Latest AI News
World launches tool to verify humans behind AI shopping agents
World, co-founded by Sam Altman, is dedicated to creating what it calls “proof of human” tech—ID verification tools for an internet increasingly overrun by AI-generated content of dubious quality. The connection isn’t lost that Altman’s other company, OpenAI,has been widely blamedfor creating a whole lot of that slop (though one could argue he saw the problem coming when he founded World). This week, Tools for Humanity (“TFH”), the startup behind World, released the beta of a new verification tool—this one designed to support the build-out of agentic commerce, the fast-growing practice of using AI programs to browse the web and make purchases on a user’s behalf. More and more consumers are using AI agents to surf websites and buy stuff for them. The trend promises a certain amount of automated convenience, but it has also raised the specter ofnew forms of fraud, spam, and other forms of large-scale internet abuse. On Tuesday, World announced its purported solution: AgentKit, a software development tool geared toward commercial websites that allows for the inclusion of a new verification system that let’s those sites verify a real human is behind an agent’s purchasing decisions. AgentKit relies on World ID, which is the linchpin of TFH’s verification system. The most secure version of the ID is derived from a scan of a user’s eyes via World’sOrb device. The Orb converts an iris into a unique and encrypted digital code—the verified World ID—which can then be used to access TFH’s ecosystem of services via the company’s World app. AgentKit allows a user’s World ID to be integrated into a recently launched payment system known asthe x402 protocol. Developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare, x402 is a blockchain-based open standard to allow automated computer programs totransact with each otherdirectly online — without human intervention at each step. To use AgentKit, users merely register their AI agents with their World ID, which then communicates to websites—via the x402 system—that a distinct and verified human approves of the agent’s purchasing decisions. “AgentKit is built as a complementary extension to the x402 v2 protocol, in coordination with Coinbase,” Tools for Humanity said in a statement. “The integration is designed so that any website already using x402 can enable proof of unique human verification alongside (or instead of) micropayments.” In an interview with TechCrunch, TFH Chief Product Officer, Tiago Sada, compared the new function to delegating “power of attorney” to an agent. By verifying that the AI program is acting on behalf of a particular user, a website can decide whether to trust the transactions initiated by those agents or not, Sada said. “What the World ID badge tells you is that someone is a real and a unique human,” he said, noting that websites can still choose to block particular users they think are operating in bad faith. AgentKit is currently being offered in beta to developers, with the hope that feedback will refine it over time. Sada also noted that consumers will need to have a verified World ID, derived from an Orb scan, to qualify for this kind of verification. It’s a timely move. Major e-commerce sites and financial services have already begun embracing agentic commerce. Last year, companies likeAmazonandMasterCardintroduced automated buying capabilities to their platforms, and Google recentlylaunched its own protocoldesigned to support the trend. As the field grows, the industry is obviously going to want safeguards that ensure it remains reliable and stable. World is clearly attempting to position itself as the de facto provider of that stability.
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AI’s ‘boys’ club’ could widen the wealth gap for women, says Rana el Kaliouby
AI scientist,entrepreneur, and investor Rana el Kaliouby is worried that AI could become another “boys’ club” in the tech industry. At the SXSW conference in Austin on Sunday, el Kaliouby shared her view that a lack of diversity in the field could lead to economic disadvantages for women in tech, with further ramifications. “I think AI today is a boys’ club. I think diversity is not a very popular conversation topic these days, but I think it’s so important because AI is creating incredible economic opportunity,” el Kaliouby said onstage, when asked if the perception of AI being a boys’ club was a myth. (The interviewer showed a series of headlines from TechCrunch showcasing AI startups with male founders to demonstrate the point.) El Kaliouby, whosold her emotion-detection software company Affectiva in 2021and is now co-founder and general partner at Blue Tulip Ventures, said that three out of four investments at her firm are in startups with women CEOs. “I don’t ‘just’ invest in women,” she clarified. “But I really try to seek these women founders and support them, if not by a check, but in other ways, because they’re not getting the opportunity that they should and they need.” “If women are left out — because they’re not founding these companies, because they’re not getting the funding, because they’re not even investing in the funds that are investing in these companies — we’re going to look back five years from now or a decade from now, and…we’re going to have widened the economic gap like crazy. So this is something that really concerns me,” el Kaliouby noted. Her reference to the current “unpopularity” of the topic of diversity follows the Trump administration’srollbackof Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)programs and initiatives, which thenspilled over to the tech industry. These changes don’t just impact how tech companies hire, but also how their products are developed. In AI, for instance,companies may feel pressureto align their models’ outputs with the White House’s priorities. For el Kaliouby, a lack of diversity isn’t just about the potential for economic disadvantage, she said — it’s also about the outcome. “I do think we are living in a very exciting time. But I also feel strongly that if we don’t intervene, like, if we don’t really stand up for what we care about like ethics and diversity of thought and perspective, and prioritizing this idea of centering around the humans…the outcome may not be great,” she added. “So I feel like it’s a very critical moment to use our voices and our leadership to shape where this is going.”
