Crypto
Ethereum Brings Private Payments to AI Models with Mainnet Launch
The Ethereum Foundation and Open Anonymity Project have launched zkAPI on the Ethereum mainnet. This private payment system allows users to make AI payments without revealing their identity.
The setup separates payment credentials from API authentication, reducing the link between individual requests and a payer's billing identity.
Users fund an Ethereum vault with assets like ETH or USDC and generate a zero-knowledge proof showing sufficient funds exist. This proof is used to create a short-lived API key with a defined spending limit.
The system supports AI and metered services, including blockchain RPC requests, image generation, video generation, VPN bandwidth, and machine-to-machine services.