Welcome to ‘Crypto Summer’
By Greg Kahn
Emerging Tech Exchange
Founder & CEO
Published on August 8, 2023
There aren’t many Superstar Tech and Media CEOs at the moment. But Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT parent OpenAI, certainly fits the bill.
He’s already been hailed as a visionary for being the executive most closely identified with generative artificial intelligence. But you might not have heard about his latest project, Worldcoin. While ChatGPT is truly transformational in terms of creativity and content, Worldcoin’s impact on finance and privacy as well as the business of tech could have an equivalent societal impact.
It’s a cryptocurrency-based project initiated by Berlin-based Tools for Humanity, a software and hardware company focused on using blockchain to improve the global financial system.
Worldcoin, which launched last month, is breathtaking in its varied ambitions. The company claims the ability to verify the authenticity of users, combat fraud, and enable “global democratic processes.”
Worldcoin's core offering is the World ID, which requires customers to undergo an in-person iris scan using the project's innovative “orb.” This silver sphere, about the size of a bowling ball, scans a person’s iris to create a unique identifier — and with it, be able to prove that the individual is a genuine human and not an AI bot.
The World ID, stored on blockchains to preserve privacy, serves as a powerful tool to differentiate real people from AI bots in the age of generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT, ensuring more secure online interactions.
To read more about Altman’s latest global ambition, check out the full post on my Substack, Beyond the Hype Cycle
Greg Kahn
Emerging Tech Exchange
Founder & CEO
