As governments across the world restricted the movements of their citizens during Covid lockdowns from 2020, people spent more time online. We bought more online and socialised more online, and this brought us closer to the people who want to scam us. At the same time, realistic video impersonations, voices, websites, and texts became more commonplace, and scammers increased their use of social media including WhatsApp.

Your next date could be AI-verified. Tinder is one of several companies working with World, formerly known as Worldcoin, to let users prove they are human and not robots with the help of eye-scanning technology.

With the increased availability of AI, bad actors have begun using the technology to fuel romance scams across platforms, including dating apps. Tinder warns that romance scammers are often professionals, noting such schemes netted more than $300 million in 2020. 

The company outlines common red flags, including quickly pushing conversations off the app, appearing too good to be true or engaging in “lovebombing,” avoiding in-person meetings, or requesting personal or financial information.

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World ID verification allows users to prove that they are human.

“World is bringing proof of human into the platforms where people spend their time. From dating to live events to gaming, World ID is becoming the trust layer underpinning the experiences that matter most,” the company wrote in a blog post.

In response to a request for comment, World referred Fox Business to materials on its website.

World said in a blog post that it first teamed up with Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, to launch a pilot of its World ID technology in Japan. Daters in the U.S. and Japan will soon be able to use “privacy-preserving” verification to ensure they are meeting Mr. Right, not Mr. Robot.

“At Tinder, helping our community feel safe and confident in every connection has always been at the heart of what we do … Partnering with World ID is a natural next step in that commitment, giving our users a powerful, privacy-preserving way to help know the person on the other end is real,” Senior Vice President of Trust & Safety at Match Group Yoel Roth said in a statement.

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Tinder is incorporating technology that will allow users to prove that they are human. (Hispanolistic via Getty Images / Getty Images)

World is part of Tools for Humanity, a start-up co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The company’s verification technology includes a spherical device known as “the Orb,” which uses temporary memory when “verifying humanness,” which it does not store, according to Tools for Humanity. There is also a mobile app that allows access to World and World ID.

Users can verify themselves with an Orb device and then receive a badge to show there’s a real person on the other side of the screen. World says the verification will allow users to “stand out” with their badge, leading to an “increase in higher-quality connections.” Additionally, the company said that, for a limited time, users with a badge will receive five free “Boosts,” an app feature that pushes their profile to other users.

Following a request for comment, Tinder directed Fox Business to World’s blog post on the partnership.

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Tinder is implementing technology that will allow users to prove that they’re human. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Other companies that have signed on with World to use its “proof of human” technology include Zoom, Docusign, Shopify and Coinbase, among others.

In response to a request for comment, Zoom also referred Fox Business to its press release on the partnership.

Zoom announced its partnership with Tools for Humanity on Friday, saying the verification system could help reduce the risk of “impersonation-driven fraud,” something that has become a concern with the rise and improvement of AI.

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The partnerships signal a broader push by companies to use the same technology exploited by bad actors to try to stop scams before they begin.