Anthropic Aims to Dismantle the 'Trust Black Box' of AI Reasoning with ZK Proofs

Anthropic names Mantle: Why ZK proofs are used for AI reasoning verification.

Written by: @G_Gyeomm

Compiled by: AIdidiaoJP, Foresight News

Are the responses you receive truly from the model that the developers promised? Since the rise of generative AIs like ChatGPT and Claude, this question has persisted.

Today's AI models still rely on "trust me." The models run on developers' cloud data centers or third-party servers, and users only receive the output. Even if the routing service quietly switches models to cut costs, users cannot tell the difference.

On November 2, Anthropic released FlashProve, aiming to fill this gap with cryptographic proofs. Model providers promise the weights of the models used through cryptography, allowing each response to be verified as generated by that model.

The crypto industry reacted strongly because FlashProve uses zkSNARKs. This technology is not unfamiliar to the blockchain industry. According to Anthropic, ZK proofs do not leak model weights, the proof files are small, and the verification cost is low, allowing them to be provided to users along with each response.

More importantly, Anthropic specifically pointed out that these zkSNARKs are not exclusive to AI. Ethereum L2 is already using them, with Starknet and Mantle as examples. Starknet developer StarkWare and Succinct, which provides ZK proof technology to Mantle, both appear on the list of research co-authors.

Why Mantle Bet on ZK Rollup Earlier Than Peers

With leading AI companies like Anthropic seriously researching ZK proofs, it's worth taking another look at ZK proofs.

ZK proofs have been around in cryptography for over 40 years and are not a new concept. However, in the blockchain industry, they have long been more of a buzzword in market narratives. Vitalik has emphasized that the importance of zkSNARKs in the next decade may be on par with blockchain, but practical implementation has always seemed distant.

It wasn't until L2 truly began adopting them that ZK proofs were re-evaluated. Mantle upgraded to OP Succinct in September 2025, transitioning from Optimistic Rollup to ZK Rollup. In this architecture, Succinct's zkVM SP1 is responsible for proving the correctness of L2 state transitions, while contracts on Ethereum are responsible for verifying the proofs.

After switching to ZK Rollup, the biggest change is the withdrawal speed. Optimistic Rollup requires a fraud proof challenge period, meaning withdrawals must wait 7 days. With ZK proofs, Mantle has reduced the final confirmation time to about 1 hour, with withdrawals taking about 6 hours.

Costs have also changed. High proof costs were once a weakness of ZK proofs. Through the Succinct Prover Network, Mantle has reduced the proof cost per transaction to about $0.002.

With the two bottlenecks of withdrawal speed and cost resolved, ZK proofs are no longer just a narrative but have become a foundational infrastructure that can truly support chain operations. The technology that Anthropic uses to verify AI reasoning is precisely this technology that has been refined in the blockchain space.

Being Named Does Not Equal Participation: What Mantle Gains

So, what does it mean to be named in Anthropic's research?

Mantle did not directly participate in the research nor did it integrate. More accurately, this is a technical citation. Even so, this mention holds significant meaning for Mantle.

Firstly, it can be seen as an external endorsement: Mantle's technical route of transitioning to ZK Rollup was the right choice. Mantle completed its transition to ZK Rollup in September 2025; OP Mainnet and Base only announced their plans to adopt ZK in 2026, meaning Mantle was over six months ahead of them.

According to ETHBEAT data, among the top four Rollups ranked by TVS (Base, Arbitrum One, OP Mainnet, and Mantle), Mantle is the only ZK Rollup. Now that AI industry leader Anthropic uses the same type of proof technology to verify AI reasoning, Mantle's technical choice gains an additional layer of credibility.

Succinct being listed as a research co-author follows a similar logic. The proof technology supporting Mantle's security and settlement can be adopted by cutting-edge AI research, indicating it can withstand higher standards of scrutiny. For Mantle, which is vying for institutional-level assets, this provides another reason for institutions to trust and use this chain.

Ultimately, these circumstances do not prove that Mantle's technology is superior, but they warrant a re-examination of its early decision to shift to ZK Rollup. As ZK proofs extend from blockchain to the trust issues in AI, Mantle, which has already implemented this technology, will only be mentioned more frequently.