OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s vision of developing a seamless biometric verification seems to have a far-fetched goal at the moment. The Orb, built by his startup Tools For Humanity, is programmed to distinguish human beings from bots online. This way, the gadget not only recognizes humans that stand in front of its lens, but also collect data by issuing a World ID to every individual scanned by it.
As per the details on their website, the Orb will verify the “uniqueness and humanness for the age of AI.” Keeping it open source, the gadget is made up of customizable hardware, optimal features and software. The website reiterates the point that the company takes the data privacy of its users, as well as individuals scanned using this device, seriously.
As per MIT Technology Review, the OpenAI chief executive had initially targeted to hit the billion mark in terms of user count by 2023. However, as per new reports, the Orb has managed to reach out to around 2% of the number.
Sam Altman’s Orb Has Only Verified Roughly 17.5 Million People Till Date
According to the latest report from Business Insider, Sam Altman’s ambitious project the Orb has only been able to verify 17.5 million people. The startup developing the product, Tools For Humanity, has reportedly raised around $240 million with the support of investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital, and Khosla Ventures for the Orb, as per Pitchbook.
The news outlet got it touch with some of Altman’s former employees regarding the eye-scanning gadget. While many were enthusiastic to be a part of this innovation, some wonder how sustainable the business model would be in the long run.
Nick Maynard, the Vice President of Juniper Research, shares the same doubts. During his conversation with Business Insider, he said, “I don’t see a sort of killer use case that they’ve really figured out and will drive major traction for them.”
He added that there should be a specific purpose the product is supposed to fulfil, which, in Maynard’s opinion, is unclear at the moment. Likewise, this product has raised ethical questions regarding the biometric data stored using the device.
Related: Sam Altman Gets Legal Notice over Criminal Case While Being Onstage in Bizarre Turn of Events!
Could the Orb be the Next Big Thing in the AI Era?
The Orb constitutes as one of the components of Sam Altman’s vision of building a network of real human beings, calling it World. As mentioned in their titular website, the concept of World is supposed to uphold the attributes that makes a human human.
Besides identifying human users, World also promises “universally inclusive finance” and facilitate connections with other human users. Simultaneously, it is free of cost and “designed to be owned by everyone.” Although this democratic dimension of this project makes World an ambitious endeavor, the gap between the plan and its execution appears to be a glaring one.
Given that the rollouts of the Orb are expensive, the financial challenges along with the lack of accessibility in most non-urban areas in the world would further impact the pace and depth of the project’s progress.
In addition, the sustainability of a business depends much on the revenue generated, and the Orb, and in turn Altman himself, is yet to address the same. Thus, the question that remains is whether the Orb can survive these financial constraints while becoming a technological marvel itself in the days to come.
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