Zero1 Labs (DEAI)

Overview

Zero1 Labs is a project that brings blockchain tools to artificial intelligence. Its token, DEAI, was created on Ethereum. The project’s goal is to give AI builders a way to publish tools, connect applications, and share the value created by their work. Its plans include a network called Cypher, developer platforms, and programs for early-stage projects. (z1labs.ai)

A useful way to understand Zero1 Labs is to separate the token that exists on Ethereum from the wider system the team is building. DEAI can be held and transferred as an Ethereum token. Other proposed uses, such as paying fees on Cypher or rewarding its validators, depend on the development of that network. The project has changed its technical direction over time, making this distinction important when reading about its features. (etherscan.io)

History & Team

From AI tools to a network for agents

Zero1 Labs introduced DEAI through a public sale on Ethereum in March 2024. Its early plans linked three parts: Keymaker, a place to find and build AI tools; the Zero Construct Program, which supports developers; and Cypher, the project’s blockchain infrastructure. In October 2024, the team reported that an early Cypher testnet let participants try ordinary token transfers and encrypted transfers. (z1labs.ai)

The project’s focus then moved toward AI agents—programs designed to carry out tasks with some independence. A December 2024 update introduced plans for Terminal, an interface for creating and changing agents with plain-language commands. On May 12, 2025, Zero1 Labs announced a larger change: Cypher would center on its Model Context Protocol, or MCP, approach, while fully homomorphic encryption would become an optional addition rather than the default way to process data. (z1labs.ai)

Zero1 Labs presents its work as a community effort involving developers, researchers, and Web3 users. Its published partnership announcement names Rostyslav Bortman as Head of AI at Z1. That announcement describes a partnership between the Zero Construct Program and Singapore’s Ignition AI Accelerator to support AI startups with expertise, mentoring, and other resources. It describes a program partnership, rather than a token investment. (z1labs.ai)

Technology & How It Works

Cypher and verifiable AI context

Cypher is the proposed network at the center of Zero1 Labs’ infrastructure plans. In its earlier design, Cypher combined Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility with fully homomorphic encryption, often shortened to FHE. FHE is a method for working with encrypted information without first exposing the underlying data. The team tested encrypted transfers, but later described speed, computing cost, and developer complexity as reasons to change Cypher’s main design. (z1labs.ai)

The newer design puts more weight on recording information about an AI model or agent. Zero1 Labs describes three pieces: a model hash, a digital fingerprint for model weights or prompts; a context manifest, a record of items such as data sources and settings; and a proof stub, a compact commitment intended to support checks later. A hash can help someone check whether recorded material has changed. It does not, by itself, reveal every step an AI system took or judge whether its output is correct. (z1labs.ai)

This design could help applications record which model version they used, connect work to its contributors, and set rules for sharing usage fees. The team has also outlined optional encryption for cases that need private data handling. These are different jobs: context records help track and check information, while encryption helps keep selected information private. Zero1 Labs’ roadmap describes software tools, reference contracts, and a testnet to bring those pieces together. (z1labs.ai)

Tokenomics & Utility

Supply, distribution, and planned roles

DEAI has a stated supply of one billion tokens. The published allocation divides that supply among validators (37.5%), an ecosystem growth fund (15%), core contributors (15%), a foundation (12.5%), the public sale (7.5%), an angel round (5%), advisers (5%), and Zero Construct incentives (2.5%). These percentages describe how the original supply was assigned to purposes; they do not say how many tokens are available for use at any given time. (etherscan.io)

Vesting spreads the release of allocated tokens over time. In 2024, Zero1 Labs reported that its community voted to lengthen vesting schedules. A later roadmap linked further releases for validators, core contributors, and the foundation to a Cypher network launch. This matters to the project’s economic model because a token set aside for future network rewards plays a different role from one already being used. (z1labs.ai)

DEAI has been used in the project’s staking plans and incentive programs. Zero1 Labs has also proposed it as Cypher’s fee token and as a way for validators to participate in securing the network. Under that plan, node operators would stake tokens, process transactions, and receive rewards. The team has described governance uses and a possible system that burns a portion of certain network fees. Those Cypher roles are part of the network design, so their practical importance depends on how the network is delivered and used. (z1labs.ai)

