Worldcoin, the controversial cryptocurrency startup co-founded by Sam Altman, has rebranded as "World" and unveiled its next-generation iris-scanning Orb. The company aims to expand its identity beyond its original cryptocurrency mission and scale up its human verification services.

World's CEO, Alex Blania, emphasized that the company's mission is independent from OpenAI, Altman's AI research lab. However, Blania didn't rule out the possibility of integrating World's cryptocurrency with ChatGPT in the future.

World's technology is based on the idea that advanced AI systems will make it difficult to distinguish between humans and AI online. The startup offers "human verification services" using blockchain and aims to redistribute the wealth generated by AI through its Worldcoins.

Despite its ambitious goals, World has faced scrutiny from governments worldwide over privacy, security, and financial concerns. Kenya and countries in the EU have investigated and suspended the company's operations.

World's four-step roadmap includes developing the Orb, building a distributed ownership network, scaling up the company, and redistributing the benefits of AI. The company has announced partnerships with Rappi, a Latin American delivery service, to expand Orb verification access.

World also unveiled Deep Face, a technology to combat online deepfakes and impersonation. The startup aims to integrate Deep Face into video conferencing apps like FaceTime and Zoom.

Additionally, World introduced World ID, an alternative to government IDs for online verification. The company emphasizes that World ID is not meant to replace national IDs but can provide a more secure and convenient way to verify identity online.

However, adoption may be a challenge for World. The company's reliance on iris scanning and its association with Sam Altman, who has faced accusations of lying, may raise concerns among potential users.