World, co-founded by Sam Altman, is focused on developing what it calls “human proof” technology, or identity verification tools for an internet increasingly populated by AI-generated content of questionable quality. The connection is not lost on Altman’s other company, OpenAI, which is widely blamed for much of it (although some might argue that Altman foresaw the trouble when he founded World).
This week, Tools for Humanity (TFH), the startup behind World, released a beta version of its new validation tool. This tool is designed to help build agent commerce, the rapidly growing practice of using AI programs to browse the web and make purchases on your behalf.
More and more consumers are using AI agents to browse websites and purchase products. While this trend promises a degree of automated convenience, it also raises concerns about new forms of fraud, spam, and other large-scale Internet abuse.
World announced Tuesday what it calls its solution. AgentKit is a software development tool for commercial websites that allows sites to incorporate new verification systems to verify that there is a real human behind an agent’s purchasing decisions.
AgentKit relies on World ID, which is the core of TFH’s authentication system. The most secure version of the ID comes from a scan of the user’s eyes through the World’s Orb device. Orb converts the iris into a unique encrypted digital code (a verified World ID) that can be used to access TFH’s ecosystem of services through the company’s World app.
AgentKit allows you to integrate a user’s World ID with a recently launched payment system known as the x402 protocol. Developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare, x402 is a blockchain-based open standard that allows automated computer programs to transact directly with each other online without human intervention at each step. To use AgentKit, users simply register their AI agent with World ID, which then communicates to the website via the x402 system that a separate, verified human approves the agent’s purchasing decision.
“AgentKit is built in partnership with Coinbase as a complementary extension of the x402 v2 protocol,” Tools for Humanity said in a statement. “This integration is designed to allow websites that already use x402 to prove their own human verification alongside (or instead of) micropayments.”
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In an interview with TechCrunch, TFH Chief Product Officer Tiago Sada likened the new feature to delegating a “power of attorney” to an agent. By validating that AI programs are working on behalf of specific users, websites can decide whether to trust transactions initiated by those agents, Sada said. “What the World ID badge tells you is that you are a real and unique human being,” he said, noting that websites can still choose to block specific users they believe are operating with malicious intent.
AgentKit is currently available to developers in beta and is expected to improve over time with feedback. Sada also said that to be eligible for this type of verification, consumers must have a verified World ID obtained from an orb scan.
It’s a timely move. Major e-commerce sites and financial services have already begun implementing agent commerce. Last year, companies like Amazon and Mastercard introduced automated purchasing capabilities to their platforms, and Google recently launched its own protocol designed to support this trend. As this field grows, the industry will clearly seek safeguards to maintain reliability and stability. World is clearly trying to position itself as the de facto provider of that stability.
