Ethereum's Secret A.I. Payments System Now Live on Mainnet
The Ethereum Foundation has launched a new system called zkAPI that allows users to pay for artificial intelligence (A.I.) models without revealing their identity.
This system is part of the Open Anonymity Project, an open-source A.I. privacy initiative aimed at developing infrastructure where privacy and sovereignty are foundational and people are in control.
To use zkAPI, users first deposit tokens such as Ethereum into a vault contract on the ETH network, which records their balance as a private note.
When they want to spend these tokens, software on their device generates a zero-knowledge proof that shows the request is backed by a funded note without revealing which one or how much was used.
The zkAPI server checks this proof and issues a temporary API key with a spending cap. The user then sends their prompts directly to the A.I. model provider along with the key, and when it expires, the server deducts the usage from the user's private balance.