What applications could Kaspa's zero-knowledge proof verification enable?

Kaspa's zero-knowledge proof verification could unlock a range of new capabilities by allowing the network to check the results of off-chain computation on-chain. Zero-knowledge proofs let one party prove that a computation was done correctly without revealing all the underlying data. According to KIP-0016, adding these opcodes to Kaspa could enable scalable Layer 2 systems — where transactions are processed off the main chain but verified on it — as well as privacy-preserving transactions and decentralized bridge infrastructure. For a beginner, this matters because it points toward a version of Kaspa where more complex applications can run without slowing down the base network, and where users may have more options for protecting transaction privacy.