World Network, the identity project backed by Sam Altman, has secured $52.5 million in new funding. The money will go toward building tools to detect and combat AI-generated deepfakes online.
From network expansion to enterprise security
The company is shifting its focus. Instead of just expanding its global network of iris-scanning orbs, World Network now plans to integrate its biometric screening technology into enterprise software suites. That means businesses could use the same system that verifies human identity for Worldcoin to authenticate users in their own platforms.
The move comes as deepfakes become harder to spot. AI-generated video, audio, and images are increasingly used for fraud, impersonation, and disinformation. World Network’s biometric approach — scanning a person’s iris to create a unique digital identity — is one way to prove a user is real, not a bot or a deepfake.
What the funding will buy
The $52.5 million round will support product development and partnerships. World Network plans to build software that companies can plug into their existing systems. The goal: let businesses verify that a person on the other end of a screen is actually human.
The company has not disclosed which investors participated in this round. It also hasn’t said when the enterprise tools will launch or how much they will cost.
Why biometrics against deepfakes
Deepfake technology has advanced rapidly. Voice clones, face swaps, and synthetic video can trick both people and automated systems. World Network’s approach relies on physical biometrics — scanning a person’s iris with its Orb device — to create a cryptographic proof of humanness. That proof can then be used to authenticate logins, verify content creators, or approve transactions.
The company argues that passwords and even facial recognition on phones are not enough. A deepfake can mimic a face or voice. But an iris scan, combined with a live check, is harder to spoof.
What’s next
World Network will need to convince enterprises to adopt its hardware and software. That means building integrations with major platforms and proving the system is secure and private. The company also faces regulatory questions about biometric data collection in several countries.
The new funding gives it a runway to start those conversations. No launch date has been set.
