Vitalik proposed the ZK payment standard to promote privacy transactions between Ethereum and AI agents

On May 10, Vitalik Buterin published a research article advocating that cryptocurrency payments need to shift from pseudonymity to default privacy, proposing the use of zero-knowledge proof (ZK) transactions to replace standard transfers, allowing users to prove payment validity without exposing their full balance or transaction history.

Vitalik specifically pointed out that in the era of agents, autonomous AI agents need to pay service fees (such as LLM API fees) without leaving traceable footprints. By using recursive SNARKs and ZK APIs for points, Ethereum Layer 2 can handle privacy payments at the same speed and cost as transparent transactions. The proposal also includes selective disclosure and proof of innocence mechanisms, allowing users to provide specific proofs to compliance agencies or tax authorities without disclosing data to the public, in response to anti-money laundering regulatory requirements.

Vitalik believes that the public transparency of blockchain is the main obstacle preventing cryptocurrency payments from replacing traditional payments, and the ZK payment standard aims to make privacy a default feature.