Episodios

  • How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda Christ

    How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda Christ
    Aug 6 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Miranda Christ, a computer science PhD student at Columbia University, about the intersection of cryptography and AI through watermarking techniques. Miranda shares her research on developing imperceptible ways to prove that content was created by AI models, covering everything from simple red-green word lists to sophisticated pseudorandom error-correcting codes. The discussion explores the cryptographic properties of watermarks - including completeness, soundness, and undetectability - and how these parallel the properties we see in zero-knowledge proof systems. Miranda explains how watermarking differs from other cryptographic approaches like ZKML by only modifying the sampling process rather than the underlying model weights, making it computationally lightweight and practical for deployment. Related links:
    • Episode 206: Distilling DeFi Primitives with Guillermo, Alex and Tarun
    • My AI Safety Lecture for UT Effective Altruism
    • Google SynthID
    • Amazon Public Watermark Detector
    • How ChatGPT could embed a ‘watermark’ in the text it generates - New York Times
    • Wall Street Journal on OpenAI not Deploying Watermarks
    • A Watermark for Large Language Models
    • Undetectable Watermarks for Language Models
    • Watermarks in the Sand: Impossibility of Strong Watermarking for Generative Models
    • Pseudorandom Error-Correcting Codes
    • Ideal Pseudorandom Codes

    Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board
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    1 h y 12 m
  • ZKTorch & the Evolution of ZKML with Daniel Kang

    ZKTorch & the Evolution of ZKML with Daniel Kang
    Jul 30 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose welcomes back Daniel Kang professor at UIUC and founding technical advisor at VAIL, for an update on ZKML and how the space has evolved since early 2023. Daniel covers the 2023-2024 cohort of ZKML tools including zkCNN, zkLLM, EZKL, and his original ZKML project, while introducing his new project ZKTorch, which offers a flexible hybrid of specialized and general-purpose approaches. The discussion explores practical applications like verified FaceID, proof of prompt, and proof of training, along with the technical challenges of adding ZK proofs to machine learning models. Daniel shares insights on the performance trade-offs between specialized cryptographic systems and generic circuits, and how ZKTorch aims to offer both flexibility and speed for proving ML inference. Related links:
    • ZKTorch: Open-Sourcing the First Universal ZKML Compiler for Real-World AI
    • ZKTorch: Compiling ML Inference to Zero-Knowledge Proofs via Parallel Proof
    • ZK Torch GitHub
    • Accumulation by Bing-Jyue Chen, Lilia Tang, Daniel Kang
    • Episode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with Muthu
    • Episode 356: ZK Benchmarks with Conner Swann
    • Episode 364: AI and ZK Auditing with David Wong
    • Episode 265: Where ZK and ML intersect with Yi Sun and Daniel Kang
    • Bonus Episode: zkpod.ai & Attested Audio Experiment with Daniel Kang
    • ZK13: ZKTorch: Efficiently Compiling ML Models to Zero-Knowledge Proof Protocols - Daniel Kang
    • AI Agent Benchmarks are Broken
    • VAIL
    • zkCNN: Zero Knowledge Proofs for...
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    51 m
  • Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with Muthu

    Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with Muthu
    Jul 23 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris catch up with Muthu Venkitasubramaniam, Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and cofounder of Ligero. They discuss how Ligero’s small memory footprint makes it a good choice for client-side proving, as well as the importance of programmable compliance in blockchain. The conversation explores the differences between ‘MPC in the head’ and error-correcting code perspectives, and how well-established primitives influence the design of modern ZK systems. They also debate the challenge of adding ‘ZK’ privacy back into systems without it, why proving EVM traces may be absurd, and what kinds of guarantees might exist around the results of vibe coding. Related links:
    • Episode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and Matteo
    • Episode 326: MPC & ZK in Ligero and Ligetron
    • ZK13: Ligerito: A Small and Concretely Fast Polynomial Commitment Scheme - Kobi Gurkan
    • ZK13: Vibe coding ZK Apps with Ligetron ZK Platform - Muthu Venkitasubramaniam
    • ZK10: Analysis of zkVM Designs - Wei Dai & Terry Chung
    • Ligerito: A Small and Concretely Fast Polynomial Commitment Scheme
    • Ligero++ - Reducing proof length of Ligero
    • Adding Zero-Knowledge to STARKs - Talk by Ulrich Haböck
    • Aurora - comparing prover times of STARKs vs Ligero
    • WYSTERIA: A Programming Language for Generic, Mixed-Mode Multiparty Computations
    • Samaritan: Linear-time Prover SNARK from New Multilinear Polynomial Commitments
    • Brakedown: Linear-time and field-agnostic SNARKs for R1CS
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    1 h y 16 m
  • TLSNotary with Dan and Sinu

