Worldcoin, the Sam Altman-backed digital identity initiative, announced a major rebrand as World and revealed ambitious plans to grow its user base to 1 billion people during a keynote opening on October 17.
The keynote, led by co-founders Altman and Alex Blania, marked a significant shift in the project’s trajectory following the announcement of a series of key updates designed to drive global adoption of its platform. decentralized identity.
Updates included the launch of World Chain, a layer 2 blockchain secured by Ethereum, and the unveiling of a new version of the project’s Orb biometric devices.
Acceleration of growth
The rebranding highlights the evolution of World Network’s mission, moving from its original identity verification model to a broader, more decentralized network.
With 15 million users currently, including 7 million verified through its Orb technology, the platform aims to significantly increase this number as it seeks to onboard a billion verified human users.
Blania, who is also CEO of Tools for Humanity, noted that the project is now focused on scalability and decentralization. He said:
“Today, we take the next big step in our mission: to scale the global network to reach 1 billion users. »
The new global version of the Orb, which scans a user’s iris to verify their identity, is central to the project’s ambition to increase its global footprint. Blania said World would triple its production capacity and expand into new countries, including flagship sites in Buenos Aires and Mexico City.
The updated Orbs will be available in public spaces such as cafes and will even be deliverable on demand, part of a broader effort to make verification more accessible. The deployment of these new Orbs is expected by spring 2025.
Global chain and digital identity
Along with expanding its biometric capabilities, World has officially launched World Chain, a layer 2 blockchain built on the Ethereum network.
Blockchain is designed to support millions of users. On its first day, the project claimed 15 million registrations worldwide. According to the company, this makes World Chain one of the largest human verification blockchains in existence.
The World application, the central element of the project, is being updated to version 3.0. This update will allow users to manage their World ID credentials and access other services, such as World Pay, a decentralized payment system, and World Chat, a messaging tool.
The app will also introduce games and a messaging system called World Chat to further engage users and integrate more participants. Altman, who also runs OpenAI, said World aims to be “the anonymous human layer of the Internet,” helping people distinguish themselves from AI actors.
He further highlighted the growing importance of human identity verification as AI continues to advance. According to the CEO of OpenAI:
“As AI becomes more and more integrated into our lives, having a reliable human verification layer is essential.”
