Humans AI is excited to announce that it’s getting ready to release the testnet for the Humans Blockchain. Without a doubt, this marks an important milestone for the Blockchain of AIs, which will see the testing and implementation of multiple innovative functionalities and features. The Humans Testnet is a world-first in the tech world, being the first blockchain testnet able to execute AI in a Web3 context. The future we are headed towards will be decentralized, and Humans AI aims to populate it one AI at a time.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. All we can say for now is that the Humans Blockchain will have an incentivized testnet separated into multiple phases. If you are a developer and want to get your hands dirty and earn some revenue, we challenge you to get on board and join the Humans testnet when it goes live.
But until the official launch of the Humans Testnet, let’s dial back a bit and see all this fuss, namely, what a testnet is and why you should care.
Regardless if you are a tech person or not, blockchain testnets are an interesting topic because they come in different shapes and sizes, but also because they help support developers to ensure the security of blockchain networks and to enrich them with new features.
The name basically gives it away. A testnet or a test network is a sandbox environment that allows programmers and developers to create, modify, upgrade and, of course, test a blockchain and other related decentralized applications (Dapps), as well as monitor their performance and iron out some flaws, before making them accessible to the public.
A testnet is usually a carbon copy of the main blockchain. At the same time, it is an entirely separate network that allows developers and the community to run wild to see what works and what doesn’t and how they can improve the ecosystem. This makes it an excellent medium to test new ideas, functionalities, and features without risking breaking anything on the main blockchain.
Benefits of using a testnet
In the tech world, there is a general rule of thumb — the more time you spend testing your product, the more stable and secure it will be. Also, you never make changes directly in the production code (the live version of a product/service). Due to their immutable nature and the financial stakes involved, this is especially true for blockchain technology, where one seemingly small change can have unforeseen consequences down the line. This is where a test net comes in.
Running tests on a blockchain can be very expensive. Transactions on a blockchain have fees attached to them, so making changes, launching projects, and testing Dapps on the main blockchain will lead to substantial fees, making these types of tests unfeasible. On the other hand, in a testnet, transactions are basically free, and the tokens that populate a testnet have no monetary value, their role being to simulate operations that take place on the main blockchain. Also, testnet coins are not compatible with mainnet coins, and vice-versa.
One of the most advantageous characteristics that make blockchain valuable but, at the same time, difficult to work with is its immutable nature. Immutability implies that once a change is made in a blockchain, it is extremely difficult to delete or revert the system to a previous version. This feature makes life extremely difficult for Dapp and smart contract developers who need to ensure that their code has no vulnerabilities or potential back doors that can be exploited. In the past, these types of code vulnerabilities have led to some of the most famous security incidents like the DAO or Mt Gox.
The Humans Testnet is getting ready
The Humans Testnet is right around the corner! Humans.ai has made it its mission to democratize artificial intelligence. To achieve its goal the company is using the tools and technologies developed by Cosmos, an ecosystem of interconnected blockchains that is often dubbed the internet of blockchains. Among the technologies found in its own toolbox, Humans.ai is going to leverage Cosmos SDK, CosmWasm, and the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) to set the foundation for an interconnected blockchain environment for artificial intelligence.
The technology developed by Cosmos comes with a set of inherent design features and characteristics that aligns perfectly with Humans.ai’s goals of putting a human behind every AI while also solving pressing issues concerning the governance, monetization and execution of AI products.
Organized as an incentivized testnet, the Humans Testnet will have a series of competitive challenges that will be made available for the community to solve, preparing them for their role as validators. Each challenge will come with a reward pool that will be split between the members of the community who provide the best solution.
Note: Validators in the Humans blockchain are split into two categories: validator nodes that ensure the consensus and security of the network and workload nodes that are responsible for facilitating the execution of AI on the blockchain.
