Sam Altman Co-Founded World Network Opens Retail Flagship at Atlanta’s Ponce City Market
Thursday, May 15th, 2025
Today, Tuesday, May 13, World, the identity and financial network built for humans in the age of AI, launched in Georgia with the fourth U.S. flagship since the company’s U.S. launch in April. Located at Ponce City Market, the flagship location will offer residents and visitors a space to learn more about World’s proof of human (PoH) technology in person.
Photos from the Grand Opening can be found HERE.
“Atlanta sits at the intersection of innovation and diverse talent, with a tech scene that’s growing faster than ever,” said Tools for Humanity Chief Architect Adrian Ludwig. “Georgians are deeply aware of how their digital lives are changing and want tools that can help, while preserving privacy and anonymity. That’s what World delivers. We’re excited to open our doors in Atlanta and continue building a more trustworthy, human internet.”
Designed with an Apple-like aesthetic, the World space at Ponce City Market offers Georgians the opportunity to verify their humanness with the project’s signature Orb. Once confirmed as unique and not previously enrolled, users receive a World ID, an anonymous, privacy-preserving digital passport that lives in their World App, the super app for humans that brings together identity, finance, and social applications for everyday life.
The Atlanta Grand Opening comes on the heels of the project’s recent U.S. launch in San Francisco, featuring an event and keynote by co-founders Sam Altman and Alex Blania, who announced new partnerships with Visa, Stripe, Match Group, and Razer. With over 26 million people on the network across 160 countries, World’s new flagship location in Atlanta is a critical component of the project’s U.S. expansion – bringing a privacy-first way to verify you’re a real human to Georgians amidst growing concerns over AI-generated content, deepfakes, and online trust.
The Grand Opening also comes as new polling commissioned by Tools for Humanity, and conducted by Echelon Insights, shows Georgians are strongly aligned with the core mission of World:
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Georgians want better verification tools. Nine-in-ten say it’s important that new technology helps verify identity online without sacrificing anonymity or personal data.
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Bots are a growing concern online. Georgians expressed the importance of being able to distinguish between bots and humans when applying for jobs online (94%), reading and relying on reviews (91%), using social media (88%), and using dating apps (85%).
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There is strong support for biometric tools. 81% support using biometrics like fingerprints or facial recognition to verify someone is a real human, especially when paired with strong privacy protections.
This new Atlanta location brings World’s mission – to build the world’s largest real human network – to a state where residents are hungry for privacy-focused solutions that restore trust in digital life.
