Teneo Protocol, the permissionless and decentralized network of Autonomous AI Agents, has officially launched the first phase of its AI Agent Testnet, a major milestone in Teneo’s journey to build the infrastructure for the next generation of AI. The launch brings the first community-run AI agents on its network live, enabling them to process public data streams and earn rewards for their users. The agents run in the background within a browser extension (the Teneo Community Node) and search, structure, and retrieve public digital content from the open web, without any central control, all while rewarding their users. The testnet launch marks the beginning of the shift to real-time, on-chain data processing, giving rise to a decentralized, user-powered AI — built by Teneo and secured by peaq, its layer-1 blockchain backbone.
Real-time digital insights are more valuable than ever — but access to them remains limited. Most of the data shaping today’s digital world is generated by people, yet they receive nothing in return. They have no control over where it goes, who uses it, or how it creates value. As a result, the open web remains fragmented and out of reach for the researchers, developers, and businesses who need meaningful access the most. This means, innovation slows, academic researchers are frequently excluded, and only well-funded players are able to participate. With AI’s future dependent on fresh, real-time, human-generated signals, that kind of gatekeeping has grim implications for the future of innovation. Teneo’s AI agent testnet represents a real step towards an alternative, decentralized future. A browser becomes a node. That node hosts an agent. And that agent starts doing real work, pushing decentralized AI out of theory and into the real world, powered by the community, not Big Tech companies.
Early testers gain access to 2 modes:
- Observer Mode
Where users manually navigate the Web while the agent collects publicly available signals. - Autonomous Mode
Here, the agent autonomously navigates the Web and gathers publicly available signals.
It is important to note that the AI Agent only connects to public data streams and never any private messages, DMs, or personal activity. Everything the agent processes stays on the user’s device unless they choose to share it and support the network. With Teneo, the user is always in control. And when users decide to contribute, their rewards increase — significantly.
The testnet will also introduce ‘Agent Insights’, a new tab on the Teneo Dashboard which allows users to view all their agent activities and download their contributions at any time. Initial testnet access will be limited. Early entry will be granted via a Golden Ticket: a custom NFT that enables the user to join the testnet. Each early tester will receive three tickets to pass on after processing 10,000 data signals keeping the system community-driven from the start.
“With this launch, Phase 3 of the Teneo roadmap is now underway. The groundwork is in place, the community is engaged, and now the network is coming online,” said Leroy Hofer, CEO of Teneo Protocol. “This is the moment where the Node starts being real. We connected the world — with millions powering the Teneo Community Node. Now, it’s time to unleash its full potential.”
For more information visit Teneo Protocol.
