat, the new messaging app, seems designed to do just that. It uses end-to-end encryption to keep users’ conversations secure (this encryption is described as the equivalent of Signal, the privacy-focused messaging software), and also makes use of color-coded speech bubbles to alert users to whether the person they’re talking to has been verified by the World system, the company said. The idea is to incentivize verification, giving people the ability to know if the person they’re talking to is who they say they are. Chat was originally It has been launched in beta version In March.
The other big feature unveiled Thursday was an expanded digital payment system that allows app users to send and receive cryptocurrencies. The World app has been serving as a digital wallet for some time, but the latest version of the app includes broader capabilities. Using virtual bank accounts, users can also receive payroll checks directly in the World App and make deposits from their bank accounts, both of which can then be converted into cryptocurrencies. You are not verified by the global authentication system to use these features.
Part of the reason for adding chat is to create a more interactive experience for users, Tiago Sada, global chief product officer, told TechCrunch. “What we heard from people is that they want a more social, universal app,” Sada said. World Chat is designed to meet this need, creating what Sada says is a safe way to communicate. “It took a lot of work to create a feature-rich messenger that looks like WhatsApp or Telegram, but with encryption and security that is very similar to Signal,” Sada said.
World (originally called Worldcoin) deploys a unique authentication process: interested people have their eyes scanned at one of the company’s offices, where the Orb — a large verification device — turns the person’s iris into a unique, encrypted digital code. The person can then use this token, a verified global identifier, to interact with the world’s ecosystem of services, which is available through their app.
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Adding more community-friendly features is clearly aimed at increasing wider adoption of the app, which makes sense since scaling verification is the main challenge the company faces. Altman said he would like the project to be that way Scanning the eyes of a billion peopleBut Tools for Humanity claims to have screened fewer than 20 million people.
Since standing in long lines at a company office to have your eyeballs scanned with a giant metal ball might seem less enticing to some users, the company has actually sought to make the verification process less complicated. In April, Tools for Humanity announced Orb Minis—handheld, phone-like devices—that allow users to scan their eyes from the comfort of their own homes. Plania previously told TechCrunch that the company would eventually like to turn the Orb Minis into a mobile point-of-sale device or sell its ID sensor technology to device manufacturers. If the company takes such steps, it would significantly remove the verification barrier, which could inspire wider adoption.
