Altman’s World opens Zoom deepfake check, targets banks

World, the identity project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, said on Sunday, October 18, that its World ID verification for Zoom ↗ 0.00% is now generally available, and that financial firms including Bain Capital and VanEck are taking up the technology to block deepfakes. On the same day it introduced a suite for banks meant to stop AI-driven impersonation.fortune.com+1

This is World's first product built for one specific industry. It combines the World ID app, World ID for Zoom and World ID for Agents to help banks protect customer accounts, employee workflows and AI agents.theblock.co

How the Badge Works

On a Zoom call, a participant who passes World ID's checks gets a blue badge on their video tile. The badge shows they are a real person and the person they claim to be. Companies decide which calls require it. The system compares three face images: one from World's iris-scanning Orb, a selfie taken on the user's phone, and the image shown in Zoom. According to World, no biometric data is shared with Zoom, which receives only a yes-or-no signal.world.org+1

A World spokesperson said the financial firms will keep Orbs in their offices so employees can enroll. The spokesperson also said not every check needs an iris scan, because World ID offers lower tiers based on government documents or a selfie. The Block reported that World described OpenExchange, Bain Capital, VanEck Funds and Outtake as design partners that will "explore" the technology. It also noted that the release did not name a bank customer or give pricing.fortune.com+1

Rising Deepfake Fraud

Deloitte expects AI-enabled fraud losses in the U.S. to reach $40 billion by 2027, up from an estimated $12.3 billion in 2023. Zoom first offered the feature as a limited beta in April. World said more than 18 million people now hold a Proof of Human credential.finextra.com+1

World ID for Agents lets verified users pass their credentials to one trusted AI agent. World's chief product officer, Tiago Sada, told Fortune that blocking all bots, as some large companies do, will leave them unable to compete in agent-driven commerce.fortune.com

Privacy Questions Remain

The launch came days after the World Foundation raised $52.5 million in a sale of locked Worldcoin ↗ 0.51% tokens. Pantera Capital led the round to fund wider use of World ID. Regulators in Europe and Kenya are still examining the project's collection of biometric data.ground.news+1

Sada said the code behind the system is open source. "People understand you don't have to give Sam or any of us your photo … Everything is open source and auditable," he said.fortune.com