World Drops 'Coin', Unveils New Iris-Scanning Orb

World, the startup that once went by Worldcoin, has made some big changes. They've dropped the "coin" from their name and introduced a new iris-scanning device called the Orb. This device is designed to prove that you're a real human, not a bot or AI. The company's co-founder, Alex Blania, explained that the old name didn't fit their mission anymore. They want to do more than just create a cryptocurrency. Sam Altman, who co-founded World and is also the CEO of OpenAI, is heavily involved in World's operations. However, Blania made it clear that the two companies have separate missions. World's goal is to make sure people can trust that they're talking to real humans online. They plan to do this by using blockchain technology to verify people's identities. World has faced some challenges, though. Governments in Kenya and the EU have investigated the company over privacy and security concerns. Some of these investigations are still ongoing. Despite these challenges, World is moving forward with their plans. At a recent event in San Francisco, World showed off their new Orb. This version is easier to make, has fewer parts, and works three times faster than the old one. They also announced a partnership with Rappi, a popular delivery service in Latin America, to help more people verify their identities. World also introduced Deep Face, a tool designed to fight online deepfakes and impersonation. They didn't give many details about how it would work, though. They also showed off a new type of online ID called World ID. This isn't meant to replace government IDs, but it could make it easier to verify your identity online without giving away too much personal information. One of the big challenges World faces is getting people to trust them with their identities. At their event, they asked guests to show their government IDs to verify their own identities. This is a big ask, especially since Sam Altman, the co-founder, has been accused of lying to OpenAI's board.