From Access Control to Encrypted Execution with Auryn Macmillan

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1. 

   1 Jul 2026 · 6 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…

2. 

   24 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 9 min

   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…

3. 

   18 Jun 2026 · 1 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…

4. 

   10 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

   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…

5. 

   27 May 2026 · 59 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…

6. 

   6 May 2026 · 1 hr 25 min

   Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh

   In this 400th episode, Anna Rose welcomes back Dan Boneh , professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University, for a wide-ranging conversation on quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography, and the evolving role of ZK. They discuss Google's recent quantum algorithm announcement—what the paper actually showed, why it was proven in zero knowledge, and the cryptographic ideas embedded in the work. Dan shares his perspective on quantum timelines, the risks of rushing the post-quantum transition, and why algebraic signatures deserve more attention than hash-based…

7. 

   22 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

   Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts

   In this episode, Anna is joined by co-hosts Guillermo Angeris , Nico Mohnblatt , and Tarun Chitra for a reunion on this 399th episode. They reflect on how they each joined the show and how both the podcast and the ZK space have evolved over time, before diving into discussion on whether ZK is ‘dead’ or simply maturing. They explore its shift from niche research to hype-driven narrative to becoming a widely used but increasingly invisible piece of infrastructure. They go on to discuss the changing landscape of ZK companies, the explosion of new applications, and the trend of teams using ZK as…

8. 

   8 Apr 2026 · 56 min

   Verifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably

   In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Shyam Duraishwami and Emanuele Ragnoli , co-founders of Provably . They trace the origins of Provably, from early work on data ecosystems and blockchain infrastructure to the launch of their verifiable database approach, exploring how advances in cryptography and database theory enabled this shift. The conversation dives into what a verifiable database actually is and how this contrasts with Merkle-based systems and zkVMs, explaining how Provably’s use of polynomial and vector commitments enables performance that scales with query…

9. 

   1 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 12 min

   Dev Ojha on the Osmosis Story and his Return to Privacy

   In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris catch up with Dev Ojha , co-founder of Osmosis and longtime ZK researcher. They revisit the story of Osmosis since its 2021 launch as a key Cosmos DEX, its role in early IBC adoption, the DeFi summer surge, the Terra collapse fallout, and the later pivot by the team toward privacy-focused cross-chain tools. The conversation then turns to Dev’s return to privacy tech, focusing on Zcash. They explore ongoing challenges like shielded sync, nullifier bloat, and scaling shielded transactions, along with proposed solutions involving private…

10. 

    25 Mar 2026 · 58 min

    lean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks

    https://youtu.be/9u4fu7TiZCA In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Alex Hicks from the Ethereum Foundation about formal verification and its role in the lean Ethereum vision. This is the 6th and final episode of the lean Ethereum mini-series. Nico and Alex explore what it means to produce machine-checked proofs across the ZK stack, from RISC-V and zkVMs to circuits, compilers, and cryptographic primitives, and how these pieces connect in practice. The conversation also covers Alex’s path from physics and math into the ZK space, how the EF effort took shape, and the community push to…