Zoom is partnering with World, the identity company co-founded by Sam Altman, to verify that meeting participants are real people rather than AI-generated deepfakes.
The new feature will allow users to prove they are human through World ID verification. Once verified, participants will receive a “Verified Human” badge during meetings. Hosts will also be able to require verification before someone joins a call or request checks during a meeting.
The move reflects growing concern over AI-powered impersonation scams. Deepfake fraud has already caused major financial losses, including a case in which engineering firm Arup lost $25 million after an employee was tricked during a video call featuring AI-generated versions of colleagues.
World’s system works by matching three things:
- A biometric image captured during registration
- A live face scan from the user’s device
- The participant’s real-time video feed
Only when all three match does the verification badge appear. World says the process happens on the user’s device and does not send personal data elsewhere.
The biggest limitation is scale. To get a World ID, users must visit one of World’s Orb devices to have their iris scanned. The company says it has around 18 million verified users globally, but that is still only a small portion of Zoom’s wider audience.
Author: George Nathan Dulnuan