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by Zero Knowledge Podcast
Zero Knowledge is a podcast which goes deep into the tech that will power the emerging decentralised web and the community building this. Covering the latest in zero knowledge research and applications, the open web as well as future technologies and paradigms that promise to change the way we interact — and transact — with one another online. Zero Knowledge is hosted by Anna Rose.
Latest Episodes
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- 3 days ago1h 4m
Private Information Retrieval (PIR) with Alex Hoover
In this episode, Anna and Kobi are joined by Alex Hoover, cryptographer and Assistant Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. They explore Private Information Retrieval (PIR)—a cryptographic primitive that lets users query public databases without revealing what they're looking for. They trace PIR's evolution from its early theoretical foundations to modern, practical constructions, unpack key variants like batch and keyword PIR, and discuss emerging blockchain applications, from private state queries to Merkle proof generation. They also examine the latest research making PIR increasingly practical, and why it could become a core building block for privacy-preserving systems. A quick note: Alex mentioned during the interview that preprocessing in SimplePIR is independent of the database. But it is in fact independent of the queried index, and does depend on the database. He asked us to highlight this correction Related Links One Server for the Price of Two: Simple and Fast Single-Server Private Information RetrievalDon’t be Dense: Efficient Keyword PIR for Sparse DatabasesThe two papers that introduced client-side preprocessing:PPY18CK20 Piano: Extremely Simple, Single-Server PIR with Sublinear Server Computation Simple and Practical Amortized Sublinear Private Information Retrieval using Dummy Subsets Plinko: Single-Server PIR with Efficient Updates via Invertible PRFs (builds on Piano and RMS) Doubly Efficient Private Information Retrieval and Fully Homomorphic RAM Computation from Ring LWE (LMW23) Lower Bounds for PIR with Preprocessing from Blackbox Cryptography **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 * <a href="https://etherscan.io/address/0xE2C
- 2 weeks ago1h 1m
Alex Ozdemir on where Theorem Provers and ZK meet
This week, Anna and Nico are joined by Alex Ozdemir, Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech, to explore the intersection of formal verification and zero knowledge. They begin by revisiting the evolution of the ZK DSL landscape since Alex's last appearance, discussing the rise of ZKVMs, new language tooling, and how his compiler infrastructure project, CirC, has evolved. The conversation then dives into formal verification and theorem proving, covering SMT solvers, Lean, and zkPi, the first zkSNARK for proofs expressed in Lean. They also discuss compiler correctness, the challenges of verifying cryptographic systems, and why verifiable software will become increasingly important as the industry matures. Related Links zkPi: Proving Lean Theorems in Zero-Knowledge CirC: Compiler infrastructure for proof systems, software verification, and more Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and Acorn Building ZK-Powered AI Guardrails with Wyatt Bennolean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks Groth16, IVC and Formal Verification with Nexuslean Ethereum ZK Podcast and Alex Ozdemir ZK languages with Alex OzdemirzkSessions: Alex Ozdemir - The Taxonomy of Circuit LanguageszkStudyClub: Collaborative zkSNARKs (Alex Ozdemir, Stanford University)zkStudyClub: Unifying Compiler Infrastructure for SNARKs, SMTs, & More w/ Alex Ozdemir (Stanford)ZK HACK - Introduction to Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) - Alex Ozdemir **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 * BTC -
- 3 weeks ago1h 7m
Sergey Gorbunov on TEEs and the Arc Privacy Sector
