Sam Altman’s World unveils a mobile verification device

Tools for Humanity, the startup behind the World human verification project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, unveiled Wednesday a mobile device designed to help people determine the difference between a human and an AI agent.

Rich Heley, Tools for Humanity’s Chief Device Officer and a former Apple director, debuted the Orb Mini device during its “At Last” event in San Francisco. The device looks like a smartphone, and has two cameras on the front to scan users’ eyeballs.

World, a web3 project started by Altman and Alex Blania that was formerly known as Worldcoin, is based on the idea that it will eventually be impossible to distinguish humans from AI agents on the internet. To address this, World wants to create digital “proof of human” tools; these announcements are part of its effort to get millions of people to sign up.

After scanning your eyeball with one of its silver metal Orbs — or now, one of its Orb Minis — World will give you a unique identifier on the blockchain to verify that you’re a human.

The Orb Mini, a reference to the company’s larger Orb devices, has the familiar shape of a smartphone and is designed to be portable, a Tools for Humanity spokesperson told TechCrunch in a briefing. Thomas Meyerhoff, a former Apple designer helped design the Orb Mini, according to people familiar with the new product.

The main purpose of the Orb Mini is to verify more people, not necessarily to use apps, make calls, or send texts. However, the spokesperson said it’s unclear what the device’s ultimate functionality would be.

Tools for Humanity is also launching its World Network in the U.S. on Thursday, and will open storefronts in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. The stores, which World already has in other countries, are designed for people to come in and have their eyeballs scanned by one of the company’s Orbs.

The World project claims 26 million people have signed up, and 12 million people are verified, around the world. Today, the company has a larger presence in Latin America, South America, and Asia — but Wednesday announcement aims to grow the project in the U.S.

While the company was light on details about its Orb Mini, the device seems to be an effort to distribute its verification devices more broadly. While World’s objectives have shifted over the years, the Orb seems core to their mission.

A key question around swirling around World is whether it will one day partner with Sam Altman’s other venture, OpenAI. It’s unclear if the Orb Mini will have any AI features, or whether it’s related to the AI device OpenAI is reportedly working on.