Ethereum Launches zkAPI for Paying AI Consultations Without Revealing Identity

zkAPI is a system developed by the Ethereum Foundation and Open Anonymity Project that allows users to pay for consultations with artificial intelligence models without linking their identity to their requests. The tool is already available on the Ethereum mainnet and uses zero-knowledge proofs to separate the payment from the consultation. Users can fund consultations with ETH or USDC without the provider knowing which deposit backs each payment, thus avoiding the linking of billing information with the request history. Funds are deposited in an Ethereum vault and recorded as a private note. When making a consultation, the software generates a cryptographic proof that demonstrates the user has sufficient balance, without identifying the deposit used. A server verifies the proof and generates a temporary API key with a spending limit to send the request to the AI provider. zkAPI also uses an identifier to detect attempts to duplicate the balance usage. However, privacy has its limits, as zkAPI does not hide the IP address, which could allow for linking different requests. The system is based on 'ZK API Usage Credits', a design published in February by Davide Crapis and Vitalik Buterin. Although it is already operating on the mainnet, its repository identifies it as experimental and does not have a formal audit, meaning it does not guarantee complete anonymity.

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