Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have made it near impossible to determine whether a person is communicating with a human or a bot online. Thus, it is crucial that future solutions are anonymous and privacy preserving, says Fabian Bodensteiner, managing director of Worldcoin Europe.

This is where Worldcoin comes in by creating tools humans need to prepare for the advent of AI. The company emerged from concerns about the growing challenges that stem from the rising tide of AI. Its co-founders Alex Blania and Sam Altman were wary of a future where AI could disrupt social networks or online marketplaces by creating fake accounts or manipulating incentive mechanisms.

“It is no longer a question of if the age of AI requires solutions to prove humanness but rather whether those solutions will be done in a decentralised, privacy-preserving and open source way, which is the path we hope the world chooses,” says Bodensteiner.

This is why Worldcoin introduced World ID to provide the means to establish whether a user is interacting with a fellow human or a bot online. To bring the technology into Malaysia, Worldcoin is collaborating with MyEG Services Bhd and Mimos Bhd to integrate the credential verification technology into Malaysia’s blockchain infrastructure.

“As we enter a market like Malaysia, the goal is not only to make it accessible to consumers. At the same time, it’s about reaching out to local businesses, explaining the concept and helping them integrate World ID into their offerings. This is so that people who are verified World ID holders can have access to the new business models and gain more benefits on their existing products,” says Bodensteiner.

“How we approached the Malaysian market is that we decided to go with a very well-established local partner, like MyEG. This is a company that is already very familiar with all the technology that we are using. This is a great local partner for us.”

World ID is a digital passport stored on a person’s mobile phone. This allows them to securely and anonymously prove that they are human. To date, more than six million people have a verified World ID. The verification system should be accessible to everyone globally, regardless of their location or access to traditional identity verification methods, asserts Bodensteiner.

“With the rise of AI, what you will see is more and more businesses introducing paywalls and acquiring even more personal data to make sure they can distinguish humans from bots. We are the key technology to enable these businesses to operate and help businesses to continue operating and minimise data they acquire from users,” he says.

“We want to offer a solution that helps platforms minimise user data while still being able to offer certain advantages and while still enabling certain business models. Our goal is to explain and establish this new toolbox of the internet, which is what we call proof of personhood.”

As Worldcoin has been actively rolling out its technology across the globe, Malaysia was identified as an interesting market due to the country’s openness to innovation. Worldcoin is committed to making the technology accessible and affordable for people in Malaysia, says Bodensteiner. The verification process is free for users and Worldcoin is working to establish a wide network of verification points throughout the country.

This offers various potential applications and opportunities for business in the country. For example, e-commerce businesses can utilise the World ID to verify customers and prevent fraudulent activities. Additionally, World ID will be able to combat the issue of fake accounts, which is prevalent in the gaming industry, while also ensuring fair gameplay, notes Bodensteiner.

“World ID helps these platforms to ensure that one person has one account within a game. With that, they can give the player more access to more levels or more equipment and digital items,” he explains.

Essentially, World ID will be able to offer benefits for both businesses and individuals, says Bodensteiner. Individuals will be able to access services and benefits offered by businesses that integrate World ID. On the other hand, World ID can lend a hand in reducing fraud, minimising data collection and improving customer experience for businesses.

Furthermore, Worldcoin’s collaboration with Mimos is a significant step to expand its presence in the country. This is as Worldcoin aims to create a network of opportunities and benefits for users who possess a World ID.

“We’re exploring how World Chain can be bridged into the national blockchain infrastructure when it comes to using World ID. We are also exploring more use cases around how World ID can be used in other types of applications that are built on top of the local Malaysian blockchain infrastructure,” says Bodensteiner. World Chain is a new blockchain that prioritises humans.

“By having World Chain available in Malaysia, it allows local builders to build on a blockchain where we can prioritise traffic that is caused by humans and subsidise gas fees.”

This bodes well with Worldcoin’s goal of providing millions of people with access to the digital economy. As Worldcoin continues to grow and evolve, the company will be able to impact the way people interact with the digital world and ultimately access economic opportunities, says Bodensteiner. By providing a privacy-preserving solution, Worldcoin aims to help businesses and individuals navigate the challenges of the digital age.

“We constantly ensure that our application runs from flagship devices down to entry-level phones to make sure that everyone, no matter what kind of device they have, has access to these types of offerings,” says Bodensteiner.

To receive a World ID, a person will need to first download the World App on their phone. The World App is a digital wallet — designed and developed by Tools for Humanity — that can be used to safely store a World ID. The app aims to provide billions of people access to the digital economy.

Once that is done, an unverified World ID is generated on the phone. The user must then visit an orb in person to verify their uniqueness and humanness.

This is because World ID centres around the concept of proof of personhood, explains Bodensteiner. This approach verifies that a user is a human being without the need to collect personal information or data.

Worldcoin developed the orb to achieve this very thing. The orb takes, processes and, by default, promptly deletes iris images on-device and creates an iris code, which is a numerical representation of the texture of an iris. The iris code is then compared against all other iris codes previously generated by all other orbs. Currently, the orbs are situated in two locations in the country, with plans for more locations to be set up over time. Individuals who have downloaded the World App can now schedule an appointment to have their World ID verified.

“We developed what we call the orb, which is the most convenient and highest-performing iris scanner in the world. This device is specifically built around the sole purpose of proving unique humanness,” says Bodensteiner.

As a commitment to user privacy, the iris scans are never stored in their entirety, says Bodensteiner. This is achieved by generating a unique iris code, which is then generated and distributed in encrypted fragments across multiple servers.

“Worldcoin will never sell customer data. Worldcoin will never monetise user data, period. We literally want to be the opposite kind of technology. We want to help businesses minimise their need to save consumer data, for whatever reason. Right now, consumers kind of accept to give [all their data] away,” says Bodensteiner.

“We want to be a technology where there is no good reason for a business to have to [collect data]. We want to convince businesses that they can have the same business values while not having all the consumer’s data.”