Sam Altman's side project, the biometric startup World raises $52.5M via crypto sale

Good news! Sam Altman, a visionary or an altruist? Or is it Orwellian?

"... Sam Altman's side project — which seeks to scan the world's eyeballs and turn them into unique digital identifiers — has raised some fresh cash through a crypto sale."

"... The money will go to the World Foundation, an exempted limited guarantee foundation based in the Cayman Islands, created to steward the expansion of World’s network. ...

The World project is operated by Tools for Humanity (TFH), a startup based in San Francisco and led by CEO and co-founder Alex Blania. Altman is the company’s other co-founder. ...

To get a verified World ID (the highest level of verification within World’s system), users must have their eyes scanned by an Orb, a metallic ball that converts a user’s iris into a distinct cryptographic identifier. World’s Orbs are located at its offices and have also been deployed at partner stores around the world. ..."

Sam Altman's biometric startup World raises $52.5M via crypto sale | TechCrunch

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The Orb A device that verifies you are a unique human

The Orb or Orwellian?

Sam Altman would like to remind you that humans use a lot of energy (and water), too

Good point! Touché!

Let's also keep in mind there is a high probability that the global human population will shrink in the coming decades due to a lower global total fertility rate (TFR).

"... For one thing, Altman ... said concerns about AI’s water usage are “totally fake,” though he acknowledged it was a real issue when “we used to do evaporative cooling in data centers.” ..."

Sam Altman would like to remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too | TechCrunch

Sam Altman

Elon Musk’s xAI accuses OpenAI of stealing trade secrets in new lawsuit

What is that all about?

"The filing alleges OpenAI systematically recruited former xAI staff, including engineers and a senior finance executive, to obtain xAI’s source code, data-center plans and other confidential information."

"Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has accused rival OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets in a new lawsuit, the latest in Musk’s legal assault on his former business partner, Sam Altman. ...

Musk and xAI have launched numerous lawsuits against OpenAI in recent years as part of a longstanding feud between Altman and Musk. The relationship between the two has grown increasingly hostile as Altman and OpenAI’s power in the tech industry has grown, with Musk previously attempting to block the AI startup’s plans to convert to a for-profit enterprise. ..."

Last Week in AI #323 - Sonnet 4.5, Sora 2, Vibes, SB 53

Elon Musk’s xAI accuses OpenAI of stealing trade secrets in new lawsuit | Technology | The Guardian "Suit alleges OpenAI has a ‘troubling pattern’ of hiring former xAI workers to access secrets about the Grok chatbot"

Sam Altman constantly' has been asking ChatGPT questions about his newborn

There are always challenges in life! Some gay men (in high tech) have little experience with infants? There is a learning curve for that! Just kidding!

Large language models like ChatGPT serving as nannies?

"... Sam Altman, who is both the father of a 3-month-old and CEO of OpenAI, hopped on OpenAI’s new podcast today to talk about how his company is impacting his experience with fatherhood. Altman, who describes himself as “extremely kid-pilled,” said he was “constantly” using ChatGPT to ask questions about the behavior of babies during the first few weeks of his son’s life — now that he’s a bit more settled, he’s using ChatGPT to ask more general questions about children’s developmental stages."

'Kid-pilled' Sam Altman 'constantly' asked ChatGPT questions about his newborn | TechCrunch

Sam Altman and his partner Oliver Mulherin married in 2024