OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has indicated a notable change in how he thinks about universal basic income, saying he now favors approaches such as collective ownership to distribute wealth created by artificial intelligence. The remarks, made during a recent podcast appearance, have renewed attention on World, the crypto project tied to Altman and formerly known through the Worldcoin brand.
A Shift in the AI Wealth Debate
Rather than relying solely on a classic UBI framework, Altman’s latest comments suggest that future AI-driven prosperity may be shared through broader ownership models. While no detailed policy structure was outlined, the change points to an evolving debate: how to ensure that the economic gains produced by AI do not remain concentrated among a small group of companies or investors.
WLD Suffers a Deep Drawdown
At the same time, the market performance of WLD has been sharply negative. The token is trading at roughly $0.25, compared with its March 2024 peak of $11.82. That represents a decline of more than 98%, underscoring the intense volatility surrounding the project and the difficulty of sustaining valuation on narrative alone in a shifting crypto market.
Token Sales and Market Pressure
The World Foundation, associated with the Worldcoin project, previously sold around 239 million WLD tokens and raised approximately $65 million. With the token now trading far below earlier highs, those figures are likely to remain part of the broader discussion around supply, market absorption, and long-term value support. While fundraising through token sales is common in crypto, such moves tend to draw closer scrutiny when prices have fallen so dramatically.
Overall, Altman’s revised stance on distributing AI-generated wealth adds a new ideological layer to the World story. But the token’s collapse from prior highs shows that narrative alignment with major technology themes does not automatically translate into durable market confidence. For investors and observers alike, WLD’s trajectory is another reminder of how quickly sentiment can shift in AI-linked crypto assets.