Sam Altman Builds AI Trust Problems and Solutions at Once, Ethics Expert Warns — World Executive Says Proving Yourself Human a 'Basic' Right in the Age of Bots
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Sam Altman'sleadership at OpenAIand his role in developing World'sbiometric identity system have put him at the center of an increasingly contentious question: Can the same tech ecosystem help create AI-driven trust problems while also building the infrastructure meant to solve them?
Sam Altman's OpenAI and World Roles Raise Questions
In an April 2026 conversation with Benzinga, Trevor Traina,chief business officer at Tools for Humanity, rejected the idea that Altman's roles represent a conflict of interest.
Traina argued that Altman recognized AI's potential to create new problems around identity and authenticity while simultaneously helping develop a human-centered solution.
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He said the situation should be viewed as "the absolute opposite" of a conflict, noting that World is designed as an open protocol that AI and non-AI companies alike can use.
Traina also said proving someone is human could eventually become "a basic human right" as AI agents and bots become more prevalent online.
Ethics Expert Says Overlap Could Undermine Trust
Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics program at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, offered a different perspective.
Raicu pointed to concerns dating back to World's earlier Worldcoinincarnation, when critics questioned whether its cryptocurrency ambitions were helping it amass biometric data at a global scale.
"The fact that the same person plays a key role in the development of both a problem and a proposed solution is going to make people distrust the solution," Raicu told Benzinga.
She also warned that global biometric collection could conflict with growing efforts around data sovereignty and attract regulatory pushback.
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World's Biometric ID Faces Global Privacy Scrutiny
World's biometric identity ambitions have faced regulatory and privacy scrutiny since the project was announced as Worldcoin in 2021 by Altman and Alex Blania.
The company's Orb devices, designed to scan users' irises, quickly drew criticism over data collection and consent practices. An MIT Technology Review investigation in 2022 alleged deceptive recruitment tactics and the collection of additional biometric information.
As World expanded, regulators in Kenya, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Hong Kong, Germany, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand raised concerns ranging from consent and financial incentives to excessive data collection.
In fact, some jurisdictions suspended operations or ordered data deletion.
Meanwhile, in April, World announced partnerships with Tinder, Zoomand DocuSign.
Photo courtesy: jamesonwu1972 / Shutterstock.com
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