This is Worldcoin: Humanness in the age of AI

Summary

Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, introduces World ID, a biometric verification system designed to authenticate human users on the internet, ensuring privacy and inclusivity. The Worldcoin project, which includes World ID, aims to create a decentralized digital currency, Worldcoin, and a non-custodial wallet app for easy transactions. The orb, a custom hardware device, plays a crucial role in verifying humanness at scale, while preserving privacy through three layers of protection. The Worldcoin Foundation, a nonprofit entity, manages the project to ensure decentralization and prevent single points of failure, with the ultimate goal of empowering every individual on the internet.

Takeaways

• 🧠 AGI is an inevitable development that will significantly alter the economy and the internet.
• 🛂 World ID is designed to serve as a 'human gate' to ensure that only actual humans can access certain parts of the internet.
• 💡 Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, is a key contributor to the Worldcoin project, which aims to address the impact of AI on society.
• 🎨 AI is expected to create and enhance most of our interactions, offering personalized entertainment like songs and videos.
• 🚫 There's a need to prevent AI from unduly influencing public opinion, as it could be manipulated by certain interests.
• 🔑 World ID offers a biometric verification system that operates independently of governments and can scale to billions of users.
• 🌐 The orb is a custom hardware device that enables World ID by verifying humanness through biometric data.
• 💰 Worldcoin is a digital currency that provides ownership to everyone who verifies with World ID.
• 📱 The World App is a non-custodial wallet designed to facilitate easy money transfers and World ID verification.
• 🔍 The orb ensures privacy by performing checks on the device, separating biometrics from World ID, and generating disposable, app-specific IDs for user interactions.
• 🌐 Decentralization is crucial for Worldcoin's success, as it prevents any single entity from compromising the system.
• 🏛️ The Worldcoin Foundation, a nonprofit, manages the IP and aims to transition governance to all of humanity, promoting an open-source public good.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of World ID?

The main purpose of World ID is to verify human identity on the internet, ensuring that only real humans can access certain parts of the internet.

Who is Alex Blania and what is his role?

Alex Blania is the CEO of Tools for Humanity, one of the main contributing entities to the Worldcoin project.

What problem does World ID aim to solve?

World ID aims to solve the problem of distinguishing real humans from bots or AI on the internet, especially in areas where human presence is critical.

What are the two fundamental components of the Worldcoin protocol?

The two fundamental components are World ID, a biometric verification device, and Worldcoin, a digital currency given to individuals who verify their identity with World ID.

How does the Orb device contribute to World ID?

The Orb device performs biometric verification, ensuring that a person is a real human and issuing a World ID certificate.

What are the three layers of privacy protection in World ID?

The three layers are: 1) on-device checks by the Orb, 2) separation of biometrics from World ID, and 3) creation of disposable IDs for different apps.

Why is decentralization important for the Worldcoin project?

Decentralization ensures that no single entity can control or compromise the system, making it resilient to external attacks and internal mismanagement.

What is the role of the Worldcoin Foundation?

The Worldcoin Foundation, a nonprofit, controls the intellectual property of the project and ensures governance will eventually be in the hands of all humanity.

How does Worldcoin plan to distribute its digital currency?

Worldcoin plans to distribute its digital currency to every verified human being, preventing multiple claims and creating a large network effect.

What potential societal benefit does World ID offer?

World ID can serve as an open-source public good, providing a trustworthy way to verify human identity on the internet, which can accelerate many positive developments.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to AGI and World ID

Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, introduces the concept of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and its profound impact on the economy and the internet. He highlights the necessity for a 'human gate' on the internet, exemplified by World ID, a project aimed at verifying human presence online. World ID is underpinned by biometric verification through a device called the orb, capable of scaling to billions of users without government intervention. Additionally, World ID is complemented by a digital currency, Worldcoin, which users receive upon verification. The World App is introduced as a non-custodial wallet that simplifies the use of these technologies. The paragraph emphasizes the challenges of identifying real people on the internet and the importance of privacy preservation through biometric solutions.

