World, the identity project formerly known as Worldcoin, has moved into Phase 3 of its roadmap. The company announced on July 24 that it will stop using WLD token rewards to attract new signups and instead start selling proof-of-human verification services — with a focus on AI agents.
From token rewards to verification services
Since its launch, World relied on giving away its WLD cryptocurrency to get people to scan their irises at its Orb devices. That approach helped build a user base, but the project is now shifting gears. In Phase 3, the company will charge for verification checks that confirm a user is a real human, not a bot. The primary customers: AI agents and the platforms that run them.
The change means World is moving from a consumer-facing signup model to a business-to-business revenue model. Instead of paying users to join, it will sell verification credentials to companies that need to distinguish humans from automated actors.
Why AI agents need proof-of-human
As AI agents — autonomous programs that perform tasks on behalf of users — become more common, platforms face a growing problem: how to tell if a request comes from a real person or from an AI agent pretending to be one. World's verification service aims to solve that by issuing a digital credential that proves a user has been physically scanned and is a unique human. The company says this credential can be used by AI agents to prove they are acting on behalf of a verified human, not a bot.
The idea is that AI agents will need to show they are human-authorized to access certain services, such as social media APIs, financial tools, or online marketplaces. World wants to be the identity layer for that handshake.
What Phase 3 means for the project
World was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, which has given the project a high profile but also drawn scrutiny over privacy and biometric data collection. The shift to selling verification services could change the conversation — from concerns about mass iris scanning to questions about how AI agents will use human credentials.
The company hasn't said how much it will charge for verification or which customers have signed up. It also hasn't detailed how it will prevent misuse of the credentials, such as a human renting out their verified identity to an AI agent. Those details remain open questions as Phase 3 gets underway.
