World Proves You're Human with an Iris Scan: Tools for Humanity's Tomoe Makino on the Japan Rollout

According to Makino, World's goal is to issue World IDs on a global scale. The project grew out of the concern that, as AI advances and spreads through society, people will need to prove on the internet that they are human.

Bots have long been a problem on the internet. Until now, though, running bots was limited to people with specialized knowledge. With AI, anyone can do it easily, so Makino believes the bot problem will become more serious. That will require a mechanism that lets servers distinguish whether the other party is a human or a bot. The starting point of the project, Makino explained, was to issue a "World ID" that only humans can obtain.

Internet accounts are usually created by verifying a code sent to a phone number or email address. Because World creates IDs that can be issued only to humans, it properly confirms that someone is human before issuing one. That is the Orb's role.

According to Makino, the Orb performs two checks. The first uses various images and sensors to confirm that the person is a living human. The second checks for duplicates, to ensure that each person receives exactly one World ID.

Methods for uniquely identifying an individual include the face, fingerprints and DNA. Makino said that if the goal is to cover all 8 billion people in the world, collecting DNA from everyone is not realistic. Compared with the face or fingerprints, the iris has a shape that varies considerably between individuals, produces fewer errors, and does not change over a lifetime. That stability is an advantage, and it is why the iris was chosen.

Resistance to forgery was also cited. Fingerprints are relatively easy to copy if someone sets out to do so. Capturing an image of an iris, by contrast, is quite difficult. The Orb took about three years to develop and is equipped with an ultra-high-resolution camera. Moreover, an iris image cannot be captured unless the person stands in front of the device and opens their eyes. Since others almost never photograph your iris in daily life, Makino explained, it is hard to copy.

Since biometric data is involved, wouldn't some people worry about privacy and security? To this question from Iijima, Makino responded as follows. The sole purpose of World ID is to confirm on the internet that someone is a human, not a bot. Obtaining an ID therefore requires no phone number, no name and no email address; essentially, no personal information is needed.

During verification at the Orb, images of the face and eyes are taken. But once it has been confirmed that the person is human and unique, that data is encrypted and sent back to the user's app. From then on, the operator cannot access it, and it is deleted from the Orb as well. In other words, images that could link to personal information remain only within the user's app. Makino's position was that, since personal information is essentially not collected and the images are kept in a form the operator cannot access, there is no cause for that concern.

According to Makino, 12 million people worldwide have completed iris verification with an Orb. Verification requires an Orb, and Orbs are in operation in 22 countries, including Japan.

The key to adoption, Makino says, is the number of Orbs. Even if people are told they can get verified, a three-minute walk is far easier than a location 10 km away. So the strategy is, above all, to increase the number of Orbs.

In Japan, it has been announced that there were 100,000 verifications over the past year. At least 100,000 people have registered, which is the figure that can be made public at this point.

Asked whether there is a published target of a certain number of people by a certain year, Makino replied that there is no specific target, but the instruction is to get as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Without a certain number of registered users, Makino believes, it won't be possible to create opportunities for World ID to be used in the real world.

There should be around 1,600 to 1,700 Orbs operating worldwide. Meanwhile, to coincide with the service launch in the United States, World announced it would deploy 7,500 units in the U.S. alone over the next 12 months. This suggests an effort to drive adoption at a considerable pace.

As a reason for the urgency, Makino pointed out that, honestly, no one knows when advancing AI will lead bots to start doing real harm. It might even be next year. That is precisely why Sam Altman has urged moving forward as quickly as possible.

A distinctive feature of the Japan rollout is its work with a variety of partner companies. Currently, the single company hosting the most Orbs is the operator of the mobile phone retailer "Teruru," which offers Orb verification at 11 stores.

In the United States, World built its own dedicated verification facilities. In Japan, by contrast, it is partnering with domestic companies. Makino cited this as one difference.

The friend referral program was also changed for Japan. Originally, referring someone to World ID earned a bonus, and only the referrer received a reward. In Japan, however, Makino thought many people would feel uncomfortable about a referral that benefits only themselves. Believing a system was needed in which both the referrer and the person referred receive a reward, Makino worked hard to persuade headquarters and made it happen.

The program launched in Japan around the end of February, and as expected, the number of people making referrals rose sharply. Makino said some customization to fit local circumstances is necessary.

Saying they wanted to learn how to think about spreading something in Japan, Iijima asked about Makino's work at Twitter Japan. Makino set out to grow Twitter's user base in Japan and actually did so. Looking back, what that required was sharing goals with many partners and moving forward together. By working with celebrities and making it usable in elections, among other things, they increased the situations in which it was used and turned Twitter into a tool that was useful in many settings. Makino said working with all kinds of people is always on their mind.

Is this Makino's particular specialty, or a generally effective approach? Makino answered that it is an effective approach. If only one company forges ahead, growth is hard to come by. Something grows and takes hold only when there are stakeholders and an ecosystem. This wasn't limited to Twitter; it was the same at Google and YouTube, where collaborating with many stakeholders was extremely important. Asked whether this comes down to national character, Makino replied that perhaps that is simply the nature of internet services.

Besides Teruru, apparel brands hosting Orbs were mentioned as partners. Baroque Japan will also begin offering Orb verification at its flagship store. Orbs are being installed in commercial facilities as well, placed in a wide variety of locations.

