The zkAPI system, designed to ensure the privacy of API payments, is now available on the Ethereum mainnet. This was announced by the Ethereum Foundation on Thursday. Developed as part of the Open Anonymity Project, zkAPI allows users to pay for artificial intelligence services and other APIs without revealing their identifying information.
Users deposit funds into the Ethereum vault and then use zero-knowledge proofs to confirm they have sufficient funds to pay for API requests without disclosing which deposits belong to them. As noted by Vittorio Rivabella, project coordinator for dAI at the Ethereum Foundation, one immediate application of the system is the ability to pay for AI services without linking to a specific user. zkAPI issues short-term API keys with predefined spending limits. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider, and usage is billed separately through a payment layer.
Developers also introduced a local client and a software development kit, as well as a browser-based AI chat implementation. The launch of zkAPI resulted from a proposal made in February by Ethereum Foundation researcher David Krapis and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, which turned the project into a working implementation on the mainnet. The concept of zkAPI aims to provide users with private access on a prepaid basis to APIs. However, it is important to note that zkAPI does not hide the content of requests or network metadata from providers, meaning that users can still be tracked through IP addresses, timestamps, or information contained in their requests.
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