This week, Anna speaks with Sergey Gorbunov, Engineer at Circle, about Arc, Circle’s new EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain, and its approach to a TEE based on-chain privacy. They begin by revisiting Sergey’s journey from Axelar to Circle, reflecting on the evolution of cross-chain infrastructure, the aftermath of the Terra collapse, and how Circle’s acquisition of Interop Labs led to the development of Arc. The conversation then turns to Arc’s architecture, including its privacy layer, known as the Privacy Sector, and the decision to build it around Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) rather than ZKPs or FHE. Sergey explains the design trade-offs, discussing privacy, composability, enterprise infrastructure, and why he believes TEEs are currently the most practical foundation for programmable private execution. Related Links Axelar NetworkArc Privacy Sector: Keeping Blockchain State, Transactions, and Accounts Private and Quantum SafeCircle’s Post-Quantum Security RoadmapArc Documentation Arc: An open Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for stablecoin financeSergey’s X Post on the Arc Privacy Sector paper Ian Mier’s X Response to the Arc Privacy Sector works **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 * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript
- Jul 1, 20266 min
zkMesh+ Exclusive Clip – Benedikt Bünz on the threat of AI
Last week on the show, we interviewed Benedikt Bünz, Chief Scientist at Espresso Systems and Professor at NYU. The conversation ran long, so we're releasing some of the extra material as an exclusive clip for zkMesh+ subscribers. We've also included the first five minutes here. In this segment, Anna, Kobi, and Benedikt discuss whether AI poses a genuine threat to the foundations of cryptography. They explore the 'immune system' metaphor for AI's dual role in security: it can uncover bugs and vulnerabilities, while also strengthening defenses through tools like formal verification. The conversation closes with the question of whether AI could ever break fundamental cryptographic primitives—or even invent new physics to do it. To hear the full discussion, head to https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe and become a paid subscriber.
- Jun 24, 20261h 8m
Pushing the Limits of Proof Systems with Benedikt Bünz
In this episode, Anna and Kobi speak with Benedikt Bünz, Chief Scientist at Espresso Systems and Professor at NYU. They start with a quick update on Espresso's architecture, its role in delivering fast finality across chains, and the challenges of building high-throughput blockchain infrastructure. The conversation then turns to Benedikt’s recent research on folding schemes, hash-based proof systems such as Arc and Warp, and Golden, a non-interactive distributed key generation protocol for threshold signatures. The episode later explores Flock, a new proof system for standard hash functions such as Blake3 and SHA-256 that exceeds Ethereum's post-quantum proving targets without relying on specialized hash functions. They conclude by discussing proof system performance, post-quantum cryptography, and the use of AI-assisted development in cryptographic engineering. Related Links Bulletproofs — Short Proofs for Confidential Transactions and MoreProtostar — Generic Efficient Accumulation/Folding for Special-Sound ProtocolsHyperPlonk — Plonk with Linear-Time Prover and High-Degree Custom GatesNova — Recursive Zero-Knowledge Arguments from Folding SchemesArc — Accumulation for Reed–Solomon CodesLinear-Time Accumulation SchemesGolden: Lightweight Non-Interactive Distributed Key GenerationFlock — High-Speed Batch Proofs for Standard Hash Functions (coming soon)TensorSwitch — Nearly Optimal Polynomial Commitments from Tensor CodesBolt: Faster SNARKs from Sketched CodesLigero — Lightweight Sublinear Arguments Without Trusted Setup Systems and Infrastructure Espresso Systems DocumentationCAPE (Configurable Asset Privacy for Ethereum)Monero Additional Reading Vitalik Buterin — The Splurge: Post-Quantum EthereumAccumulation without HomomorphismNeo and SuperNeo: Post-Quantum Folding with Pay-Per-Bit CommitmentsEspresso’s HotShot: A Consensus Protocol Designed for Rollups **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! <span style=
- Jun 18, 20261 min
Announcement: zkMesh+ Exclusive Clip – Vericoding and SMT
No main episode this week, but we’ve got an exclusive bonus clip for our zkMesh+ subscribers! Continuing our conversation from last week, Wyatt Benno (ICME) describes the world of 'vericoding' - the next stage after the era of 'vibecoding.' Vericoding uses formal mathematics to prove that AI code is actually correct and help prevent bugs in AI-written code. We go deep on SMT (Satisfiability Modulo Theories), a decades-old verification technique originally built for cloud infrastructure, and discuss how SMT can now take a plain-English description and mathematically verify that your AI-generated code does exactly what you want it to do.If you want to hear this bonus clip, please head over to zkMesh and become a paid subscriber! Link to subscribe: https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe
