Author: Ma He, Foresight News

On January 29, the World token WLD surged over 18% in the past 24 hours, jumping from around $0.46 to nearly $0.65, with a current market cap of approximately $2.5 billion. The price spike is directly attributed to a Forbes report stating that OpenAI is developing a new type of social networking application that considers using iris scanning technology similar to World to verify user identities, aiming to address the rampant issue of online bots.

According to The Information, Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft are discussing investing up to $60 billion in OpenAI. This new round of financing could value OpenAI at $730 billion.

The Escalating Issue of Fake Bots, OpenAI Urgently Needs Human Verification

OpenAI aims to achieve "proof of personhood" through biometric means to filter out AI-generated fake accounts. The rapid development of AI is creating problems that it cannot solve itself, and World happens to fill this gap. Sam Altman's dual identity is a key link; he is not only the head of OpenAI but also a co-founder of World.

Altman foresaw as early as 2020 that AI would blur the lines between humans and machines, leading to a collapse of online trust. OpenAI's AI models, such as the GPT series, have permeated social media, recruitment, and finance, but this has also led to bot abuse: fake accounts spreading misinformation, AI agents manipulating markets, and even falsifying resumes on recruitment platforms.

OpenAI needs a reliable "personhood filter" to maintain the purity of its ecosystem; otherwise, its products will face regulatory pressure and user attrition.

OpenAI's social application is reportedly designed to create a "bot-free" online space, but traditional CAPTCHAs or phone verifications have become ineffective—AI can easily bypass them. World’s Orb provides zero-knowledge proof through iris scanning, allowing users to prove they are the only human without exposing personal information. This technology has already been applied in the World App, covering 15 million users and expanding into payment and gaming sectors. If OpenAI integrates a similar system, it could directly enhance the competitiveness of its applications.

For example, embedding World ID verification in the ChatGPT interface would allow users to securely make crypto payments or identity verifications, avoiding AI-generated fake interactions. This could also open new revenue streams for OpenAI: charging verification fees or sharing data infrastructure with World.

Combining with Token Economy to Benefit Everyone from AI Prosperity

Altman has publicly stated that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will reshape the global economy, but it is essential to ensure fair wealth distribution. The original design of World is to distribute "Universal Basic Income" (UBI) through WLD, allowing everyone to share in the prosperity brought by AI.

OpenAI could embed World’s token economy into its platform to drive user adoption. For instance, social network users could receive WLD rewards after iris verification, which could be used for AI service subscriptions. This creates a commercial closed loop: OpenAI provides AI tools, World handles identity and payments, and together they combat the monopoly of centralized platforms.

From a regulatory perspective, collaboration between World and OpenAI could also mitigate risks. World is already facing privacy investigations in Europe and Asia (such as bans in Spain and Kenya), but partnering with OpenAI could leverage the latter's influence in Washington to push for policy relaxation. Altman has already lobbied the White House to discuss digital identity standards, paving the way for collaboration.

Currently, OpenAI has not disclosed specific details, but insiders reveal that the application may integrate biometric hardware to ensure that every user on the platform is a real human.

Of course, there are critics who point out that iris scanning involves privacy risks, especially in the AI era, where data could be misused. OpenAI itself is also facing antitrust scrutiny, and its marriage with World could attract more regulatory attention. However, from a business logic perspective, this move is beneficial for OpenAI: it can benefit from World’s blockchain infrastructure while injecting practical value into WLD, shifting the token from speculation to actual application.

By 2025, World aims to shift its protocol from a controversial project to mainstream adoption. In May, World officially launched in the United States. In early October, the World Chain mainnet went live, optimized for human activities and prioritizing user transaction verification. On October 21, World partnered with Mythical Games to integrate Orb technology into the gaming economy, allowing users to participate in the on-chain economy through iris verification, avoiding bot-generated rewards.

Additionally, World is collaborating with platforms like Razer and Tinder to embed World ID into hardware and dating applications, allowing users to verify their identities and avoid fraudulent scams.

Next-Generation ID Verification 4.0

In January 2026, World released the product and technical specifications for its next-generation identity verification protocol.

Its core technology is the OPRF node (Oblivious Pseudo-Random Function), which helps generate a "pseudonym" when you log into different apps, making it harder to track users' identities.

Compared to version 3.0, the new version 4.0 is a true "cloud identity account":

• No fear of loss: Supports multi-device login, and you can recover it if you lose your phone.
• More privacy: Introduces multiple nodes (OPRF), making it extremely difficult to track your behavior.
• More flexibility: You can use a passport to join in places where iris scanning is not available.

In the future, if it truly collaborates with OpenAI, World could leap from a fringe project to a core AI infrastructure.

However, due to the sluggish market conditions, lack of token demand, and unlocking selling pressure, the WLD price has fallen about 20 times from its historical peak, and investors need to pay attention to risk control.

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