If you subscribe to Dead Internet Theory—which claims the web is now predominantly a sea of AI, bots, and algorithmic automation, drowning whatever human input still remains—you might be initially intrigued by the prospect of a company pitching reclamation of the digital world via human verification. World, the company that’s taken up that mantle, proposes a Faustian bargain tailor-made for our present dystopia in order to provide this rejuvenated online experience: retinal scans.
Despite a rocky first quarter that saw its parent company hemorrhaging talent, World’s new scalper-thwarting effort, unveiled last month as Concert Kit, appears to be the most plausibly helpful use case for the company’s notorious eye ID yet. According to World, to combat the scourge of AI reseller bots squatting on a show’s entire ticket stock, musicians with Concert Kit profiles can set aside a specific amount to be redeemed by bona fide human fans. In fact, World says that Concert Kit can even be incorporated into existing ticket sale platforms.
As reported by SF Standard, World claims its humanity-authentication protocols swatted away over 100,000 bot requests aiming to snag (free) tickets for its “Humans Only Concert,” which allowed nearly 1,000 verified humans to secure them instead and enjoy the musical stylings of St. Vincent and Anderson .Paak’s alter egos (St. Vicious and DJ Pee .Wee, respectively).
While a corporate activation might work as a trial balloon, its success is far from proof of concept. Fortunately for World, it’s convinced a popular band fronted by a movie star can give Concert Kit its first proper test run. For their forthcoming European tour, Thirty Seconds to Mars—featuring Mobius himself, Jared Leto—has agreed to set aside human-only tickets for select cities. Specifically, the band’s fans in London, Manchester, Munich, Berlin, and Hanover who dare to stare into the orb abyss can take advantage of the two-for-one ticket special. Take that, clankers!
For those still wondering how this all works or makes the company money, some background might help. World was initially conceived as a global ID/cryptocurrency project by the private company Tools For Humanity, which was co-founded by Open AI’s Sam Altman while purporting to be “building for humans in the age of AI.”
After some initial investment from Andreessen Horowitz and some time in beta, World finally officially launched in 2023, promising a future where humans can once again enjoy spaces like Tinder, Zoom, and Docusign without being bothered by pesky bots. The catch: all new users must stare directly into the lens of an orb (that’s a dead ringer for Wheatley from Portal 2) and submit to an iris scan. And for those still a bit pensive about trading their biometric data for benefits like gaming on a certified bot-free Razer server, World sweetens the deal by offering welcome gifts and monthly drops of their proprietary cryptocurrency, Worldcoin (WLD), to all users.
Like many a token, Worldcoin has endured its fair share of controversies—chief among them, allegations of insider token dumping. On top of the fraud allegations, World’s practice of mining impoverished countries in the global south for new users, the emergence of a black market for user data, and a hack of orb operator passwords have raised red flags for regulators around the globe. And it’s not as if the tech industry writ large has a sterling reputation when it comes to handling customer data. Accordingly, Worldcoin has already been banned in a number of countries and is facing increased government scrutiny and ongoing investigations in others.
As Concert Kit and the Thirty Seconds partnership suggests, World’s not down for the count just yet. Sam Altman and co. are still forging ahead with human-authentication applications to put those eyeball scans to good use—getting flesh-and-blood butts in seats for Leto, the guy accused of sexual impropriety by nine women less than a year ago.