
How Bots, Deepfakes and AI Agents Are Forcing a New Internet Identity Layer
From a16z crypto show by a16z crypto, Robert Hackett, Sonal Chokshi
April 17, 2026 · 42 min · Episode 112
About this episode
The episode discusses the need for proof of human verification online and the challenges associated with it.
Ben Horowitz and Erik Torenberg speak with Alex Blania of Tools for Humanity about World and the growing need for proof of human verification online. They discuss the challenge of proving human uniqueness at scale, the privacy model behind World ID, and why platforms from social media to dating apps to video conferencing may soon need stronger ways to verify that users are real people.
People in this episode
Hosts: Ben Horowitz, Erik Torenberg
Guest: Alex Blania
Topics covered
- AI
- identity verification
- deepfakes
- human uniqueness
- privacy
- online platforms
Keywords
- AI agents
- deepfakes
- identity layer
- human verification
- World ID
- social media
- dating apps
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Tools for Humanity, World
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