OpenAI social network could tap World’s eyeball-scanning Orbs: report

Speculation is mounting that OpenAI, the world’s leading artificial intelligence company, may be planning a novel social media platform that leverages the biometric identity infrastructure established by Worldcoin. Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, utilizes distinctive chrome-plated devices known as ‘Orbs’ to perform iris scans, verifying unique human identity and issuing World IDs (WIDs).

The strategic alignment suggests a powerful synergy. As AI-generated content (bots and synthetic users) increasingly swamps existing platforms, the primary challenge for future social networks is establishing verifiable ‘Proof of Humanity’ (PoH). By integrating World ID as the foundational login mechanism, an OpenAI-backed network could guarantee that every profile represents a unique, verified human being.

Such integration would yield numerous benefits, including the potential elimination of spam, sophisticated bot networks, and identity fraud. It would also create an ideal environment for training robust, unbiased AI models, utilizing datasets guaranteed to originate from verified human interactions. Analysts believe this unique bot-free environment could offer a significant competitive edge against established giants like Meta and X (formerly Twitter).

However, the prospect of linking a mainstream social network to a biometric scanning system has raised immediate and severe privacy concerns. Worldcoin’s operation, which aims to onboard billions of users globally through physical iris scans, has already faced regulatory scrutiny in several jurisdictions, including Germany, France, and Kenya, due to the sensitive nature of biometric data collection. Critics argue that consolidating such powerful identity verification with a dominant AI company creates an unprecedented concentration of power and risks massive data breaches.

While neither OpenAI nor Worldcoin has officially confirmed plans for a combined social network offering, the technical possibility and strategic motivation remain strong, suggesting that the era of mandatory biometric verification for digital access may be closer than previously anticipated.

Source: OpenAI social network could tap World’s eyeball-scanning Orbs: report