Ecosystem & Use Cases

Tools for builders and users

Keymaker is Zero1 Labs’ platform for AI tools and applications. The project describes it as a place where builders can connect their products through APIs and where users can discover tools. Its design links application use to developer rewards. For a builder, this could mean using a shared set of tools instead of making every connection from the ground up. For a user, it could mean finding several AI services through one platform. (z1labs.ai)

The Zero Construct Program supports teams working on decentralized AI products. Zero1 Labs has described grants and help with product development as parts of the program. It has also announced collaborations with NEAR on builder activities and with the Ignition AI Accelerator on support for startups. Such programs are one way the project aims to bring applications to its tools and network. (z1labs.ai)

The Cypher roadmap gives examples of what builders might make: a registry that records AI model versions, agents whose declared models can be checked, systems that recognize contributions to model training, and creative-work tools that record generation details. Terminal and the planned Nexus Hub extend that idea toward interfaces for building agents and viewing their activity. These examples explain the intended uses of the infrastructure; the roadmap sets out stages of development rather than a count of finished applications. (z1labs.ai)

Advantages & Challenges

Zero1 Labs brings several related ideas under one project. Its Ethereum token provides an established format for holding and transferring DEAI. Keymaker addresses the need to connect AI tools, while the Zero Construct Program addresses the need for developer support. Cypher’s newer context-based design gives the team a way to work on model records and agent activity without making encrypted computation the default for every task. (etherscan.io)

The challenge is making those parts work together in applications people use. The team’s shift away from FHE as Cypher’s default shows how difficult private AI computation can be to deliver at a practical speed and cost. Context records also have limits: checking that a recorded model or setting stayed the same is different from checking the quality of an AI answer. DEAI’s planned fee, validator, and reward roles will have the most meaning when the related network functions are operating and being used. (z1labs.ai)

Where to Buy & Wallets

DEAI can be purchased through swaps on Uniswap V3 on Ethereum. DEAI is an Ethereum ERC-20 token, so an Ethereum-compatible wallet can hold it. MetaMask supports adding ERC-20 tokens by contract address when they do not appear automatically. The Ethereum contract address for DEAI is 0x1495bc9e44af1f8bcb62278d2bec4540cf0c05ea. (coingecko.com)

An Ethereum wallet uses the network’s native ETH to pay for transactions, including a swap or a transfer of DEAI. The contract address identifies the token in wallet and swap interfaces; the ticker alone is less specific. Centralized platforms have also announced DEAI listings in the past, including LCX, but an announced listing is a record of that platform’s offering at the time of the announcement. (developers.uniswap.org)

Regulatory & Compliance

DEAI’s treatment under financial rules depends on where an activity takes place and what that activity involves. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2026 guidance explains that the features of a crypto asset and the circumstances of its offer or sale can both matter under securities law. In the European Union, the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework sets requirements for certain crypto-asset offers, trading admissions, and service providers, including white-paper requirements in relevant cases. In the United Kingdom, rules for promoting qualifying cryptoassets apply to firms marketing them to UK consumers. These frameworks concern activities around tokens; they do not provide a single worldwide classification for DEAI. (sec.gov)

Zero1 Labs’ published materials describe DEAI’s technical and economic roles, including staking and proposed network rewards. They do not establish a religious ruling for the token. A halal or Shariah-compliance assessment would need to consider how those roles work in practice, the rights attached to the token, and the standards applied by a qualified Islamic-finance reviewer. (z1labs.ai)

Future Outlook

The clearest guide to Zero1 Labs’ direction is its move toward verifiable AI context and agents. Its roadmap describes further work on model records, developer tools, an agent marketplace, Terminal, and optional privacy features. These plans build on the Cypher testnet work reported in 2024, but a roadmap describes intended work, not completed deployment. (z1labs.ai)

The project’s next steps connect technology and token utility. A useful context system needs builders to publish models and applications with records others can check. A useful network economy needs those applications to make practical use of DEAI’s proposed fees, incentives, and governance roles. How those pieces develop will shape Zero1 Labs’ place among projects combining AI and blockchain. (z1labs.ai)

Summary

Zero1 Labs uses DEAI to connect its AI-builder ecosystem with a planned network for recording and checking model and agent activity. Its story includes an Ethereum token, developer tools, an early Cypher testnet, and a major change from FHE-first computing to a context-focused design. The project’s lasting contribution will depend on how well its tools, network, and token roles come together in working applications. (etherscan.io)