Sam Altman's World project launching in US with plans for Visa card, Tinder pilot program

World, the human verification crypto project backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is launching in the United States, according to a statement released late Wednesday.

Americans will be able to collect WLD tokens when verifying their personhood and establishing a World ID, the project said, adding that the U.S. rollout will kick off in six cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.

Launching in the U.S. is a massive step forward for a project that endeavors to provide a means of differentiating between humans and computer-generated actors like artificial-intelligence-powered bots. Under President Donald Trump's new administration, the U.S. has adopted a stance that is significantly more willing to embrace companies working in crypto.

As World previously launched in other countries around the globe, it has at times raised concerns with different data privacy advocacy groups. World gives new users WLD tokens in exchange for signing up.

With the internet becoming increasingly populated by AI actors, many believe that establishing a framework to accurately distinguish between humans and non-humans is paramount. While World is not the only project focused on identity verification , it has been the highest profile given Altman's involvement.

World, which was previously known as Worldcoin, bills itself as "the real human network." It has approximately 26 million World App users, with roughly 12 million of those users considered "unique humans," according to the project's website .

Visa card, Tinder pilot program, and Kalshi access

Following the lead of other crypto companies , World also plans to launch a Visa card that will allow users to pay for products and services using their WLD tokens and other digital assets, the project said. The new card should become available in the U.S. later this year.

"The World Card will connect directly to an individual’s World App wallet, enabling them to spend their digital assets anywhere Visa is accepted," according to a statement. "Merchants can seamlessly receive fiat currency without needing to understand crypto, while individuals can gain flexibility in how to use their digital assets."

World is also wading into online dating. The project said it has partnered with Match Group, the parent company behind the popular dating apps Tinder, Hinge, Match.com and Plenty of Fish.

"Today, the need for genuine connection has never been greater," World said. "Meeting new people should feel exciting and secure, with tools that make it easier to trust and connect authentically."

World said the Match partnership will initiate with a pilot program involving Tinder users in Japan. The project wants to provide dating app users with the means of verifying "the profiles they interact with represent real people seeking real connections," the firm said.

Separately, World also said its app users will be able to access the prediction marketplace Kalshi.

"You can now participate in prediction markets directly from World App using the new Kalshi Mini App," the project said.

Scaling to 1 billion users

Up until now, World has used shiny, silver electronic Orbs to verify humans by scanning their eyeballs. World has said it uses the data it collects to establish a person is human, but does not store the biometric information, thus eliminating potential privacy risks.

World also said it plans to eventually begin using a mini-Orb that it hopes will help it quickly scale to 1 billion users. The company is already working with gaming firm Razer to help gamers know when they are playing against real people online. World said human verification services will become available at Razer's physical stores.

World launched in 2023. The chief developer behind the project is Tools for Humanity, which was co-founded by Altman and the company's CEO Alex Blania.