- Jun 10, 20261h 7m
Building ZK-Powered AI Guardrails with Wyatt Benno
In this episode, Anna and Nico chat with Wyatt Benno, technical founder of ICME Labs. They trace Wyatt’s start into ZK in the ZKHack Discord and Justin Thaler’s study group before diving into ICME’s early work on folding schemes, local proving, and NovaNet. The conversation then shifts to ICME’s work at the intersection of AI and ZK. Wyatt introduces ICMEPreflight, a ZK-based guardrail tool for AI. They then explore how succinct verification and privacy-preserving proofs can help secure agentic commerce and provide stronger guarantees than existing guardrail approaches. They also discuss Jolt Atlas, ICME’s zero-knowledge machine learning framework, the connections between ZK and AI and the challenges of scaling ZKML. Finally, Wyatt encourages future advances in ZKML that could unlock privacy and verifiability in AI systems. Related Links ICME LabsNova: Recursive Zero-Knowledge Arguments from Folding Schemes (2022)Jolt Atlas: Verifiable Inference via Lookup Arguments in Zero Knowledge (2026)ZK Podcast:Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts ZK Podcast:Isogenies with Luca De FeoZK Podcast:How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda ChristNeo: Lattice-based folding scheme for CCS over small fields and pay-per-bit commitments (2025)Awesome Folding Schemes Repo by Lurk LabsProofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Justin Thaler Smart contracts have lost users billions of dollars to bugs. Zero-knowledge protocols are next. zkSecurity audits the full stack and publishes open research on ZK vulnerabilities. Head to zksecurity.xyz to learn more. **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 addr
- May 27, 202658 min
The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14
This episode was recorded live at zkSummit14 in Rome. In it, Anna and Nico Mohnblatt hosted the live ‘Quantum Question’ panel which began as an interview, but became something harder to categorize: part seminar, part group therapy, part improv theater, and — depending on the timeline you expect for viable quantum computers — part emergency briefing. The logistics of the panel were really unusual. The guests were meant to be Justin Drake and Dan Boneh, but Dan’s flight was delayed. And so the panel began with just Justin Drake and the hosts — what someone in the room jokingly described as the highest moderator-to-panelist ratio in zkSummit history. To compensate, the format broke open: researchers from the audience, including Daira-Emma Hopwood from the Zcash team and Jens Groth (author of Groth16), joined the conversation. A park bench materialized in real time. The conversation veered into the history of quantum computing research, why Shor’s algorithm threatens today’s public-key cryptography and pairing-based SNARKs, fault-tolerant ‘logical qubits’, physical qubit fidelities, and why neutral-atom machines—despite slower cycle times—may be the most practical path to ‘Q-Day.’ The group also debates the rush-to-post-quantum pitfalls, the benefits of lattice-based post-quantum schemes versus hash-based ones, and how hybrid transitions are unfolding in practice. This was a truly chaotic, spontaneous, informative and fun session at zk14 with some great contributors from attendees and community members, we hope you enjoy it! Related Links ZK14 - The Quantum Question Panel VideoEpisode 391 -lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin DrakeEpisode 400 - Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan BonehQuantum Algorithm ZooPOSEIDON: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof SystemsPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mitigations Oratomic (Neutral Atoms Startup)Neo and SuperNeo: Post-quantum folding with pay-per-bit costs over small fieldslean Ethereum Check out all the talks from zkSummit14 in Rome on our YouTube channel here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter <a href="htt
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About Zero Knowledge
Zero Knowledge is a podcast which goes deep into the tech that will power the emerging decentralised web and the community building this. Covering the latest in zero knowledge research and applications, the open web as well as future technologies and paradigms that promise to change the way we interact — and transact — with one another online. Zero Knowledge is hosted by Anna Rose.
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