Meetings platform Zoom has partnered with Sam Altman's human ID verification company World to verify that the participants in meetings are actual humans and not AI-generated avatars. The new integration, dubbed World ID Deep Face, is aimed at combating the rising threat of deepfakes and AI-driven impersonation fraud.
“Designed for enterprises and regulated industries, this integration adds an additional layer of assurance to conversations, helping organisations reduce the risk of impersonation during critical moments such as financial approvals, healthcare consultations, and executive decision-making sessions,” Zoom said in a blog post.
Citing Deloitte estimates, Zoom noted that AI-enabled fraud losses in the US alone could skyrocket to $40 billion by 2027. The new initiative by Zoom comes at a time when AI video and photo generation models have become more sophisticated, blurring the lines between reality and AI-driven content while also giving a powerful tool in the hands of bad actors.
The World ID uses an orb-shaped device for iris scans and issues a unique proof-of-humanity identifier.
How does World ID Deep Face work?
In a blog post, Zoom explained that unlike traditional deepfake detection that solely analyses video feeds for synthetic manipulation, its new approach actively verifies human liveness and presence.
The company detailed the full process for the verification:
Enrollment: Users must first verify their identity using an “Orb”, the advanced camera developed by Tools for Humanity, to receive a verified World ID.
Meeting Verification: When joining a protected Zoom call, the company will run a quick check within the World App to confirm a match between the live Zoom video frame, the original Orb image, and an on-device facial authentication selfie.
In-Call Display: Once successfully authenticated, a “Verified Human” badge appears on the user's video tile and profile, signalling to other attendees that they are a confirmed human participant.
Zoom says the integration also features a "Deep Face Waiting Room", which mandates that participants prove their human identity before being allowed into the call. Furthermore, meeting hosts have the option to trigger on-demand verification checks for any participant mid-meeting.
World to verify if you are dating a human:
Along with Zoom, Tinder also announced that it will be using World's ID scanning system globally, after a pilot programme in Japan. Users of the popular dating service will be asked to verify with an Orb to receive a badge showing they are real humans and, in select markets like the US and Japan, they will also receive perks such as five free profile "Boosts".
Additionally, gaming hardware brand Razer and game developer Mythical Games will also be using the technology to distinguish human players from bots in competitive gaming and player-owned economies. Reddit has also indicated it is exploring privacy-first proof-of-human options, including World ID, for accounts flagged as automated.
