Story and World partner to verify IP ownership onchain amid proliferation of AI-generated content

Story network and digital identity project World have partnered to bring the World ID digital identity solution into Story's intellectual property-focused Layer 1. 

The partnership aims to tackle artificial intelligence-generated content infringing on intellectual property rights, particularly when it comes to spoofed identities and false ownership claims. By integrating World ID into the Story network, users will be able to verify the IP in their wallet and also set terms for how others can use and pay for their intellectual property, according to a release shared with The Block. 

Story and World's partnership will take effect in fall 2025, Story president Andrea Muttoni told The Block. 

"Proving humanity and intellectual property are inherently linked — as AI gets more and more capable and sophisticated, having a way to distinguish human-created IP will become increasingly important," Muttoni said in an email. "As a first step in bringing World ID to Story, we’re bringing verified human authorship onchain — giving creators a way to prove their work is theirs, license it on their terms, and build more trust online at the moment of creation."

World's biometric data, gathered via iris scanners, can verify whether an online entity is human or a bot. Tools for Humanity, the team building out World, launched World ID in March 2023 with the broader goal of preserving the internet's health in the age of artificial intelligence, The Block previously reported.

However, countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Spain, France, and others have either temporarily paused or restricted certain aspects of World’s operations — primarily over privacy and consent concerns — without imposing outright bans on the technology itself. In most cases, the use of iris scanning continues, while specific practices, such as offering crypto rewards, have faced regulatory pushback.

"World and Story are giving human creators a new tool to prove authorship and enhance trust, define how their work is used, and get compensated for it on their terms," said Tools for Humanity World ID head Ajay Patel. "We’re helping build a future where creative control and opportunity stays with the people who make the work."

The Story Protocol mainnent and native token, IP, launched in February of this year. In August 2024, a16z crypto led an $80 million Series B funding round for Programmable IP Labs, the team building out Story Protocol, The Block previously reported. 

Updated July 9 (20:00 UTC): Clarified restrictions in Portugal, Brazil, Spain, and France.