    TLSNotary with Dan and Sinu
    Jul 16 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Dan and Sinu from TLSNotary to trace the project’s journey from early Bitcoin forum ideas to its current role as a foundational protocol maintained by PSE. Dan recounts the origins of TLSNotary as a tool for cryptographically proving web data, while Sinu explains how the project was revived to provide modern TLS attestation. The conversation covers the use-cases for verifiable web proofs, the different modes these interactive protocols can take, and the broader impact of this technology on leveraging siloed user data. Related links:
    • Episode 325: Web Proofs with Tracy from Pluto
    • Episode 354: The Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill
    • Episode 362: zkTLS with Maddy from Reclaim
    • 2013 Blog Post ‘tlsnotary - cryptographic proof of fiat transfer for p2p exchanges’
    • TLSNotary Whitepaper
    • DECO: Liberating Web Data Using Decentralized Oracles for TLS
    • Primus Labs (Previously PADO)
    • Town Crier: An Authenticated Data Feed for Smart Contracts

    Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** *
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    50 m
  • Local-First with grjte and Goblin Oats

    Local-First with grjte and Goblin Oats
    Jul 9 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Goblin Oats from Tonk and grjte from Bain Capital Crypto to explore the emerging world of local-first architecture. Goblin shares the evolution of Tonk from an experimental lab working on blockchain games to a product that enables anyone to build personalised local-first software using natural language. grjte discusses her Groundmist project exploring personal data lakes and the intersection between local-first systems and the AT Protocol. The conversation explores the technical foundations of local-first software, including Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs), parallels with blockchain systems, and how ZK proofs show up within cloud-optional architecture. Related links:
    • Tonk GitHub
    • Groundmist
    • Dappicom — NES Emulation in Noir
    • Speakeasy
    • Automerge CRDT
    • AT Protocol
    • Ink & Switch: Local-first software
    • Homomorphically Encrypting CRDTs
    • Beelay - A new sync protocol for Automerge
    • Jess Martin - The last mile of Local First
    • Local-First Conf 2025

    Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter
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    1 h y 2 m
  • ZK in Sui & zkAt with Kostas Kryptos

    ZK in Sui & zkAt with Kostas Kryptos
    Jun 25 2025
    In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra catch up with Kostas Kryptos from Mysten Labs to explore the latest ZK innovations being built on Sui. Kostas shares updates on zkLogin and introduces zkAt (ZK Authenticator), a new research project enabling programmable and updatable access control for accounts where Groth16's trusted setup and the generated toxic waste is used in a very novel way. This discussion also covers Sui's ambitious plans to become quantum-ready, including their innovative approach to transitioning existing EdDSA accounts to post-quantum security using STARKs without requiring users to change their addresses. They touch on ZK Tunnels, working with the Greek stock market, and how ZK is breaking out of the web2/web3 paradigm. Related links:
    • Episode 257: Proof of Solvency with Kostas Chalkias
    • Episode 302: ZK for web2 interop with zkLogin & ZK Email
    • Episode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and Matteo
    • Zero-knowledge Authenticator for Blockchain: Policy-private and Obliviously Updateable
    • zkLogin
    • All About Account Abstraction
    • Zengo Crypto Wallet
    • Trusted Setup Ceremony

    Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on
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    1 h y 24 m
  • AI and ZK Auditing with David Wong

    AI and ZK Auditing with David Wong
    Jun 18 2025
    In this episode, Anna sits down with David Wong from zkSecurity to discuss the impact of AI on the field of zero-knowledge auditing. David shares how his team is integrating AI agents into their workflow, the opportunities and challenges this brings, and how the role of the human auditor is evolving as AI becomes more capable. They also cover the unique aspects of auditing ZK-based systems, how this is different from smart contract auditing, and the broader implications of AI for security in cryptography and blockchain. The conversation touches on the ethical considerations of AI in security, the future of the auditing profession, and the ways ZK and AI are increasingly intersecting. Related links:
    • Episode 290: Exploring, Teaching and Auditing ZK with David Wong
    • Episode 76: Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups & Elliptic Curve Cryptography
    • Proof is in the Pudding Session 04: Lattice-Based SNARKs and Post-Quantum Cryptography
    • Fiat-Crypto: Synthesizing Correct-by-Construction Code for Cryptographic Primitives
    • Ethproofs Call #2 | real-time proving
    • Folding Circom circuits: a ZKML case study - Dr. Cathie So

    Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address
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    1 h y 9 m