The company Tools for Humanity, behind the World project founded by Sam Altman, has entered into strategic agreements with Gap, Visa and Tinder. This was reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. The goal of the partnerships is simple: to expand the use of the biometric verification system World ID.
World is trying to move beyond its crypto roots and establish itself in the real sector. The project is betting on human identification in the age of artificial intelligence, when it is increasingly difficult to distinguish a real user from a bot.
Launch in the US
In San Francisco, Gap launched a pilot program in select stores. The locations installed the branded Orb device, which scans the iris and confirms that a living person is in front of the system.
Currently, Gap does not use World ID in its internal business processes. However, placing the devices in flagship stores should accelerate user familiarity with the system and simplify registration. This is especially important for the US market, where the project has historically struggled to gain a foothold.
Payment Card With Visa
Tools for Humanity is also working with Visa to create a separate payment card. According to media reports, it will allow holders of a verified World ID to pay with digital assets, including the native Worldcoin WLD token, anywhere Visa is accepted.
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If the integration is fully implemented, it will be a major step toward using crypto assets in everyday payments.
Tinder User Verification in Japan
In Japan, the Tinder app, owned by Match Group, uses Orb to verify users’ age and identity. This should increase trust and safety within the service.
According to a Tools for Humanity representative, the project’s goal is much broader.
‘Our mission is to create a digital passport for the AI era. By partnering with global leaders in retail, payments, and social networks, we are demonstrating that identity verification will become a basic requirement of the future internet,’ a company representative said.
How Orb Works
The company claims that Orb converts the iris scan into an anonymous code, which is stored locally on the user’s device. The original images are then deleted to maintain privacy.
Since its launch, the World project has already verified more than 18 million people worldwide. Recently, the infrastructure was upgraded to its own network, World Chain. This is a separate blockchain that prioritizes transactions from verified users over those from automated bots.
