World, a human-centric identity and financial network, unveiled the future of genuine fan engagement at its Ikseon-dong flagship in Seoul as part of the global “Real K-Pop” campaign. The rising K-pop group CLOSE YOUR EYES presented a solution for safely protecting—and taking to a new level—artist-fan interactions in an era of deepfakes and AI-generated content: technology that anonymously guarantees humanness (Proof of Human).

The program squarely addressed a growing challenge facing the entertainment industry: ensuring true connections between real artists and “human” fans. As AI-manipulated celebrity images proliferate and bot-driven ticket scams surge, World ID—which verifies humanness anonymously using privacy-preserving technology—has established itself as a secure way to confirm the authenticity of fan participation in just seconds.

Sangwook Park, Korea General Manager at Tools for Humanity, the company behind World, emphasized that concerns about AI-driven manipulation and artificial fan engagement are at an all-time high in Korea’s entertainment industry. He noted that by introducing human-verification technology into the K-pop ecosystem, the company is helping to safeguard and strengthen the fundamental value of K-pop culture—authenticity—for the future.

Over the ten-day program held from August 8 to 17, fans verified with World ID took part in the special “1 Human = 1 Gacha (Lucky Draw)” activation for a chance to receive a “World Bag” custom-made by the artists. Visitors also experienced the flagship’s human-centric theme, “What makes us human?”, in immersive ways. The program featured mood-based smoothie making, an AI-versus-human creative challenge, and personalized keyring design.

Interest was high, with fans lining up hours in advance to participate in the program and meet CLOSE YOUR EYES in person. Backed by the World Network—now boasting more than 14 million real human participants—World brought its human-first vision to life at the Seoul flagship, demonstrating that technology can go beyond convenience to genuinely, and verifiably, protect the moments fans cherish.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.