World, a human verification project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, launched a new mobile device to help people determine the difference between a human and an AI agent.
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Rich Heley, Tools for Humanity’s Chief Device Officer and a former Apple director, debuted the Orb Mini device during its “At Last” event in San Francisco.
The device appears like a smartphone, which has two large sensors on the front to scan users’ eyeballs.
What can Orb Mini do?
To note, World is based on the idea that it will eventually be impossible to differentiate humans from AI agents on the internet.
To address this, World wants to create digital “proof of human” tools; these announcements are part of its effort to get millions of people to sign up.
After scanning your eyeball with one of its silver metal Orbs — or now, one of its Orb Minis — World will provide you with a unique identifier on the blockchain to verify that you’re a human.
Speaking to TechCrunch, a Tools for Humanity spokesperson stated that the Orb Mini has the familiar shape of a smartphone and is designed to be portable.
The Orb Mini aims to verify more people, not necessarily to use apps, make calls, or send texts, while it is still unclear what the device’s ultimate functionality would be.
The World Project claims 26 million people have signed up, and 12 million people are verified, globally.
It is worth noting that the company has currently a larger presence in Latin America, South America, and Asia.
