世界幣在技術合作中面臨監管挑戰

儘管存在監管審查和隱私問題，世界幣（Worldcoin）這家透過虹膜掃描獲取數位身分和加密貨幣分發的新創公司仍然雄心勃勃。面對調查和禁令，團隊尋求與 OpenAI 等科技巨頭合作，相信他們的「人格證明」系統可以將人類與線上人工智慧創造物區分開來。世界幣的母公司 Tools for Humanity 也在升級其掃描球體並擴大其術語，從帶有政治色彩的「全民基本收入」轉向「稀缺資源的分配」。

Worldcoin: Regulatory Challenges and Tech Team-Ups Amid Quest for Digital Identity

世界幣：數位身分探索中的監管挑戰與技術合作

Worldcoin, the ambitious project that seeks to provide individuals with a digital identity and crypto tokens through iris scans, has faced a series of regulatory setbacks in recent months. Despite these challenges, the group remains undeterred, aiming to forge partnerships with tech giants like OpenAI.

世界幣是一個雄心勃勃的項目，旨在透過虹膜掃描為個人提供數位身分和加密代幣，但近幾個月來面臨一系列監管挫折。儘管面臨這些挑戰，該集團仍然沒有被嚇倒，旨在與 OpenAI 等科技巨頭建立合作關係。

Regulatory Scrutiny Casts Shadow over Worldcoin

監管審查為世界幣蒙上陰影

Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, has been the subject of investigations in Germany and Argentina, a ban in Kenya, and allegations of non-compliance in Spain and Portugal. Authorities in the latter countries alleged that children were permitted to undergo eye scans and obtain blockchain-based identities known as World IDs, prompting orders to cease data collection. Furthermore, Worldcoin's token, traded under the ticker WLD, is not available to market participants in the United States due to regulatory concerns.

世界幣背後的公司 Tools for Humanity 已成為德國和阿根廷調查的對象、肯亞的禁令以及西班牙和葡萄牙的違規指控的對象。後一個國家的當局聲稱，兒童被允許接受眼部掃描並獲得基於區塊鏈的身份（稱為「世界 ID」），從而促使下令停止資料收集。此外，由於監管問題，美國的市場參與者無法使用以代碼 WLD 進行交易的 Worldcoin 代幣。

Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, attributes the scrutiny partly to the high profile of his co-founder, Sam Altman. "I think it's just because of Sam," Blania told Bloomberg News. "Just, like, much more attention than you would usually face as a company of that size or a project of that size."

Tools for Humanity 的執行長 Alex Blania 將這種審查部分歸因於其聯合創始人 Sam Altman 的高調。 「我認為這只是因為薩姆，」布拉尼亞告訴彭博新聞社。 “就像這樣規模的公司或專案一樣，你通常會受到更多的關注。”

Altman's OpenAI, known for creating ChatGPT, boasts a valuation of $86 billion following a recent deal. Blania emphasizes that Tools for Humanity has engaged proactively in discussions with regulators, but declined to elaborate on any potential positive developments in this regard. Notably, he met with representatives of Malaysia's digital ministry, as mentioned in a post on the social media platform X.

Altman 的 OpenAI 以創造 ChatGPT 而聞名，在最近的一筆交易後估值達到 860 億美元。布拉尼亞強調，「人類工具」已積極與監管機構進行討論，但拒絕詳細說明這方面的任何潛在積極進展。值得注意的是，正如社群媒體平台 X 上的一篇貼文所提到的，他會見了馬來西亞數位部門的代表。

Addressing Regulatory Concerns

解決監管問題

In response to concerns raised by regulators in Spain and Portugal, Blania asserts that the company is implementing modifications to ensure compliance. Previously, Worldcoin utilized an age verification feature embedded within the "orb" device used for scanning, which was designed to indicate if an individual was too young to be registered. However, the company has since introduced an identity document verification process and allows users of its app, which boasts over 10 million users, to request the removal of their World IDs.

針對西班牙和葡萄牙監管機構的擔憂，布拉尼亞堅稱該公司正在實施修改以確保合規性。此前，世界幣利用了嵌入在用於掃描的「orb」裝置中的年齡驗證功能，該功能旨在表明個人是否太年輕而無法註冊。然而，該公司此後推出了身份文件驗證流程，並允許其擁有超過 1000 萬用戶的應用程式的用戶請求刪除其 World ID。

Tech Team-Ups and Partnerships

技術團隊和合作夥伴

Despite the regulatory challenges, Tools for Humanity is forging ahead with partnerships with prominent players in tech and finance. Last year, the project collaborated with cybersecurity firm Okta Inc. on a "sign in with Worldcoin" authentication service, an alternative or addition to similar offerings by Apple Inc. and Google.

儘管面臨監管挑戰，Tools for Humanity 仍在與科技和金融領域的知名企業建立合作關係。去年，該專案與網路安全公司 Okta Inc. 合作推出「使用 Worldcoin 登入」身分驗證服務，這是蘋果和谷歌類似產品的替代或補充。

Blania and Altman maintain that Worldcoin's identity system offers "proof of personhood," distinguishing humans on the internet from bots such as ChatGPT. Blania highlights the growing significance of validating an individual's authenticity in the wake of AI advancements.

Blania 和 Altman 認為，世界幣的身份系統提供了“人格證明”，將網路上的人類與 ChatGPT 等機器人區分開來。布拉尼亞強調，隨著人工智慧的進步，驗證個人的真實性變得越來越重要。

"With the progress of AI, all the things that, we thought, would happen, I think happened much faster than even we expected," he said.

