test.ai Blog Testing the Metaverse and Beyond

Why We Can't Wait to Automate!Metaverse: a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection and often described as a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal, simulated world that is facilitated by virtual and augmented reality technologies.What is the Metaverse really?Although this article began with a fancy definition, no one really agrees on what the metaverse is or isn't. Conceptually, it's not hard to grasp the metaverse as an online 3D cyberspace connecting users across the globe in various aspects of their lives. Think of multiple computing devices and platforms connected together via the Internet, allowing each user's avatar or character to navigate through a virtual space and become immersed in different experiences everywhere from virtual hangouts to sports games, bar mitzvah's, weddings, and more. In reality though, the metaverse doesn't exist, well at least not yet.The idea of the metaverse was first developed in the science-fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Stephenson had a vision of a virtual-reality (VR) based Internet evolving into a world that resembled a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. In it, the metaverse would be populated by user-controlled as well as system daemons running in the background. While the idea of a metaverse was once fiction, it is looking more and more likely that it will soon be a reality. As you may know, the social networking giant Facebook has gone as far changing its name to Meta to reflect their belief that the metaverse is the next evolution of social connections, and are committed to bringing the metaverse to life.Where Can I Experience the Metaverse?Let's take a look at some instances where the global coronavirus pandemic pushed quite a few metaverse-like experiences to the forefront of our personal and professional lives. Here, I'll share a few of my own experiences and encourage you to chime in with any others...Gather.TownIn the Fall of 2020, I was getting ready to log into the StarWest testing conference. As a testing nerd, this was nothing new for me. After all, I'd attended this and several similar conferences over the last decade or so. However, this particular year, the conference had to be held virtually because of global shutdowns due to the pandemic. StarWest has always had a virtual component for folks who could not attend in-person to be able to watch the keynote sessions for free. However, upon logging in, I wasn't greeted with the usual interface with web links and embedded video streams. Instead, I was transported into a 2D virtual space called gather.town.Waiting for Jason Arbon to show up in Gather.Town for our couch session at StarWest 2020The floor plan for the virtual space was quite similar to the floor plan for the physical conference and, as an attendee, I could select an 8-bit avatar and now instead of jumping from link to link, it was possible to walk my avatar from one session to another, and even bump into other folks for a quick catch-up along the way. As you walk up to another avatar or group, your video feed automatically appears and you can immediately engage in the conversation. My buddy Jason Arbon and I, even held our "Ask Us Anything" couch session virtually in Gather. The above screenshot of me waiting for Jason to show up for our session is living proof that some things probably won't change, even in the metaverse :)It was also cool to walk up on the main stage with my avatar to see myself and the other keynote speakers. Although the experience was completely retro with the 2D space and 8-bit characters, this gave me a good glimpse of what the metaverse could be like.My virtual avatar walking up on stage during the lightning keynote session at StarWest 2020Virtual and Augmented RealityOnce the pandemic hit, I found myself spending a lot more time using my Oculus Quest 2. When it was time for the olympics, I wondered if there was anything available in VR that could get me in close on the action. Thankfully, the Tokyo Olympics presented some live and full event replays on the Quest 2 for pay-TV subscribers in the United States. Set up was easy, as I just had to download an app is called NBC Olympics VR by Xfinity and sign in with my account. And there I was watching the opening and closing ceremonies, and my favorite Track & Field and other sporting events in 3D VR. I even set up a watch party with a few of my Oculus Friends who were also subscribers.Watching the NBC Olympics VR by Xfinity on the Oculus Quest 2I was also able to get my wife and kids involved in trying out various Quest 2 experiences, ranging from playing Beat Saber to realistic simulations like the Jurassic World: Apatosaurus VR experience. If you're trying to get an idea of what the metaverse may be like, I'd suggest trying out some of the VR or augmented reality (AR) headsets as the metaverse will likely be powered by these technologies.Video GamesYou can already find elements of the metaverse in popular video games like Second Life, World of Warcraft, and Fortnite. Because of the services they now offer, along with the emphasis on 3D VR, video games are perhaps the closest you can currently get to a metaverse experience. My kids are huge fans of video games like Roblox and Fortnite, which now host virtual events like concerts and meetups. That's right, gamers aren't just playing games anymore, they are using gaming platforms for all aspects of their lives in cyberspace. I just had to check out this stuff for myself and so in Fortnite, along with 12.3 million other players, I took part in Travis Scott's virtual in-game music tour.Travis Scott's In-Game Music Tour within the Fortnite MetaverseIt is important to note that many of these "metaverse" elements aren't new to the gaming world. For instance, it's been 20 years since a wedding was held in the game Second Life and, since 1996, player avatars have been roaming around the 32-bit meadows of Furcadia, one of the oldest massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).Furcadia is one of the longest running social MMORPG's got a visual overhaul in 2016.To bring things full circle, a group of developers came up with a novel way to host a DevOps conference within the popular Nintendo game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.Deserted Island DevOps Conference 2020 hosted virtually within the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.Why We Can't Wait to Automate the Metaverse?As the buzz and hype around the metaverse continues, many are raising concerns about the potential risks in an environment where the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds are blurred. These risks and concerns associated with the metaverse are a large part of the motivation for why we can't wait to begin investigating automated metaverse testing techniques. Here's a quick list of some of the key challenges:Risks and Quality ConcernsIdentity and Reputation- Ensuring an avatar is who they say they are in the metaverse. Along with identity authentication and verification comes the need to protect users in the metaverse against impersonation and activities that may harm their reputation.Ownership and Property - People have already started to purchase digital assets like NFT art and virtual properties. The metaverse raises two key questions: how can ownership rights be grated for creators of digital assets? and how can ownership be verified?Theft and Fraud - As banking, currency, payment systems, and other forms of commerce migrate to the metaverse, we are likely to see an increase in attacks that result in stealing, scamming and other types of crimes for financial gain.Data - Folks are already speculating that the metaverse is yet another ploy by the tech giants to get more data. After all, control of data can help organizations control markets. Whether or not you believe there is a conspiracy to get your data, there's no doubt that nowadays the abuse of data and misinformation is widespread and needs much attention.Invisible Avatar Eavesdropping - Malicious actors may figure out how to make their presences in the metaverse undetectable, and use such an exploit to invisibly join meetings and eavesdrop on private conversations.Harassment and Personal Safety - Did you know that a woman was sexually harassed on Meta's VR social media platform? Harassment and personal safety is not just a physical thing, it can be verbal and now a virtual experience that should be prevented.Legislation and Jurisdiction - In a virtual space that is accessible to anyone across the world, it is essential to be able to identify any boundaries of that space and put rules into place to make sure it is safe and secure for everyone.User Experience - The ability of the metaverse to become a space where people can connect, form meaningful relationships and become fully immersed in its surroundings, is directly correlated with its visual and graphical fidelity along with other aspects of look and feel. Visual, audio, performance, accessibility and other issues are therefore likely to detract from the overall metaverse user experience.Promising DirectionsEven with such a tall order of risks, concerns, and testing challenges, there's much more behind our motivation to automate testing of the metaverse. AI and machine learning (ML) has been helping us to design and develop new, more robust, and resilient, automated testing tools, products, and frameworks. The engineering team at test.ai has pioneered many of these innovations and continue to leverage AI to solve some of the hardest testing problems we have today. Here are some examples of where much of our work to date directly correlates and translates into automated testing of metaverse-like experiences.AI for Testing Digital AvatarsComputer vision unlocks a realm of possibilities for test automation. Bots can be trained to recognize and interact with visual elements, just like humans do. We applied our AI-driven testing technology to the validation of digital personas lik