Pipo queue around di world to scan dia eyeballs for free $50 worth of crypto coins

AI entrepreneur Sam Altman don launch one cryptocurrency project - Worldcoin - wey dem describe say e dey "dystopian".

Wen pipo scan dia eyeballs, Worldcoin dey give dem digital coins.

For sites around di world, pipo bin queue to look into silver orbs (well dey like ball shape) on di day di project fully launch.

Di BBC visit one scanning site for London wia pipo receive free crypto tokens afta dem go through di process.

Oga Altman, di chief executive of Open AI wey build chat bot ChatGPT tok say im hope say di initiative go help confam if pesin na human or robot.

Worldcoin fit drastically increase economic opportunity, scale reliable solution to separate human from AI online as e dey preserve privacy," Oga Altman claim for one launch letter on di company website.

World also claim say dia system fit pave di way for "AI-funded" universal basic income. But e no dey clear how e go be.

Di concept of one universal basic income go allow all citizens to receive a set salary regardless of dia means.

Di first step for dis crypto utopia as laid out by Worldcoin though, rely on getting millions, maybe even billions, of pipo to scan dia irises for dia eyes to prove say dem be human.

Since testing of di scanners begin two years ago, Worldcoin tok say more dan two million pipo don dey added to di crypto database for 33 different kontris.

According to di company, most sign ups don happen in Europe, India and southern Africa.

Despite di company American foundation, dem no dey offer di crypto coins to US citizens sake of regulatory concerns.

Now wey di project don fully launch and di crypto tokens dey available to claim and to trade, e dey expected to grow even more popular.

Worldcoin bin post one picture online of pipo queuing for one site for Japan and tok say dem plan to roll out 1,500 Orbs for locations across di globe.

Di BBC bin go try am out for one pop-up site for east London and find out ssay steady stream of pipo turn up.

Di process start wit make pesin scan im face and iris to prove say im be human. E take about 10 seconds to look into di Orb camera lens and wait for di tin to beep to confam say e don work. Interestingly, di Orb operator tok say di silver ball bin dey tok to users - but customer feedback say e dey "creepy" so dem remove di voice.

Di next step be say dem go give your iris scan unique number wey dem go check against di giant database to make sure say na di first time wey you dey do am. If naso, di ball go beep again and you go kon dey on di database along wit 2.06 million oda humans at di time wey we dey write dis tori.

Dem go award 25 free Worldcoin tokens afta pesin complete am. Di 25 free Worldcoin dey currently valued at roughly $2 (£1.56) each. Di BBC go sell di coins once dem receive am and donate any moni to Children in Need.

By di time di BBC leave di pop up site, dem don scan13 pipo. All of dem na men for dia 20s and 30s.

"I come afta I see say Sam Altman tweet about di launch," 37-year-old Moses Serumaga tok.

"I see say you fit get some dollars for am, so I tink why not? E fit die like oda crypto projects or e fit be big tin and go up for value. I bin no wan miss out, e tok.

23-year-old Tom also scan im eyeball but say e no do am for di money as e no tink say di value of di tokens go rise.

"I no tink say dat amount of moni na incentive wey dey enough unless you live for less developed nations and I no tink much possibility dey for am to go up further," e tok.

Di scanning process don prove controversial and reports criticise some of di tactics wey orb operators dey use. Particular ova pipo wey dey sign up for poorer nations.

Privacy experts also worry say sensitive data wey dem go gada from scanning pesin iris fit get into di wrong hands, even though Worldcoin insist say no data dey stored.

Vitalik Buterin, di co founder of cryptocurrency network Ethereum, respond to di Worldcoin launch expressing excitement about di project but also issue wanring about di potential pitfalls.

"On di whole, despite di "dystopian vibes" wia you dey look into one Orb and allow am scan deeply into your eyeballs, e no be like specialized hardware systems fit do quite a decent job of protecting privacy," e tok.

However, e also tok say relying on di specialised orbs to carry out di scans fit give Worldcoin too much power and make am hard to get di world on-board.

Twitter founder and crypto enthusiast Jack Dorsey tweet about di project, and describe im mission as "cute", and add di dystopian warning: "Visit di Orb or di Orb go visit you...".

Oga Altman welcome criticism, and tok online say "haters" give im team energy. But e admit say di project dey ambitious.

"Maybe e go work out and maybe e no go work out, but trying stuff like dis na how progress dey happun," im tweet.