PNSQC presenters share thoughts on future of testing
At PNSQC this year, we definitely have Artificial Intelligence on our minds. Our 2018 program lineup of Keynotes and paper presenters tackle this issue from many different angles — sure to spark interest, and possibly even industry change.
Importance of AI
A huge concern in the industry right now is a worry that AI is being developed to take QA and testing tasks away from teams.
As presenter Jason Arbon shared in his 2017 talk “AI and Machine Learning for Testers,” every tester has been worried about the day that AI would automatically test their software for them. Arbon’s work looks at how people will still take an active role in AI, including how they’ll be the ones who will be training robots to find bugs.
Two of our 2018 Keynotes and an Invited Speaker also recently shared their enthusiasm for machine learning.
- Tariq King, a co-founder of the Artificial Intelligence for Software Testing Association with Arbon and upcoming Keynote, said in a recent interview, “There a lot of new vendors using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools… we can leverage AI in a number of ways — there’s almost a direct relationship between AI and testing.”
- Keynote Jennifer Bonine recently shared in an interview that people are hesitant to accept AI when it comes to testing because they don’t understand it. “We need to understand what it is. Trust your AI, but validate that your AI is correct. Don’t just assume.”
- In a recent blog post, Invited Speaker Alan Page said: “I think writing automation, especially UI automation, is a horrible way to learn and exercise those technical skills.” He continues, “By far, the most delicate, and difficult code I’ve ever had to write has been UI Automation — yet we think this is a good starting point for testers who want to become “more technical.” It’s just a horrible place to start.”
These presenters will be sharing more about AI and beyond in their talks and workshops in October at PNSQC.
Presentations to Attend
Our 2018 schedule is full of presenters sharing real-world experience with the latest in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, including:
- AI-Driven Test Generation: Machine learning from human testers — Software is evolving, and testing has to keep up. Current test automation can’t generalize across applications and can’t mimic human intelligence. This team from Ultimate Software is tackling the large gap between the current state of practice and a fully automated solution to software testing.
- On The Road to Reliability for Reliability for Android Robots in Physical World — This high school team shares a case study of android robot development and how to measure and evaluate QA. Many are worried that AI is going to take our jobs, but someone has to ensure the QA of the robots!
- How to Automate Testing for Next-Generation Interfaces (BOTs, Alexa, Mobile) — We now communicate with customers through multiple points of engagement and interfaces, from web, mobile, and voice, to BOTs and apps like Alexa or Siri. But traditional testing and automation processes simply don’t apply to next-generation interfaces. Learn about the challenges, and how to effectively test them.
- Testing Internet of Things — Devices designed to make our lives easier also leave us vulnerable. Learn from real-world exploits, see what IoT loopholes exist, discover possible functional testing challenges, and get ideas of suggested plugs for potential inter-operational data leaks.
Be sure to attend PNSQC this year to see these presentations. Additionally, there will also be lunchtime and after-hours networking opportunities to further discuss these topics.
We look forward to seeing you in October!
