Testing Craftsmanship Evolving in the Age of AI | 15th Toronto Meetup
AI is changing how testing work gets done, but it does not remove the need for judgement.
Tools, frameworks, and automation techniques will continue to evolve. The harder question is what testers still need to understand, challenge, and decide for themselves as AI becomes part of the testing process.
At The Test Tribe’s 15th Toronto Meetup, Jacky Zhang( Test Architect at General Motors) will examine how testing craftsmanship has changed through earlier technology shifts, where AI fits into that progression, and which parts of the discipline still depend on human thinking.
Event Details
Date: August 26, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
Venue: To be announced
What's on the Agenda?
Testing Craftsmanship Evolving in the Age of AI
Speaker: Jacky Zhang, Test Architect, General Motors
Drawing on two decades of hands-on experience in automation, computer vision, OCR, and large language model experimentation, Jacky will trace how testing craftsmanship has evolved through major changes in technology.
The session will position AI as another significant shift in the discipline rather than a complete break from what came before.
Jacky will discuss several barriers that teams need to consider when adopting AI in testing, including hallucination, limited generalisation, compliance constraints, infrastructure cost, and unclear return on investment.
He will also examine why stable engineering foundations, critical thinking, and a clear understanding of quality goals and human needs remain important, even as AI takes on a larger role in testing workflows.
How This Meetup Solves Your Problem
Many teams are being asked to adopt AI in testing without a clear definition of where it should be used, what risks it introduces, or how success should be measured.
This session will help you think more clearly about:
Where AI can support testing work
Where its limitations still require human review
Why engineering fundamentals remain important
How testers can contribute beyond writing and maintaining scripts
How roles may expand toward quality strategy, knowledge design, and human-centered risk analysis
The aim is to give attendees a grounded way to assess AI adoption without treating every new capability as either a replacement for testers or a solution to every testing problem.
Why You Should Show Up
This meetup is an opportunity to hear a practitioner’s perspective on how testing roles may change as AI capabilities grow, while also examining the parts of quality work that remain difficult to automate.
You will be able to ask questions, compare experiences with peers, and discuss how different teams are approaching AI in testing.
The evening will also bring together testers, automation engineers, QA leaders, and other technology professionals from Toronto’s testing community.
Become a Speaker at The Test Tribe events:
Wish to share your insights with the community at a future event? Submit your talk idea here and our team will get back to you, if the idea resonates with them too.
About The Test Tribe
The Test Tribe is the world's largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 700+ events and 150K+ members across 130+ countries, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more.
By RSVPing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and consent to be contacted by The Test Tribe and our event partners