「隨著人工智慧的進步，我們認為會發生的所有事情，我認為發生的速度比我們預期的要快得多，」他說。

While Blania hinted at a potential collaboration with OpenAI, he declined to provide specific details. "There's some natural things in how we might and will work together," he said. "But it's nothing that we're ready to announce yet."

雖然 Blania 暗示可能與 OpenAI 合作，但他拒絕提供具體細節。 「我們可能以及將會如何合作，這是一些自然的事情，」他說。 “但我們還沒有準備好宣布什麼。”

Altman's involvement with Tools for Humanity has increased since the launch of the WLD token last July, according to Blania. Altman contributes to hiring and the development of the company's strategy and vision, while still prioritizing OpenAI. OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment.

據 Blania 稱，自去年 7 月推出 WLD 代幣以來，Altman 對 Tools for Humanity 的參與有所增加。 Altman 為公司的招募以及策略和願景的發展做出了貢獻，同時仍優先考慮 OpenAI。 OpenAI 沒有回應置評請求。

Blania also revealed that Tools for Humanity has had discussions with payments company PayPal Holdings Inc., but emphasized that no "concrete" developments have emerged. A PayPal spokesperson declined to comment on rumors or speculation.

布拉尼亞還透露，Tools for Humanity 已與支付公司 PayPal Holdings Inc. 進行了討論，但強調尚未出現「具體」進展。 PayPal 發言人拒絕對謠言或猜測發表評論。

Product Evolution and Strategy Shifts

產品演變與策略轉變

Tools for Humanity plans to introduce a layer-2 blockchain called World Chain and is exploring upgrades to its orb device, including introducing different colors and launching additional orbs in various global locations. Blania explains that the current orb model is a prototype that was not intended for the market.

Tools for Humanity 計劃引入名為 World Chain 的第 2 層區塊鏈，並正在探索對其 orb 設備的升級，包括引入不同的顏色以及在全球不同地點推出額外的 orb。布拉尼亞解釋說，目前的球體模型是一個原型，不適合投放市場。

"Sam was like, 'Let's launch faster,'" he said. "'Let's just get it out.'"

「山姆說，『讓我們發射得更快吧，』」他說。 “‘我們把它拿出來吧。’”

The project is also distancing itself from the term "universal basic income," which had been a personal passion for Altman. Initially positioned as a means to distribute payments in certain markets, the project drew criticism for its labor practices as it scanned people in exchange for compensation in countries such as Indonesia, Kenya, Sudan, Ghana, and Chile.

該計畫也與奧特曼個人熱衷的「全民基本收入」一詞保持距離。該計畫最初被定位為在某些市場分配付款的一種手段，但因其在印尼、肯亞、蘇丹、加納和智利等國家對人員進行掃描以換取補償而因其勞工實踐而受到批評。

Blania prefers the term "distribution of scarce resources," arguing that "UBI is a very politically loaded term" with "communistic" connotations. He also broadens the scope to include resources beyond money, such as computing power used for training AI models.

布拉尼亞更喜歡“稀缺資源的分配”這個詞，認為“全民基本收入是一個政治色彩非常濃厚的術語”，具有“共產主義”的內涵。他還擴大了範圍，納入了金錢以外的資源，例如用於訓練人工智慧模型的運算能力。

Funding and Future Prospects

資金和未來前景

While Tools for Humanity actively seeks talent to join its 200-person team, Blania expresses uncertainty about tapping the crypto market for funding. The company raised $115 million last year, but a planned token sale with a target of $50 million was abandoned due to market fluctuations.

雖然 Tools for Humanity 積極尋找人才加入其 200 人團隊，但 Blania 對利用加密市場融資表示不確定。該公司去年籌集了 1.15 億美元，但由於市場波動而放棄了目標為 5000 萬美元的代幣銷售計劃。

Crypto media company The Block reported that the deal would have valued the WLD token at $1 each, a significant discount to its spot price of $2.50 at the time.

加密媒體公司 The Block 報導稱，這筆交易將使 WLD 代幣的估值為每個 1 美元，比當時 2.50 美元的現貨價格大幅折扣。

"The token price shot up so drastically," Blania said. "We were like this doesn't sound like a good deal anymore." WLD has rallied along with the broader crypto market this year, reaching an all-time high near $12 in March.

「代幣價格大幅上漲，」布拉尼亞說。 “我們覺得這聽起來不再是一件好事了。”今年，WLD 與更廣泛的加密貨幣市場一起上漲，在 3 月達到了接近 12 美元的歷史新高。

Blania acknowledges that the company is working to increase comfort with eyeball scans among potential users and regulators, citing the example of Apple's Vision Pro goggles that employ "Optic ID" iris recognition as a step towards mainstream adoption.

Blania 承認，該公司正在努力提高潛在用戶和監管機構對眼球掃描的舒適度，並引用了蘋果Vision Pro 護目鏡的例子，該護目鏡採用「Optic ID」虹膜識別技術，作為邁向主流採用的一步。

However, he concedes that Tools for Humanity's status as a startup may necessitate different considerations. "We are not Apple, so we actually need to earn our trust."

然而，他承認 Tools for Humanity 作為一家新創公司的地位可能需要不同的考慮。 “我們不是蘋果，所以我們實際上需要贏得我們的信任。”