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OpenAI expands government footprint with AWS deal, report says
OpenAI signed a deal to work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to sell its AI products to the U.S. government for classified and unclassified work,according to The Information. The partnership comes after OpenAIsigned a deal with the Pentagonto allow the military to use its AI models in its classified network — a win that came in the midst of conflict between Anthropic and the Defense Department. Anthropic has since been named a supply chain risk by the DOD after it refused to back down on allowing its tech to be used for mass surveillance of Americans and to power fully autonomous weapons. Anthropichas suedthe Pentagon in response. OpenAI’s AWS deal sees the AI giant stepping onto Anthropic’s home turf. Amazon hasinvested at least $4 billionin Anthropic, and as such,Anthropic uses AWSas its main cloud provider. Claude models are integrated into Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s AI platform for enterprise and government customers, and Claude is one of themost deeply integratedfrontier models in AWS GovCloud forpublic sector use. The tie-up also expands OpenAI’s federal footprint well beyond its Pentagon deal, positioning the company to serve multiple government agencies through AWS’s existing cloud infrastructure. AWS, a major cloud provider to U.S. agencies, has agreed to distribute OpenAI products across its public-sector customer base, The Information reported, citing sources familiar. The deal could unlock more enterprise contracts, since companies often see government contracts as a stamp of trust and reliability. OpenAI and Amazon Web Services did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment.
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Chips, Robots, Agents: 5 Big AI Bets Jensen Huang Announced at NVIDIA GTC 2026
From chips to software, physical AI, and space data centres, NVIDIA lays out its next phase of AI infrastructure and agent-led computing.
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Razorpay Plans to Put AI Agents in Charge of Money
“If we create the infrastructure of building these agents and expose the context they need, anyone can build solutions.”
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Mistral Releases Leanstral and Small 4 Models
Both models are released under an Apache License 2.0 and designed for open deployment across enterprise and developer environments.
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Anthropic: The Making of an AI Giant’s Moral Compass
Anthropic’s rise from research lab to $380 billion AI giant tests whether principled guardrails can survive Silicon Valley’s fierce innovation race.
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Groww Foundation, IISc partner to boost semiconductor talent, women’s participation in STEM
The programme will support 160 girls and women over three years.
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Investors Map India’s Next AI Opportunity at Happy Llama 2026
Despite the rapid growth of AI startups in India, access to capital remains a critical challenge facing deep tech ventures.
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Is Your AI Startup Actually Just Unpaid GTM for OpenAI’s Next Release?
Leaders from Razorpay, Stellaris Venture Partners, Rocket, and Ai Palette talked about why AI startups shouldn't be misled by 'curiosity revenue'.
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Exicom Tele-Systems Sets Up Integrated Manufacturing Facility in Hyderabad to Boost EV & Power Electronics Capacity
The plant will increase Exicom’s production capacity by 2.5 times in its first phase and generate over 750 jobs.
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Jensen Huang Believes Every Software Company Needs an OpenClaw Strategy
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang compared OpenClaw to Linux, HTML, and Kubernetes, which changed how the software industry works.
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