Failing to Unlock the Power of Generative AI in Software Testing | Toronto Meet
Join Robert Sabourin, an industry veteran, as he shares real-world case studies of generative AI in testing—where it worked, where it failed, and what he learned from those failures. Expect hard-hitting insights, practical takeaways, and a no-nonsense look at AI’s impact on software testing. If you’ve ever wondered whether AI is a friend or foe in testing, this is the session you can’t afford to miss!
📅 Date: February 26, 2025 (Wednesday)
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
📍 Location: Intuit Canada, 8 Spadina Ave, Suite 1900, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8
Session 01: Failing to Unlock the Power of Generative AI in Software Testing
An Experience Report in Three-Part Harmony by Robert Sabourin
"Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes." – John Dewey
"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." – James Joyce
"The greatest teacher, failure is." – Yoda, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Rob believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is dramatically polluting industries, organizations, businesses, technologies, and even cultures at an alarming pace—and software testing is no exception, caught in the overwhelming tsunami of generative AI. Rather than simply complain about this transformation, I have chosen to use it as an opportunity to learn and evolve.
Throughout his career he has witnessed thousands of changes in technologies, methods, and techniques. So why not treat generative AI—powered by large language models (LLMs)—as a novel opportunity to enhance, accelerate, and even rethink my personal testing approach? He seeks to explore how AI can truly support software testers in their day-to-day work. What are the risks and rewards of integrating such technology into our workflows?
In this engaging and thought-provoking talk, I will share my journey of discovering how AI, machine learning, and LLMs might support my software testing activities. I will present three recent case studies in which generative AI was employed to address complex testing challenges:
High-Stakes Data Integrity Testing
Test Idea Generation for Just-in-Time Testing
Basis Path Generation for Control Flow Testing
Although he has not yet reached any definitive conclusions—having encountered significant obstacles while attempting to integrate generative AI into a practical new tool—he has gained valuable insights by learning from my failures. Join me as I explore the promises and pitfalls of harnessing generative AI in software testing, and discover how learning from safe failure can steer growth and innovation.
Speaker: Robert Sabourin
Robert Sabourin has more than thirty-eight years of management experience, leading teams of software development professionals. A well-respected member of the software engineering community, Robert has managed, trained, mentored, and coached thousands of top professionals in the field. He frequently speaks at conferences and writes on software engineering, SQA, testing, management, and internationalization. The author of I am a Bug! the popular software testing children’s book, Robert is an adjunct professor of Software Engineering at McGill University. Robert is the principal consultant (&president/janitor) of AmiBug.Com, Inc.
Agenda:
6:00 PM - 06:15 PM - Welcome and Introductions
06:15 PM - 06:30 PM - Icebreaker games
06:30 PM - 07:30 PM - Session by Robert Sabourin(President) on “Failing to Unlock the Power of Generative AI in Software Testing”
07:30 PM - 07:45 PM - Q&A
07:45 PM - 09:00 PM - Networking over snacks
09:00 PM - Meetup comes to an end
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