World token jumps after report OpenAI eyes biometric social network

World Network (formerly Worldcoin) WLD token surged more than 27% on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, after a Forbes report linked the project to OpenAI’s efforts to fight bots online. Forbes reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to build a “biometric social network” to help online platforms verify users and weed out AI-generated accounts.

Sources told Forbes the OpenAI team has considered using Apple’s Face ID or the World Orb, which scans a person’s iris to provide a unique identity. World is the crypto project co-founded by Altman and raised $135 million in a token sale to a16z and Bain Capital Crypto last year. The project’s core premise is World ID, a decentralized and privacy-focused identity system that uses the orb to scan users’ irises and generate unique identifiers in compliance with privacy standards.

The WLD token spiked shortly after the report and briefly outperformed most major cryptocurrencies, even though the story did not confirm any formal collaboration between OpenAI and World. The World Network has drawn curiosity and criticism: the project says it has verified millions of people worldwide but has faced regulatory pushback, including a temporary suspension in Kenya and inquiries in the U.K.

over how it processes personal data.

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