05:01

🛡️ Privacy and Security in Worldcoin's Ecosystem

This paragraph delves into the privacy and security aspects of Worldcoin's ecosystem, focusing on the orb's role in verifying human identity without compromising privacy. The orb issues a 'proof of human certificate' or World ID, which users can use across various applications while maintaining their uniqueness. The system is designed with three layers of privacy protection: on-device checks by the orb, separation of biometrics from World ID, and the generation of disposable, app-specific IDs for each interaction. This ensures that while providing a persistent user experience, the system does not track or expose the user's activities across different apps. The paragraph also touches on the importance of decentralization in preventing a single point of failure and the role of the Worldcoin Foundation in controlling the IP and governance, with the ultimate goal of transitioning to a system governed by all of humanity.

Keywords

💡AGI

AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence, which refers to the hypothetical ability of an AI to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks at a level equal to or beyond that of a human being. In the video, AGI is presented as a transformative force that will significantly change the economy and the internet's operation, indicating a future where AI plays a central role in most aspects of society.

💡World ID

World ID is a concept introduced in the video as a digital identity system designed to verify humanness at a large scale, independent of governments and capable of scaling to billions of people. It is a foundational element of the Worldcoin project, aiming to provide a secure and privacy-preserving way for individuals to prove their humanity on the internet. The script mentions World ID as a digital passport that allows users to authenticate as real humans while maintaining their privacy.

💡Biometric verification

Biometric verification is a method of recognizing an individual based on their unique physiological or behavioral characteristics, such as facial recognition, fingerprints, or iris scans. In the context of the video, biometric verification is the core technology behind the orb device, which is used for verifying the humanness of individuals for the World ID system.

💡Orb

The orb, as mentioned in the script, is a custom hardware device developed as part of the Worldcoin project. It serves as a biometric verification tool that can accurately and inclusively identify a person as a human, ensuring that only real humans can access certain parts of the internet. The orb is a key component in the creation of World ID.

💡Worldcoin

Worldcoin is a digital currency introduced in the video that is tied to the World ID system. Every person who verifies their identity through World ID receives ownership in Worldcoin. This currency is designed to be inclusive and to provide economic incentives for individuals to participate in the Worldcoin network.

💡World App

The World App is the first application that connects to the Worldcoin protocol. It is described as a non-custodial wallet that simplifies the process of sending money to friends and verifying one's identity with World ID. The app represents an effort to make the technologies from the crypto space more accessible and user-friendly.

💡KYC

KYC stands for 'Know Your Customer,' which is a regulatory process that requires businesses to verify the identity of their clients to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other illegal activities. In the video, the speaker suggests that enforcing government KYC on a large scale or using World ID could be the two options society faces in the near future to manage identity verification in a world increasingly influenced by AI.

💡Decentralization

Decentralization refers to the distribution of authority and control away from a central location or entity. In the context of the video, decentralization is a key feature of the Worldcoin project, ensuring that no single party can compromise the system or make it fail. This aligns with the vision of creating a trustless and inclusive digital ecosystem.

💡Worldcoin Foundation

The Worldcoin Foundation is a nonprofit entity mentioned in the script that is separate from the control of the Worldcoin project's founders. It holds the intellectual property rights and is intended to ensure that the project remains decentralized and serves the interests of humanity as a whole. The foundation plays a crucial role in the governance and future direction of the Worldcoin project.

💡Privacy

Privacy is a central theme in the video, particularly in relation to the World ID and orb system. The script emphasizes that the World ID system is designed to be one of the most private at scale, with multiple layers of protection. These include on-device checks by the orb, separation of biometrics from World ID, and the generation of disposable, app-specific IDs to prevent tracking and maintain user anonymity.

💡Inclusivity

Inclusivity in the video refers to the ability of the World ID system to be accessible and usable by everyone, regardless of their background or location. The speaker argues that biometrics, despite potential concerns, is the most inclusive and secure method for verifying unique humanness on a global scale, allowing for a more equitable digital ecosystem.

