ChatGPT boss launched a cryptocurrency project

Sam Altman's Worldcoin cryptocurrency project has a focus on World ID digital passports to prove an individual is a real person, not a bot.

On July 24, the cryptocurrency project backed by Sam Altman , CEO of OpenAI, was launched. To be issued a World ID, users need to have a retina scan. The AI ​​will then analyze the data and verify this is a real person. Every time a World ID is issued, the data is put on the blockchain for the owner to store and use to authenticate for future services.

According to Coindesk , since a month ago, Worldcoin's team has visited 35 cities in 20 countries around the world for retinal scans. The device used to retrieve data is called Orb with silver color, roughly the size of a bowling ball.

Sam Altman and the "Orb" sphere used to scan the retina for data for World ID. Photo: Sama

According to Reuters , World ID attracts many people around the world to participate in the project. After identity verification, each person receives 25 WLD - Worldcoin's digital currency. WLD is only released to users in countries where the law allows it. Americans have not received this token.

From a starting price of $0.15, WLD once hit the $3.58 mark, and is now in the $2 price zone, according to data from the Binance exchange. Earlier, Bloomberg reported, World ID raised $115 million in a C funding round led by Blockchain Capital.

Reuters quoted Alex Blania, co-founder of World ID, that blockchain allows the system to store and protect users' identities and privacy from the control of any single entity. "This project is especially necessary in an age of generative AI as ChatGPT is getting smarter and talking like a human," Blania said.

Meanwhile, Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT and co-founder of Worldcoin, thinks that the project also helps solve the future challenges of the AI-shaped economy. He said: "As the economy expands, AI will do many things for humans. At that time, only people with ID verification can prove they are not chatbots."

The OpenAI CEO also noted that that future may be far away, but World ID is an important foundation for the vision to become a reality. "We think it's time to test things out so we can figure out where we need to go next," said Sam Altman.

Incredulous

According to Coindesk , World ID is gaining attention throughout the tech community, being watched by both the AI ​​and blockchain circles, causing the system to be overwhelmed. "World ID is operating at full capacity and receiving excessive traffic. Some users may experience interruptions during this time," Worldcoin's homepage announced on July 24, a few hours after the main project. published formula.

Although well-received, World ID also met with many skepticism. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin took to long to explain the technology and point out his concerns.

User registers World ID data by scanning iris with Worldcoin device. Photo: Worldcoin

Buterin pointed out four major problems faced by Worldcoin's PoP (Proof-of-Personhood) user authentication system: privacy, accessibility, centralization, and security.

First, Buterin argues that iris scanning has the potential to reveal more information than intended. For example, to determine if a person is in World ID's system, they not only scan the iris, but also run more data related to the identity.

Moreover, World ID is not accessible to everyone because the authentication system via hardware device is the Orb orb. "There's no way to verify this hardware build is correct and there's no backdoor into the system," he said.

Despite being built on a blockchain system, Buterin found the project lacked the necessary decentralization element as the Worldcoin developer still had the ability to insert a backdoor into the system, allowing multiple identities to be faked.

Finally, there is the issue of end-user security. The founder of Ethereum believes that users' smartphones can still be hacked and have biometric data stolen. In addition, they may also be forced to give their data to others.

"There is no ideal form of proof of human dignity," Buterin said. However, he also assessed that Worldcoin has made great strides in combining hardware with new technologies to create a secure authentication method that promotes privacy.

According to Recfaces, iris scanning technology was first developed by ophthalmologist Frank Burch, then popularized through security applications such as retina authentication for smartphone security. According to probability theory, in human history, there has never been a case of two people having the same iris, even with twins. Scientists have conducted several studies that show that the human retina can change over time while the iris does not.

Sam Altman: 'Debates ignore the benefits of AI'
The OpenAI CEO said that the benefits of AI in making a big leap in quality of life are sometimes "left out of the discussion".

Sam Altman's comments came during his trip to Britain this week. According to Guardian , the head of OpenAI believes that the development of artificial intelligence will be "the biggest step forward" in improving the quality of human life. AI tools are "more efficient and capable of doing more" in assisting humans.

Altman is on a world tour to discuss the consequences of artificial intelligence, including his company's ChatGPT.

As the initiator of the AI ​​race, Altman still wanted to address both the benefits of advanced AI development and the risks this technology can create.

Late last month, the Center for AI Safety (CAIS) in San Francisco posted on its website a warning message: "Reducing the risk of extinction caused by AI must be a global priority, alongside risks at the societal scale. like a pandemic or a nuclear war".

This message was signed by 350 people who are leading AI leaders and experts, including Sam Altman , Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, or Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton , two people who are considered "godfathers". whose.