The Ethereum Basis and the Open Anonymity Mission have developed zkAPI, a zero-knowledge protocol that lets customers pay for AI companies and different paid APIs with out linking their id to their requests.
Dwell on Ethereum mainnet, the system separates cost data from the prompts and queries despatched to service suppliers, though it doesn’t disguise all community exercise or the content material customers submit.
How zkAPI Separates Funds From API Requests
The Open Anonymity Mission introduced its collaboration with the Ethereum Basis in a September 25, 2026, publish introducing its public AI chat companies, OA-chat. The inspiration additionally promoted zkAPI on October 2, describing it as “a way for personal AI.”
The protocol was initially proposed by Ethereum researcher Davide Crapis and co-founder Vitalik Buterin, whereas the Open Anonymity crew constructed the shopper, server, sensible contracts, and browser integration.
Customers first deposit ETH into the ZkAPIVault contract on Ethereum mainnet. The deposit is then became a dedication by way of using a Merkle tree, which is a cryptographic information construction, whereas the spending stability is saved as a personal notice on the consumer’s gadget.
At first of a session, the browser generates a zero-knowledge proof that proves the consumer has enough funds to pay and has not but spent the cash. Fee verification is finished with out realizing the precise deposit getting used for the cost and the consumer’s id.
As soon as the verification is full, an API key with a spending cap is issued, with the immediate going straight from the browser to the AI supplier. When the API key expires, you get a receipt of utilization. The system then deducts that quantity from the personal stability, with a one-way serial quantity known as a nullifier stopping the identical funds from being spent twice.
The protocol makes use of Groth16 proofs, BN254 cryptography, and Poseidon hashing to make the cost system each personal and verifiable, and customers can withdraw their remaining funds straight via the vault contract, even when the zkAPI servers cease working.
What zkAPI Does Not Cover
The protocol hides the cost hyperlink, not the content material. A supplier nonetheless sees prompts and community particulars akin to an IP tackle, and may attempt to match periods by timing. The builders recommend Tor with a recent circuit per session, since reused dialog historical past, writing type or private particulars can let a supplier relink particular person periods.
This venture sits near Buterin’s latest pursuits. Recall that late final month he shared a longer-term Ethereum roadmap that positioned better emphasis on cryptographic proofs and verification. zkAPI applies that normal method to on a regular basis funds, permitting a service to confirm spending with out receiving a traditional account id.
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