The Worldcoin cryptoproject was launched and, judging by the publications of its founder Sam Altman (aka the creator of ChatGPT), immediately gained huge popularity – in fact, people lined up in huge queues to get a World ID (what the project calls a “global digital passport”), and with it WLD tokens as a reward.
During the process, an Orb tool is used to scan the retina and create a unique identifier for the individual – the data is said to not be processed or stored locally.
The company says the system uses artificial intelligence to create unique codes and there are now around 200 “orbs” to register. Interestingly, according to Worldcoin’s founders, a digital passport is essential for a future in which “distinguishing between humans and robots will become increasingly difficult due to the surge in artificial intelligence technologies.”
According to Worldcoin’s roadmap, verification will be available in 35 cities in 20 countries, and the World App program itself will be available in 120 countries. The plan is to launch 1,500 Orb units by the end of 2023.
During the test launch, Orbs scanned more than 2 million people, of which 64% were from Asia and Africa, 19% from Latin America, and 17% from Europe.
On the day of the official launch of the crypto project, the value of WLD jumped to $3.58 from $1.70. Binance and other exchanges listed the cryptocurrency, $145 million worth of tokens were sold at the time, and Worldcoin’s share price fell 29.4%.
According to the FT, Worldcoin is not yet available in the US due to regulatory hurdles, but investors (including venture capital groups Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures, internet entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and Sam Benkman-Friede before the collapse of his FTX empire) invested approximately $250 million in the project.