World, the biometric identity verification project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has released a major update to its mobile app. This update introduces encrypted messaging (World Chat) and significantly expanded cryptocurrency payment features, aiming to accelerate the adoption of its "proof of human" system.
The Core Mission: Proving Humanity in the Age of AI
World, launched in 2023 by Tools for Humanity, seeks to restore online trust by providing a way to verify unique individuals as AI increasingly blurs the line between real people and synthetic identities.
- Altman's Rationale: The project emerged from concerns that AI could destabilize society without new, privacy-preserving methods to identify unique individuals online.
- The Solution: Users obtain a verified World ID which allows them to prove they are human without revealing personal details, essential for combating deepfakes, bots, and impersonation.
💬 World Chat: Secure Communication with Identity Signals
The most prominent new feature is World Chat, an end-to-end encrypted messenger with identity verification built in:
- Security: It uses encryption comparable to Signal, ensuring conversations remain private.
- Verification Layer: Color-coded speech bubbles visually indicate whether a chat partner has completed World's biometric verification, giving users immediate confidence in communicating with a verified human.
- Availability: The feature, initially launched in beta, is now rolling out broadly.
Expanded Crypto and Financial Services
The update significantly enhances the app's financial functionality, making it function similarly to consumer payment apps like Venmo:
- Peer-to-Peer Crypto: Users can easily send, receive, and manage digital assets.
- Virtual Bank Accounts: The app now offers virtual bank accounts that allow users to receive paychecks, deposit funds from traditional banks, and convert those funds into cryptocurrency.
- Flexible Access: Crucially, these new payment and banking features do not require biometric verification (scanning the eyes or obtaining a World ID), which may appeal to a wider audience hesitant about biometrics.
Biometric Verification and Growth Challenges
World's verification process relies on the Orb, a large, metallic scanner:
- How it Works: The Orb captures a user's iris pattern and converts it into a unique, encrypted digital code—the user's World ID—without storing raw biometric images.
- Growth Outlook: While Altman aims to verify one billion people, less than 20 million have been scanned so far, indicating that the Orb has been an obstacle to growth.
- Lowering Barriers: To address this, Tools for Humanity announced Orb Minis—handheld devices that users could potentially use to scan their eyes at home, which could significantly lower friction and drive wider adoption.
World is positioning its updated app, with its integrated communication and financial tools, as a practical gateway to a future where proving one's identity online is paramount.
December 2025, Cryptoniteuae