Notes: This summary is based on project documentation signed off by Sam Altman of OpenAI.
Worldcoin was established with the goal of creating a globally inclusive financial and identity network owned by the vast majority of humanity. If successful, Worldcoin could substantially enhance economic opportunity, scale a trustworthy solution for distinguishing humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes, and potentially pave the way toward an AI-funded Universal Basic Income (UBI).
Worldcoin comprises a privacy-preserving digital identity network (World ID) based on proof-of-personhood, and, where legal, a digital currency (WLD). Every human is eligible for a share of WLD simply for being human. Presently, World ID and WLD are complemented by the World App, the first interface for World ID and the Worldcoin Protocol, developed by the Tools for Humanity (TFH) contributor team.
The "proof of personhood" is one of the central concepts behind Worldcoin, referring to the verification that an individual is human and unique. Once established, it empowers an individual to assert their distinctiveness from other real humans, without revealing their real-world identity.
Today, proof of personhood remains a globally unresolved issue, hindering large-scale online voting or value distribution. This problem becomes even more pressing as increasingly powerful AI models will further escalate the challenge of distinguishing humans from bots. If successful as part of Worldcoin, World ID could become a global standard of proof-of-personhood.
Some core assumptions behind Worldcoin are:
Proof of personhood is a missing, necessary digital primitive. This primitive will become even more vital as increasingly powerful AI models become available.
Scalable, inclusive proof of personhood enables the alignment of all network participants' incentives to add real humans to the network for the first time. Bitcoin is issued to secure the Bitcoin network. Worldcoin is issued to grow the Worldcoin network, with security inherited from Ethereum.
In an era of increasingly powerful AI, the most reliable way to issue a global proof of personhood is through custom biometric hardware.
World ID is a privacy-preserving proof of personhood. It allows users to confirm their humanity online while maintaining their privacy through zero-knowledge proofs, using a bespoke biometric device called the Orb. It is anticipated that World IDs will only be used by the person to whom they were issued.
The Worldcoin token is issued to all network participants to align their incentives around network growth. This is particularly important initially to kick-start the network and overcome the "cold start problem".
World App is the first interface for World ID: it guides people through verification with the Orb, safeguards an individual's World ID credentials, and implements cryptographic protocols to share those credentials with third parties in a privacy-preserving manner.
Worldcoin revolves around World ID, a global identity network that preserves privacy. Using World ID, people will be able to prove that they are a real, unique human to any platform that integrates with the protocol. This could enable fair distribution of limited resources and could empower global democratic processes and innovative forms of governance.
To interact with the Worldcoin protocol, people must first download World App, the first wallet application that supports the creation of a World ID. Individuals visit a physical imaging device called the Orb to have their World ID verified by Orb.
Worldcoin could significantly boost global equality of opportunity by moving towards a future where everyone, regardless of their location, can participate in the global digital economy via a decentralized and universally accessible financial and identity infrastructure.
Today, many digital interactions are not globally possible. The way humans transact value, identify themselves, and interact on the Internet will likely fundamentally change.
The intersection of finance and identity would allow for incentive alignment: loyalty programs, referral programs, and sharing value with customers are traditionally prone to fraud. Frictionless, fraud-resistant digital identity helps align incentives and benefit both consumers and businesses.
Equitable distribution of scarce resources: crucial elements of modern society, including grants and social welfare, could be made fairer by employing proof of personhood. This is particularly relevant in developing economies, where social benefit programs face resource capture issues. As AI advances, the fair distribution of access and part of the value created through UBI will play an increasingly vital role in countering the concentration of economic power. World ID could ensure each individual only registers once and guarantee equal distribution.
