Testing in the Age of AI

Testing Peers

Welcome to episode 135 of the Testing Peers Podcast. This time join Chris, Russell, David and the returning Jon Robinson as we talk all things AI in testing.

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how we approach testing, QA and quality. But what happens when the pace of change accelerates? In this episode, the Peers explore what AI might mean for our profession, our skills and the value we bring.

We discuss:

• The future of QA roles in the next 3–5 years and which functions may fade or evolve.
• Why exploratory testing could become more important as AI takes on repetitive checking.
• The risk of over-reliance on AI tools, from hallucinations to “blind hope” in outputs.
• New skills testers may need: data literacy, training and validating models, and critical thinking about outputs.
• Shifts in business mindsets: AI as a cost-cutting tool vs AI as an enabler.
• The challenges of scalability, maintainability and sustainability when using AI.
• Ethical and legal concerns around data sharing, intellectual property and training models.
• How diverse skills and perspectives remain crucial for testing in an AI-driven future.

Along the way, we touch on topics from token debt and environmental impact, to healthcare examples, to why trust and human experience still matter.

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nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They’ve been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing and fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers and they’ve now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

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