However, since the ultimate goal is for people to use World ID, it is necessary to increase not just registrations but also the situations in which it is used. In Japan, World ID is used on social media, the restaurant review site "Sarah," and the Web3 game "Tokyo Beast" (heard as "Tokyo Beast" in the subtitles), among others. Makino summed it up as growing two types of partners in parallel: places that host Orbs and places where the IDs obtained can be used.

Wouldn't a strategy of opening its own stores, like Apple, also be an option? Building dedicated facilities in the U.S. is very close to that. In response to this point from Iijima, Makino prefaced the answer by saying it might be fine to do so in Japan, then shared their own view.

Makino believes World's philosophy is decentralized, aiming to become a service that is used and shared throughout society. In light of that philosophy, Makino personally thinks it is better for many people to eventually come on board and take part, rather than for the company to proceed alone. That is why Makino wants to move forward in collaboration with others.

When Iijima suggested that, since the Orb looks stylish, having stores could also have a branding effect, Makino acknowledged that there is certainly that aspect. But Makino also said the aim is not to be a cool service. To be used by more people in society, it has to take a form that is used by the masses, even if that is uncool. Makino's view is that there is probably no need for it to remain an edgy service. The two agreed that services widely used in society are not necessarily cool.

At the launch event in San Francisco, a partnership with Visa and in-app games, among other things, were introduced. With this in mind, Iijima asked how Worldcoin can be used.

According to Makino, the Visa partnership is launching in the U.S., and it is unclear when it will come to Japan. Registering for a World ID currently earns about 40 Worldcoin. With one Worldcoin worth roughly 190 to 200 yen, that comes to 7,000 to 8,000 yen. The Visa arrangement lets people use these coins directly at stores without any special steps.

Three initiatives were introduced for using Worldcoin received in Japan. The first is a café that offers Orb verification and lets customers pay directly in Worldcoin. The second, because converting Worldcoin to Japanese yen is a bit of a hassle, is a mini-app within the app that lets users buy digital gift cards such as Amazon gift cards and Uber gift cards. The third is a completely different approach: creating ways to use the coins in partnership with a shopping street in Okayama.

On the topic of coins being granted every month, Iijima asked about the thinking behind it, as well as the specific amounts and timing.

Makino began by explaining how the project came about. When Sam Altman started the project, there was a debate that once AI became widespread, a society might arrive in which people would not need to work. One of the triggers was the idea of how people would cover their living expenses then — perhaps through a basic income — and whether this project could serve as a mechanism for that.

However, the coins currently distributed to World ID holders actually have nothing to do with that, Makino stressed. They are purely a financial incentive for obtaining a World ID. They are not paid out indefinitely; at present, they total 40 Worldcoin over one year, roughly 7,000 to 8,000 yen. The breakdown is 20 coins within 24 hours of registering, with the remaining 20 coins granted monthly in installments over 12 months. Makino added that people should check the exact terms for themselves. Some say it is too little to be a basic income, but Makino explained that it was never a basic income in the first place; it is an incentive to sign up.

If you view Worldcoin as a crypto asset, some people will surely focus on its value as an asset. Is the project anticipating a rise in the price? To this question, Makino replied that it is not their company that issues Worldcoin but a separate organization called the World Foundation. Since it concerns an asset issued by another organization, strictly speaking, Makino is not in a position to discuss it.

Iijima pressed further, asking whether its value would be determined less by its yen amount than by how easy it is to use and where it can be used. Makino acknowledged that increasing the places where it can be used is an area their company is also involved in. However, Makino also said what matters to them is spreading World ID widely and quickly, and that increasing the uses for Worldcoin is not really the top priority right now. Makino summarized the two areas of focus for the time being: finding partners to increase the places where Orbs can be installed, and increasing the uses for World ID.

How should people who want to get involved in the project get in touch? Makino listed two ways to participate.

On the Orb verification side, a call for partners — for those who want to become operators or provide locations — is posted on the website, and applicants may actually be given that role. For now, however, it is limited to corporations. There are plans to extend this to individuals, and "Community Orb" was announced at an event in October. It is a system in which individuals receive an Orb and can verify people around them, so going forward, people will be able to get involved both as corporations and as individuals.

As for using World ID, Makino said it is built to specifications similar to other IDs and its API is public, so integrating it into a company's own website and the like is not that difficult.

Makino listed two benefits of becoming an installation partner. One is that Worldcoin is paid as a support fee or cooperation fee for each Orb verification. The other is that some companies participate to establish a brand position that emphasizes their affinity with new technology. Whether the incentive amount is public is unclear from the remarks, but Makino suggested that it is a fair amount.

Regarding hiring, there are currently no open positions. However, since the team is now run by a small number of people, and expanding the rollout will naturally require more staff, Makino said openings will probably appear eventually.

Finally, Makino said they have always been on the side of building the internet. Against that background, Makino strongly agrees with World's concern that the rise of bots could erode trust in the internet. Looking at how AI is advancing now, Makino thinks that situation is likely to arrive relatively soon, and that is why Makino is working on it, believing it to be a project meaningful for society. Makino closed the conversation by encouraging anyone interested to learn about the project and get a World ID for themselves.