Ethereum Foundation Launches zkAPI Mainnet for Private AI Interactions

The Ethereum Foundation and the Open Anonymity Project have deployed zkAPI on Ethereum mainnet, allowing users to pay for artificial intelligence queries without exposing their identity or search content. Users prepay in USDC or Ether to mint short-lived, zero-knowledge cryptographic keys that prove payment validity without linking the user's wallet address to their prompt history. Designed by Ethereum researchers Davide Crapis and Vitalik Buterin, zkAPI separates the payment settlement layer from API access, preventing AI hosts and payment processors from building behavioral profiles on individual users.

Decrypt · Oct 2, 2026