Highlights

AGI is going to happen and it will change how the economy operates and how the internet works in meaningful ways.

Certain parts of the internet will need a human gate to ensure only real human beings can enter.

World ID is a way to verify humanness at a population scale, independent of governments, able to scale to billions of people.

The World ID is a biometric verification device called the orb that verifies real human beings.

Worldcoin is a digital currency that everyone who verifies with World ID receives ownership in.

World App is the first app that connects to the protocol, allowing users to send money and verify with World ID.

The hardest part of building the Worldcoin network was figuring out who was a real person to let into the network.

Biometrics, specifically iris biometrics, are the only inclusive and secure way to verify unique humanness while preserving privacy.

The orb performs checks on device using neural networks, ensuring privacy by separating biometrics from World ID.

Each app gets a different version of your World ID, creating disposable IDs for privacy and preventing tracking.

Decentralization means there is no central party that can make the system fail, ensuring the integrity of the project.

The Worldcoin Foundation, a nonprofit, controls all the important IP to ensure governance will eventually be in the hands of humanity.

World ID can be a significant public good by allowing every individual to prove their uniqueness on the internet.

Once unique humanness is proven, a digital currency can be launched by giving ownership to every human being, bootstrapping a billion-plus people network.

The World ID and Worldcoin project aims to create a trusted, inclusive, and privacy-preserving digital ecosystem.

Transcripts

All right, so let's start off...

AGI is going to happen,   

and it will change how the economy operates

and it will change how the internet works

in very meaningful ways.

So there are certain parts  of the internet where we clearly need

a human gate, almost.

Like, you can only enter this if you're an actual human being,

otherwise please stay out of this.

And that is what World ID is

in its purest form.

I am Alex Blania. I am CEO of Tools for  Humanity

which is the founding and one of the main contributing entities

to the Worldcoin project.

We believe that, and I think at this point it's fairly obvious,

that in the coming years  

90 plus percent of everything we interact with and see will be

somewhat created or enhanced by AI.

That is a problem.

It's not a problem for everything.

Actually it's, it's very fun and cool for most  things   

because it's just very entertaining.

You will be able to create the perfect song

that you like just with kind of a simple ask.

You will be able to create the perfect video. So  these are all great things.  

But, there's other 

parts of the internet, I think X or Twitter is  actually a good example,

where it's not in all of our interest

if people with certain interests can influence broad public opinion

with tens of thousands of instances of AI that follow a certain idea.

But now we are in the situation where I  

really do believe in the next two years we are  faced with two options:  

either we will enforce government KYC at a pretty large scale

for many things that we use,

or we use World ID.

So fundamentally on a protocol level it's,  it's two things.

It is a way to verify humanness  

truly at population scale, independent of  governments,

able to scale to billions of people.

And that is what we call World ID,

which underlying is a biometric verification  

device that we call the orb, that you see here, 

that actually allows us to do that.  

So that is World ID, that's building block one. And two

is a digital currency called Worldcoin that  

everyone that actually verifies for World ID  receives ownership in it.

That is the protocol level. And then also, to get all of this going, 

we built the first app that connects to the protocol that we call World App

So that's a non-custodial wallet that lets you send money to your friends,

lets you verify with your World ID and  kind of brings together many of the technologies  

that came out of crypto in the last couple years  and just makes them

very easy to understand and use.

So as we started building out the Worldcoin network, we realized that one of the hardest parts  

if not the hardest, honestly, 

was just going to be figuring out who was a real person and who 

was not in the first place to let into the network.

So we researched for many many years, tried a lot  

of different things. At the end of the day we came  up with this idea of World ID,  

which is a digital passport that allows you to

prove that you're a real human on the internet while preserving your privacy.

So when we set out to solve this problem  of how do you figure out

what is a real and unique person,

we tried a bunch of different things that  you can imagine. 

Verifying people's emails and phone number,

verifying their official documents like a passport, doing complex algorithms  

to have people endorse each other and a bunch of  other things. 

