Worldcoin jumps after report OpenAI is building a biometric social network

WLD reacted to the headline like a high-beta asset, with traders repricing it quickly on the news. After a report said OpenAI is exploring a new social network built around human verification, Worldcoin surged about 40% to roughly $0.63 before giving back part of the move and slipping toward $0.54, according to CoinGecko data.

The catalyst was a Forbes report that described a small OpenAI team working on a social product designed to keep bots out by requiring proof of personhood. The platform is still early, and sources suggested the group has discussed identity checks through Apple Face ID or the Orb devices associated with World, the crypto and digital identity project co founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

That possible overlap is why a social media rumor moved a token. World has spent the past two years trying to make biometric identity feel like infrastructure. Its Orb scans a users iris to create a unique identifier meant to prove someone is a real person without publishing their personal details. Supporters sell it as a defense against bot farms and deepfake driven fraud. Critics have focused on consent, data handling, and the risk that a proof of personhood system becomes a gatekeeper for basic online access.

OpenAI has its own reason to care. As generative AI floods timelines with synthetic content, the difference between a real user and an automated account starts to matter to advertisers, creators, and regulators. 

For traders, the move was also a reminder of how narrative sensitive WLD remains. Even after the spike, the token is still down close to 70% over the past year, per the same report. If OpenAI never ships the product, the rally likely fades. If a human verification social network becomes real, Worldcoin holders will argue that proof of personhood just found its mainstream use case.