Zero Knowledge
Issue #13: ZK flash fiction, SoP25 fellows, and public intelligence.
In this issue: A flash protocol fiction by Sachin Benny, featuring some whimsical and astute scenes about zero knowledge proofs, a technical computer science concept that everyone should understand. Also – meet the SoP25 teaching fellows, RSVP to a wonderful guest talk next week, and catch up on some highlights from the week.
Protocolized explores strange new rules through science fiction and fact – not fantasy – and its partner research network, Summer of Protocols.
If you are interested in extraordinary worlds built by ordinary people, consider tagging along for the ride.
"I don't need to know your name," he said. "I just need to know you have one." They tapped their phones together. He seemed happy with what his phone screen said. She liked this approach. She wished other conversations worked this way.
***
She walked into the room. Her score dropped by two points. She hadn’t even said anything yet. The man at the desk said it was nothing personal. "It's just... your face." He said it may help if she could prove her kindness using the zero knowledge verified log.
She showed him the time she rescued the dog. He asked if she had anything more recent.
***
She wanted to join the club. They said they didn’t need to know her income.
Just whether she had ever laughed at someone poorer.
She submitted the proof.
It was almost good enough.
***
The therapist didn’t ask why she was sad. He asked if she could prove she had tried to stop being sad in the last week. She tapped her screen and pointed it towards the therapist.
He nodded, “That’s enough for this week.”
***
The cashier stared at him.
“It’s declined. You don’t have proof you like organic coffee.”
“But I do,” he insisted.
“Not convincing enough,” she replied, handing back his card. "There is a shortage in organic coffee because of the trade wars", she said. They were only selling it to the true connoisseurs.
***
Her mother asked if she had anything to hide.
She tapped the phone. It confirmed she did.
Her mother nodded approvingly.
“It’s healthy to have secrets,” she said.
***
He checked into the hotel.
The receptionist didn’t ask for identification.
“Just confirm you’ve never stolen towels,” he said.
The man paused.
“It doesn’t have to be towels from here,” the receptionist clarified.
The man hesitated, and then walked away slowly.
***
Her friend wanted proof she was listening.
She tapped her phone screen. The friend looked closely.
“It just says you heard noises,” the friend complained.
"That’s accurate,” she replied.
Writing Protocol
The co-authoring process we used to arrive at this set of flash fiction stories involved a structured yet iterative and collaborative approach, characterized by:
Idea Generation and Refinement
Initial Prompt: You provided a broad idea about a science fiction scenario involving zero-knowledge proofs and personalized AI.
Exploratory Dialogue: Through back-and-forth exchanges, we experimented with different narrative concepts, adjusting premises, discarding themes (like memory erasure), and focusing on interesting technological elements (e.g., deepfakes, reputation systems, drone surveillance).
Theme Selection and Technical Grounding
Technology First: After early attempts revealed narrative complexities or plot holes, we shifted our strategy to focus explicitly on understanding zero-knowledge proof technology.
Use-Cases and Scenarios: We identified various plausible uses and societal implications of zero-knowledge proofs, such as identity verification, anonymous proof, and privacy preservation, exploring how they could generate narrative tension.
Style Exploration and Literary Influences
Literary References: We referenced flash-fiction authors like Lydia Davis, Amy Hempel, and Diane Williams to set stylistic guidelines for brevity, minimalism, dry humor, and subtle emotional depth.
Tone Experiments: We iteratively refined the narrative tone, experimenting with humor styles (e.g., Larry David’s observational humor, Nathan Fielder’s subtle, dry humor), until finding the most fitting voice.
Iterative Flash Fiction Creation
Initial Vignettes: I drafted short, minimalist pieces reflecting key aspects of zero-knowledge proofs, presenting compact narratives with clear emotional or humorous payoffs.
Collaborative Feedback: You offered immediate feedback and requested revisions, specifying favored elements and tone adjustments, gradually guiding the narratives toward your ideal style.
Expansion and Variation
Multiple Rounds: You prompted me for additional flash-fiction pieces, continually refining the thematic focus, tone, and narrative content based on earlier examples.
Specificity and Detachment: We progressively tightened stylistic constraints—stripping unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, increasing detachment and understated humor, deepening the thematic resonance.
Final Set Creation
Consolidation of Favorites: Based on your preferences, I produced multiple iterations, leading to the final set of flash fiction vignettes.
Consistency and Variation: Each vignette adhered closely to established style and themes but explored unique, distinct scenarios around zero-knowledge proofs.
Say Hello to SoP25
We are happy to announce this year’s teaching fellows! Over the summer, they will create modules and courses in protocol studies. With two years of research openly available in the Summer of Protocols archive, it’s time to translate that into university and online courses, which are slated to be delivered this fall and next spring.
Andrés Monroy-Hernández – Associate Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and former lead of Snap Inc.’s Social Augmented Reality lab.
Ben Zucker – Freelance musician, lecturer, curator and President of New Music Chicago.
Eric Alston – Scholar in Residence in the Finance Division and the Faculty Director of the Hernando de Soto Capital Markets Program at the University of Colorado Boulder
Felix Beer – Researcher with the Technical University of Munich and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Giovanni Merlino – Associate Professor of Computer Science Engineering at the University of Messina.
Helena Rong – Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Interactive Media Business at New York University Shanghai.
Martin Harrigan – Lecturer, researcher, and software engineer at South East Technological University in the Republic of Ireland.
Primavera De Filippi – Artist and legal scholar at Harvard University.
Qiufan (Stanley) Chen – Speculative fiction author, Berggruen Institute Fellow, and Adjunct Professor of Chinese History and Culture at University of Hong Kong
Vaughn Tan – Researcher, consultant, and Honorary Associate Professor for Strategy at University College London.
Yige Wang – Assistant Professor of Social Science at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
You can look forward to open-source teaching materials becoming available later this summer. We welcome participation in this summer’s program via our Discord server, where you can provide ideas, feedback, and freely implement what you find in your own teachings. Come check it out and say hello!
Public Intelligence
On Tuesday, April 22nd at 7PM PDT, learn about Public Intelligence in conversation with Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired Magazine, and Summer of Protocols director Venkatesh Rao.
“Imagine 50 years from now a Public Intelligence that was a distributed, open-source, non-commercial artificial intelligence, operated like the internet, and available to the whole world. This public AI would be a federated system, not owned by any one entity, but powered by millions of participants to create an aggregate intelligence beyond what one host could offer. Public intelligence could be thought of as an inter-intelligence, an AI composed of other AIs, in the way that the internet is a network of networks. This AI of AIs, would be open and permissionless: any AI can join, and its joining would add to the global intelligence. It would be transnational, and wholly global – an AI commons. Like the internet, it would run on protocols that enabled interoperability and standards”
To make sure you don’t miss out on the 2025 Guest Talk Series, subscribe to Protocol Town Hall on YouTube.
Friday Flashback
What happened this week?
A great article on continuous glucose monitors, risky autonomy, and walled gardens by
.On Wednesday, a freewheeling technical dialogue about the intersubjective consensus problem on Protocol Town Hall.
Plenty of interesting conversations in #idle-protocol-musings on our Discord Server, ranging from definitions to AI-powered writing techniques.
An extension (until April 21st) for the Terminological Twists writing contest, after we saw the first, awesome round of submissions and got greedy for more. There are 31 great stories so far.
An interesting article, On Being the Right Size, was shared in the reading-room forum on Discord.
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