tech

Sam Altman Wants to Know Whether You’re Human

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Sam Altman Wants to Know Whether You’re Human

TL;DR

  • Sam Altman's Tools for Humanity has expanded its World ID verification service, which uses "Orbs" to capture biometric eyeball scans.
  • The system aims to distinguish humans from bots and impostors in the digital landscape, functioning as a digital passport.
  • Users stare into an Orb, which takes pictures of their face and irises, encrypts the data, and confirms their "human status."
  • Companies like Zoom, Docusign, and Tinder are beginning to support Orb-backed verification.
  • The initiative has faced criticism over misrepresented marketing claims, such as a false assertion about its use in Bruno Mars's world tour.
  • Tools for Humanity emphasizes that data is transferred to the user's phone and deleted from the Orb, with open-sourced security designs for transparency.