Ethereum Research

ZK API Usage Credits: LLMs and Beyond

Davide Crapis and Vitalik Buterin A core challenge in API metering is achieving privacy, security, and efficiency simultaneously. This is particularly critical for AI inference with LLMs, where users submit highly sensitive personal data, but applies generally to any high-frequency digital service. Currently, API providers are forced to choose between two suboptimal paths: Web2 Identity: Require authentication (email/credit card), which links every request to a real-world identity, creating m...