Recently, I came across a research paper published by Vitalik, which triggered new thoughts on the development direction of crypto payments. The core idea is quite interesting—he believes that crypto payments cannot remain at the pseudonymous stage and must be upgraded to default privacy.

Speaking of this topic, I think there is a larger trend driving it. With the development of autonomous AI agents, these intelligent systems need to pay for services automatically but also cannot leave traceable footprints. That’s why privacy payments are becoming increasingly urgent—they are not just about user privacy but also about the practical needs under the AI trend. Vitalik’s proposal is a solution put forward in this context.

The specific solution replaces standard transfers with zero-knowledge (ZK) transactions, allowing users to prove payment validity without revealing their full balance or transaction history. Technically, through recursive SNARKs and ZK API usage, Ethereum Layer 2 can achieve the same speed and cost as transparent transactions. This means privacy and efficiency are no longer a trade-off.

Interestingly, the proposal also designs selective disclosure and proof of innocence mechanisms. Users can provide specific proofs to regulatory agencies or tax authorities without disclosing data to the public. This satisfies privacy needs while also addressing anti-money laundering regulatory requirements. In my view, this is a clever balance between privacy protection and compliance regulation.

If this scheme can be realized, it will be a significant upgrade to the privacy infrastructure of the entire crypto ecosystem. Especially as the AI trend continues to evolve, the demand for such privacy technologies will only grow. It’s worth keeping an eye on Ethereum’s progress in this direction.