When the Humans Testnet goes live, a strong emphasis will be placed on ensuring core blockchain parameters like governance, inflation, staking, DAO, proposals, bank and accounts. The team will also focus on creating and validating the first Proof of Human (PoH) algorithm by testing the liveness of users and the data provided.
Testnet stage in action
Overall, during the testnet stage, the Humans Blockchain will be subjected to rigorous tests to ensure that the network functions at the desired parameters and that every functionality and feature works as intended. Some of the tests performed will focus on:
· Benchmarking and stress testing the genesis peer nodes and the jail, bond, and unbonding process of new validators — in a blockchain, the role of validators is essential for the functioning of the system
· Testing the initial set of workload nodes by running an AI that operates completely on the testnet. After the initial tests are successful, the AI will be upgraded to use Proof of Human — our goal is to put AIs on Blockchain and to control them by real humans
· Testing the beta version of the AI NFT marketplace where users can send, buy and execute AI NFTs — a very important step in Humans.ai’s development for building an economy of AIs
· Testing the Ethereum bridging function, which facilitates the cross-transfer of $HEART tokens from Ethereum to the Humans blockchain — building your own blockchain in a decentralized world needs a new flow for using crypto without boundaries.
· Force upgrading the network by releasing a new testnet binary — security and the health of our environment becomes essential for the economy of AIs.
Blockchain testnets are the matrix for the new economic order
Each blockchain network has different requirements, so no testnet is exactly the same, but from a broader perspective, they can be differentiated into two categories:
· A testnet that appears before a mainnet
· A testnet that appears after the mainnet is operational
The main actors involved in shaping a blockchain network are Dapp developers and blockchain developers. Often mixed up, these two types of developers differ from one another. Blockchain developers are platform developers who help build the network from the ground up, while Dapp developers are the ones who write smart contracts and other Dapps. In a testnet environment, it is not uncommon for the two to work together to improve the network.
Testnets that appear before the mainnet
Although testnets are primarily used for testing purposes, the context in which this type of network is released can influence the perception and impact of the release. A testnet that appears before the mainnet usually focuses, at least in its early stages, more on the network itself to ensure that it is operational and stable. Most of the people working on it will be blockchain developers who work to ensure that the network is secure and capable to support Dapps and smart contract development.
The focus is to build a strong community of validators who will play an essential role in maintaining the network and developers who will populate it with smart contracts and Dapps. In this stage, the testnet also acts as an educational tool, alongside its documentation, to help validators get familiarized with the ins and outs of the ecosystem. As testing progresses, developers gather all the feedback and insights and get an idea of how they can improve the platform further before the launch of the mainnet.
When it goes live, the Humans testnet, at least its initial iterations, will be a testnet that is launched before the mainnet.
Testnets that appear after the mainnet
So, you now have your blockchain network up and running, and everything seems to be working within optimal parameters. You tested every aspect of your network and even added some improvements down the line. The question is, do you still need your testnet, or has it outlived its purpose? The short answer is yes.
The first type of testnet we looked at was focused on blockchain developers who used it as a starting point for their network. But once the mainnet is launched, the testnet isn’t discarded. It still plays an invaluable role. As a nearly identical copy of the live network, Dapp developers will rely extensively on the testnet to test their applications with effectively zero risk. Things running in a testnet are expected to break, and by breaking them repeatedly, developers get to understand why they break and how to fix the issue so it doesn’t happen in the mainnet. To sum things up, testnets are a controlled environment that allows developers to rigorously test their applications and increase their overall value.
Conclusion
Following the same logic, the Humans Testnet will continue to exist once the mainnet goes live and it will be primarily used by developers to test AI applications, making sure that everything runs at the highest standards.
Humans AI is putting the finishing touches on the testnet for the Blockchain of AIs, the first blockchain network from the Cosmos ecosystem capable of managing, deploying and executing artificial intelligence on the blockchain. If you want to get involved in shaping the AI of the future, you can enroll as a validator by accessing this link and filling in your details.
