Two years ago, Worldcoin WLD was the coin to buy. Fast-forward one crypto winter later, and WLD USD is not doing very well. To put it in numbers, WLD USD is down -95% from all-time highs. This month, it plunged to record lows.
A combination of sliding crypto prices, regulatory headwinds, and token unlocks hammered WLD crypto. However, things are beginning to look up.
As January comes to a close, WLD USD is back in the limelight. This time, not because Bitcoin and some of the best cryptos are ticking higher, but because of solid news related to OpenAI. Worldcoin’s co-founder, Sam Altman, is closely tied to the AI tech company.
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Why Did Worldcoin WLD Crypto Jump Back Because of OpenAI?
OpenAI is reportedly working on a bot-free social media platform that would verify users with biometrics. The social media app would specifically take on X.
In response to the news, WLD crypto jumped +40% earlier today, rising to as high as $0.63 before cooling off. This bounce is a relief for holders, most of whom have had to HODL despite the collapse from $11. Besides pure price action, the WLD USD rally fits a trend where AI-linked crypto tokens have climbed fast on narrative-driven news.
Worldcoin uses proof-of-personhood. It may sound technical, but the idea is simple. It means proving you are a real human and not a bot, the same way a club checks IDs at the door. OpenAI’s reported plan would rely on tools like Apple’s Face ID or Worldcoin’s Orb, a device that scans your face and iris.
The platform uses that scan to create a World ID, which acts like a digital passport proving you are unique. If a social network blocks bots, real voices get louder, and fake engagement drops. Reports claim OpenAI wants the social media app to generate high-quality, human-only data to train future AI models. With “clean” data, they can avoid the “AI slop” and bot-generated content prevalent on social media sites, especially X.
X has already banned infofi platforms like Kaito. Still, spam and automated “engagement farming” continue to flood trending topics.
We are revising our developer API policies:
We will no longer allow apps that reward users for posting on X (aka “infofi”). This has led to a tremendous amount of AI slop & reply spam on the platform.
We have revoked API access from these apps, so your X experience should…
— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) January 15, 2026
Beyond efforts to tap into human intelligence, not bots, to train new AI models, names matter in crypto, and especially Worldcoin. Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, co-founded Worldcoin. Therefore, any OpenAI expansion tied to identity grabs attention fast. Meanwhile, projects tied to AI crypto agents and digital identity are getting extra attention. Worldcoin sits right at that intersection.
In response to today’s news on OpenAI, it was inevitable that traders would rush in and buy WLD crypto in droves. This helps explain the speed of the move: WLD crypto shot higher, likely due to thinning sellers, before correcting. Overall, WLD crypto is not out of the woods just yet. As mentioned earlier, WLD USD is down 95% from its all-time high, sliding -70% in 2025 alone.
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Privacy and Regulation: Obstacles for WLD?
The Worldcoin Orb remains controversial. It scans sensitive biometric data, and regulators in several countries have already raised privacy concerns. Europe is especially tough on Worldcoin due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rule. Under this regime, all biometric data is classified as “sensitive”. Any firm that collects this data requires extreme justification.
As part of this, the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection (BayLDA) issued orders for Worldcoin to bring its “iris code” processing into compliance with Article 17 of the GDPR. This means, on demand, Worldcoin will have to erase data if the regulator asks. Besides Germany, Spain and Portugal also halted all biometric data collection in 2024 and 2025, citing risks to minors and insufficient “informed consent.”
Biometric Data under AI Act and GDPR
In the AI Act, the definition of biometric data does not include the wording ‘which allow or confirm the unique identification’, contrary to the definition of biometric data in the GDPR.
BayLDA's decision on “Worldcoin": pic.twitter.com/MAN4jdlv5o
— Luis Montezuma | @[email protected] (@montezumachavez) March 2, 2025
It is the constant headlines about “biometric data risks” that possibly scared off conservative institutional investors, leaving the WLD crypto price at the mercy of speculative retail traders. Without “strong” backing, the WLD USD price fell sharply between 2024 and 2025.
There might be signs of strength now. However, traders and institutions eager to get in now must be aware that biometric data risks have not disappeared just because the price jumped. Furthermore, there is still no confirmed product. Reports only describe a small OpenAI team and an early-stage project. There is no news yet on a launch date or a public roadmap.
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