The evolving role of a tester in a "AI All the Things!" world.
About Topic
Experienced testers have found a method to apply their most distinctive skills in order to differentiate themselves from others, and provide value to their organizations. This typically comes from having observed years of failures and near failures, and adapting their senses and critical thinking to observe, analyze and manage uncertainty in projects in ways that others cannot. This applies to both testers focusing on instrumentation, as well as those more focused on exploratory or tactical direct testing. And… as companies integrate large language models and agentic AI more and more into their previously better defined product expectations, heuristics and sources of truth are harder to come by. Identifying how a system truly behaves involves faster iterations of change, and often in areas of the product that a tester cannot easily access how decisions are made.
How does a tester remain valuable today, AND continuously adapt to what is coming next week? Or tomorrow? What does their role look like, and where should testers be spending their time to ensure their value does not diminish? Let’s talk about it.
Key Takeaways
- A breakdown of opportunities in companies expanding into AI
- Some key approaches on how to adapt and help highlight a tester’s value to a company approaching GenAI for the first time
About Speaker
Martin Hynie has spent decades building software and navigating the ever-evolving landscape of technology. His recent work focuses on helping organizations implement Explainable AI (XAI) strategies and tooling, ensuring sustainable governance over emerging challenges.
Throughout his career, Martin has seamlessly transitioned between deep technical work and exploring the human dynamics within organizations. His most impactful experiences come from working within research teams, providing external consulting, coaching, and serving in various engineering leadership roles.
Martin is particularly fascinated by the complexity of large organizations and how culture continuously adapts with every shift at any level. He is passionate about uncovering opportunities within and across codependent organizations, believing that true effectiveness stems from trust, mutual learning, aligned values, shared humility, and balanced empathy. While the approach may vary, the goal remains the same—creating environments where teams can thrive.
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