The cryptocurrency initiative started by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Worldcoin, intends to create a global ID network similar to India’s Aadhaar biometric ID system, a senior employee told Reuters.
“A really good analogy for the type of impact something like Worldcoin can have is the Aadhaar project in India,” Worldcoin’s head of product, engineering and design, Tiago Sada, said.
In exchange for a digital ID and free bitcoin, over 2.4 million people have signed up to have their irises scanned by Worldcoin’s “orb” devices.
Co-founded by Altman, Worldcoin claims to be working towards a global identification and financial network. The website lists a number of ambitious use cases, such as separating humans from artificial intelligence bots and offering a way to distribute universal basic income.
Following Worldcoin’s July launch, a number of regulators, including those in the UK and Germany, stated they were investigating the cryptocurrency.
