Worldcoin, the project intent on scanning people’s eyeballs to prove they are indeed people, unveiled its World ID protocol and software development kit today.

Both Worldcoin and its lead software contributor, Tools For Humanity, were co-created by Sam Altman — who is also CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, the smash-hit generative chatbot. The proliferation of AI and generative software have, according to Worldcoin, rendered the issue of online identity that much thornier. 

Described in today’s announcement as the “underlying identity protocol” to Worldcoin and powered by zero-knowledge cryptography, the newly launched World ID is a mobile tool that people can use to prove they’re real without sacrificing anonymity. Worldcoin’s Orb — a controversial, iris-scanning bit of hardware — is the main method of getting verified for users. Still, they can also use tools such as phone number verification, albeit with less accuracy.

(By Ryan Weeks)