And at the end of the day you realize 

that the only thing that is privacy preserving,  inclusive

and honestly just actually secure is biometrics.

I know it sounds scary from, like, sci-fi novels, etc. Minority Report.

It turns out it's the only way to, in an inclusive manner that  allows everybody in the world 

to participate, to issue such a proof of unique humanness. 

But within iris biometrics, we could have or  

we thought of using existing devices. 

Like, the last thing we wanted to do, as much fun as 

it was to to build something like an orb.

Is...it's actually really really hard. It takes a lot of  

time, and we thought about other ways to to do this  but it turns out

that they are, they're not built  

for the same purpose. So in the end we had to  build a custom,

custom hardware device to actually  

enable something like Worldcoin from both, like, an  accuracy inclusivity perspective

as well as from,  

from a security perspective. Essentially what the  orb does is, like, it takes a look at everybody  

who's coming, verifies that you're a real  human, you're not wearing a mask, you're not a  

display you're not a house cat, but a real human.  Then it issues a proof of human certificate,  

essentially, that we call World ID

and that you then own in in your app. And you can use it to  

authenticate against different, or for different  applications and prove

that you're a unique human.

Yeah so one of the most counterintuitive  things about Worldcoin is that the orb and World  

ID are not just private, but they're perhaps one  of the most private systems at this scale  

that have ever existed. And specifically there's  three different layers of of protection of privacy  

that I think is important to understand. Number  one is, the orb is able to perform all of these  

checks on device with different neural networks.  The second layer of protection is the fact that  

your biometrics are separate from your World  ID. You can actually even have a World ID before  

you visit an orb. What the orb does is it simply  marks your World ID as verified. So when you do  

go around using that World ID, it's completely  separate from any biometric data. And then the third  

layer of protection, it's actually quite similar to  what Apple shipped a few years ago that actually  

broken Facebook's entire advertising model. And  so the way this works is, when you go around using  

your ID with different World ID apps, you're not  even sharing your actual ID. You're almost like  

creating a disposable ID so that each app gets  a different version of your ID, which they can  

use to provide you a persistent experience, you  can sign in and sign out, but they cannot see or  

track anything you've done anywhere else with  your World ID.  

So with these three layers of 

protection: the the fact that the orb is able  to perform these checks on device, the fact  

that your biometrics are not your identity, but  only use to verify your World ID and the fact  

that every time you're using your World ID, you're  generating a different, disposable, app-specific ID,  

just makes World ID, again, not just private, 

but one of the most private things out there period.

So decentralization means

that there is no central party that can make the system fail.

That, that's fundamentally what it means.    

And so, if I'm right. If I'm right with my

assumption that Worldcoin will be as a fundamental shift  as I think it will be,

it is very very important

that there will not be a single entity, not me,  not the Worldcoin Foundation, not anyone else that can  

either be attacked externally, or internally come  up with bad ideas or stupid ideas to compromise  

the whole idea of the project. That's why it  matters.  

There is a nonprofit foundation

called the Worldcoin Foundation that is fully out of  mine and Sam's control and that actually has  

all of the IP. All of the important IP that has  been created here is controlled by a nonprofit  

foundation. And why does it exist? Why is it not  a normal company? Fundamentally because all the  

governance eventually will switch to be become  all of humanity.

This idea that every individual  

being able to prove to the internet that you're a  unique human being will be kind of a big building  

block of this. Because once you have solved  that,  

that is something that doesn't exist right now on the internet.

Once you have solved that, you  can actually launch a digital currency by giving  

ownership in it to every human being, because  everyone can prove that they didn't claim a  

share in it before.

And as a result, bootstrap  a billion plus people network and trust that  

kind of the size of the network and resulting network effects will accelerate many many things  

in the world that we think are strictly good. 

I do think World ID can actually do great 

service to society by being an open source,  actual public good that we can all understand  

and we can trust.

And of course there's still a long way to go, but I think that's kind of where we're headed.