Co-founded by Sam Altman, World is focused on developing “proof of human” technologies that provide ID verification tools for an internet increasingly inundated with low-quality AI-generated content. OpenAI, Altman’s other venture, has been criticized for contributing significantly to this issue, although one might argue he foresaw these challenges when launching World.
Recently, Tools for Humanity (“TFH”), the organization behind World, unveiled the beta version of a new verification tool aimed at enhancing agentic commerce—the rapidly growing trend of utilizing AI programs to navigate online and make purchases on behalf of users.
As more and more consumers adopt AI agents for browsing and shopping, this trend promises a level of automated convenience. However, it has also raised concerns about new types of fraud, spam, and other forms of extensive internet exploitation.
On Tuesday, World introduced its anticipated solution: AgentKit, a software development tool tailored for commercial websites. This system enables the integration of a new verification process to ensure that a genuine human is driving the decisions made by an agent during transactions.
AgentKit operates using World ID, a crucial element of TFH’s verification framework. The most secure variant of this ID is obtained through a scan of the user’s iris using World’s Orb device. The Orb transforms an iris into a unique, encrypted digital code—known as the verified World ID—that grants access to TFH’s suite of services accessed through the World app.
AgentKit facilitates the integration of a user’s World ID into a recently launched payment protocol called the x402 protocol. This blockchain-based open standard, developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare, allows automated computer programs to transact directly with one another online without human intervention. Users can simply register their AI agents using their World ID, which then communicates to websites via the x402 system, confirming that a distinct and verified human approves the agent’s purchasing actions.
“AgentKit is designed as a complementary extension to the x402 v2 protocol, in collaboration with Coinbase,” Tools for Humanity stated. “This integration enables any website utilizing x402 to implement proof of unique human verification alongside (or as an alternative to) micropayments.”
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In a conversation with TechCrunch, TFH Chief Product Officer Tiago Sada likened the new functionality to granting “power of attorney” to an agent. By verifying that the AI program represents a specific user, websites can decide whether to trust the transactions initiated by those agents. Sada remarked, “The World ID badge indicates that someone is a real and unique human,” emphasizing that websites retain the option to block users they suspect are acting in bad faith.
Currently, AgentKit is in beta testing for developers, with the expectation that user feedback will enhance its capabilities. Sada also highlighted the necessity for consumers to obtain a verified World ID, obtainable only through an Orb scan, to be eligible for this verification method.
This initiative is well-timed, as major e-commerce platforms and financial services are increasingly embracing agentic commerce. Last year, companies such as Amazon and MasterCard rolled out automated purchasing capabilities, while Google recently launched its own protocol to support this trend. As this field expands, the industry will undoubtedly seek safeguards to maintain reliability and stability. World appears poised to establish itself as the primary provider of such stability.
