Ethereum Foundation Launches Zero-Knowledge Protocol for Private AI Payments

The Ethereum Foundation and Open Anonymity Project have jointly developed zkAPI, a zero-knowledge protocol that enables users to pay for AI services without linking their identity to requests. The system is now live on the Ethereum mainnet.

The protocol was originally proposed by Ethereum researcher Davide Crapis and co-founder Vitalik Buterin. The Open Anonymity team built the client, server, smart contracts, and browser integration.

To use zkAPI, users first deposit ETH into the ZkAPIVault contract on Ethereum mainnet. This deposit is then turned into a commitment via the use of a Merkle tree, while the spending balance is kept as a private note on the user's device.