Sam Altman Rebrands Worldcoin as "World Network," Launches Mainnet Blockchain

Sam Altman has rebranded Worldcoin to "World Network" or "World" while introducing a blockchain mainnet.

The rebrand reflects the project's broader vision to create "a network of real, verified humans" through its three pillars: World Chain, World ID, and Worldcoin.

"As the scale of the project grows along with the importance of World ID’s proof of human protocol, the name 'Worldcoin' no longer encapsulates the mission of the project, to accelerate every human," World stated in a release.

World Chain, the Ethereum-secured Layer 2 blockchain network, has launched on the mainnet. Optimism, Alchemy, Uniswap, Safe, Dune and Etherscan are supporting the blockchain's launch.

The company also introduced a new interaction of its biometric "Orb" device, which scans users' irises for verification. Built using Nvidia hardware, the orb is now five times more powerful and efficient despite being smaller with fewer components.

World will deploy the new Orb in self-service kiosks. It also introduced the World ID Credentials program that enables users to verify their identity on the World app using NFC-enabled, government-issued passports, offering an alternative to the Orb device.

World ID Deep Face, a major advancement unveiled at the event, claims to have "solved deepfakes." The software can identify whether videos featuring verified individuals are authentic or AI-generated, and it can be incorporated into any app that supports video uploads or live streams.

World’s technology is designed to provide a secure and reliable method for verifying individual identities through a process known as proof-of-humanity.

This protocol leverages advanced biometric and cryptographic techniques to ensure that each individual is uniquely identified and that their identity remains secure.

Last month, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission, the national data protection authority of South Korea, imposed a fine of KRW 1.1 billion on the Worldcoin Foundation and Tools For Humanity (TFH).

According to the agency, investigations began in February after users complained that the company may be engaging in biometric collection and offering users tokens in return.