World shifts from crypto identity experiment to enterprise proof-of-humanity

Tools for Humanity, the Sam Altman co-founded startup that creates digital IDs based on iris scans, has officially formulated a new direction of its proof-of-personhood (PoP) technology: Enterprise security.

The move is set to bring more revenue to the firm by introducing fees for applications that verify a user’s humanity through the World ID digital identity, while keeping the service free for end users. The company, which has recently announced layoffs, is also planning to downsize its footprint in most of its global markets and adapt its iconic Orb iris-scanning device for self-service use.

Collaboration with companies such as Zoom, Okta and DocuSign has made it clear that enterprises have a “strong demand for high-assurance proof of human,” the company says in its newest blog post, published last week. Zoom, for instance, plans to integrate World ID’s Deep Face technology directly into its video meetings.

“With deepfake technology becoming widely available and causing large losses to affected companies, technologies like World ID and Deep Face are becoming critical tools for enterprises to enhance their security,” Tools of Humanity says.

The project is also planning to make money by offering its digital ID to industries that suffer from bots, AI-generated impersonation, fraud and synthetic identity attacks. This includes social media and dating platforms, ticketing, gaming and more.

Tools for Humanity will focus on the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In the U.S. specifically, the company will attempt to achieve deals with financial institutions and consumer brands that could use proof-of-personhood tech in San Francisco and New York.

“The approach is to build density in a few cities first, prove the experience, and scale outward from there,” the firm says.

The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s layoffs across its 500-person team, which the company attributed to a need for a strategic reset.

Despite a US$2.5 billion valuation and backing from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital, and Khosla Ventures, the World project has struggled to demonstrate its revenue-generating potential. Tools of Humanity and its iris-scanning devices have also faced regulatory pushback in countries such as Spain, Germany, Brazil, Hong Kong, Portugal, Kenya, and South Korea, despite 450 million users signing up for World ID across the globe.

The startup was launched as the cryptocurrency project Worldcoin in 2023, offering users the ability to create a digital ID by scanning their irises in exchange for tokens. At the time, the project presented itself as a privacy-preserving solution for distinguishing  bots from real people, which is especially important for trading digital assets, such as crypto.

Co-founders Alex Blania and Sam Altman advocated for the use of their digital ID in the global economy, including as a basis for a universal basic income (UBI) system, in which everyone could be paid in Worldcoin.

Its new program, titled “The Simple Plan,” makes no mention of these goals. Instead, it says that World was founded to create infrastructure for the paradigm shift brought by AI.

One of these new shifts is AI agents. In March, World introduced AgentKit, which integrates proof of personhood (PoP) into agentic workflows, enabling agents to operate on behalf of verified humans.

“The accelerating capabilities of AI agents create an existential challenge for the integrity of digital interaction and the stability of our society,” the company says. “The need for proof of human technology has never been clearer and World was built to empower people and maximize human agency in a world with advanced AI.”

Tools of Humanity has also been working on other partnerships, including Tinder and Reddit, and has unveiled “Concert Kit,” a tool for protecting tickets from being snapped up by bots. Thirty Seconds to Mars will reserve a portion of tickets for verified humans on their upcoming 2027 tour, the firm says.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  enterprise  |  iris biometrics  |  proof of personhood  |  Tools for Humanity  |  World