AI-Augmented Testing -
Use Cases and Trends
Aparana Gupta
Director of Engineering
Microsoft
Rahul Verma
Senior Consultant & AI Coach
Vinayak Hegde
Ex-Principal AI Advocate
Microsoft
Sobhitha Neelanath
Co-Founder & CTO
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Session Outline
Discover how AI is reshaping software testing from generating intelligent test scenarios and synthetic test data, to resilient self-healing automation and insightful results analysis, all while keeping the human-in-the-loop where judgment and oversight matter most. Explore the journey toward more autonomous testing and learn practical ways to enhance coverage, reduce maintenance, and deliver higher quality faster, without losing critical human control.
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Key areas this panel will address
Panelist
With over 15 years of trailblazing expertise at the nexus of artificial intelligence and data science, Aparana Gupta stands as a beacon of leadership in the technology arena. Her illustrious career, underpinned by an distinguished academic lineage and a relentless commitment to product excellence and design thinking, has propelled her to the forefront of the industry. Renowned for fostering data-centric, AI-empowered cultures, Aparana has consistently ignited innovation and accelerated strategic growth across multiple domains.
Her expansive interdisciplinary skill set spans Statistical and Stochastic Modeling, Machine Learning, Prompt Engineering, and Data Strategy – expertise that not only places her among the elite leaders in AI and analytics but also makes her a highly sought-after thought leader, speaker, and mentor.
At Microsoft Digital & Employee Experience, Aparana Gupta leads a vibrant and diverse team as Principal Software Engineering Manager, passionately engineering next-generation AI solutions. By artfully integrating data, design, technology, and leadership, she is actively shaping the future of innovation.
Rahul Verma is an awarded thought leader for his contributions to the testing community. He is a Senior Coach and Consultant with trendig technology services gmbh. He is the creator of Swayam – an LLM framework for layered prompting and Arjuna – a free, open-source Python based modern test automation framework. He is a contributing author and reviewer for various certification bodies including Artificial Intelligence United, Selenium United, ISTQB and CMAP.
His software testing experience includes using Large Language Models in testing, building test automation frameworks in Python, web security, white box testing and web performance testing. His research work focuses on exploring meta-programming and object oriented design patterns as applied to automating activities in all these areas.
He has presented, published articles and educated thousands of testers in the said areas. His testing ideas and work are deeply influenced by his deep interest in poetry and spirituality.
Vinayak Hegde is a Fractional CTO and AI Advisor with over 20 years of experience in building and scaling AI-driven products. His expertise spans Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and large-scale data systems, with a track record of leading technical and cross-functional teams across domains like Ad-tech, developer tools, content delivery networks, and IoT. Vinayak has contributed to the growth of early-stage startups—such as Speedera (acquired by Akamai), InMobi, and Zoomcar—through various phases from 0-to-1 and beyond. He actively advises and invests in deep-tech startups, helping shape AI strategy and execution.
Host
Balaji Ponnada is a seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of experience in software testing and quality engineering. He has driven excellence across Delivery, Automation, and IoT Centers of Excellence, while also playing a strategic role in presales. Balaji has led enterprise-wide Quality Engineering consulting engagements, enabling transformation through AI-driven automation and next-gen methodologies. Known for his focus on innovation, scalability, and measurable outcomes, he specializes in building future-ready testing ecosystems that deliver real business value.
