We know engineering practices are rapidly evolving. AI is changing how we think about software engineering and its adjacent practices. What will software testing look like, and importantly, how will our role evolve?
For answers, we must step back into the past and examine what has remained constant despite the frequent disruptions the software testing industry has experienced. We must explore what has worked and what has failed.
We must refrain from providing a one size fits all approach to the solution, but rather identify patterns that will help us determine what software testing should look like.
Rather than waiting for the future to arrive and change us, we must be ready, with ideas on how the future of quality engineering might look.

In an era defined by rapid digital transformation, organizations are under pressure to deliver high-quality software at speed and scale. Traditional test automation approaches are no longer sufficient to keep up with the agility and complexity of modern tech stacks. In this keynote, we’ll explore how Artificial Intelligence is redefining the role of Quality Engineering — from reactive gatekeeping to proactive enablers of innovation.

We’ll dive into practical AI-driven techniques that are revolutionizing test design, execution, and defect prediction. Drawing from real-world examples, I’ll illustrate how AI can boost test coverage, reduce maintenance overhead, and unlock predictive insights — all while aligning QA with broader business goals.

This session is not just about the “what” and “why” — but more importantly, about the “how” — empowering engineering leaders and QA professionals to embrace AI with confidence and clarity.

• Test Automation Trends and Industry Insights: Trace the evolution of test automation — from manual scripts to intelligent frameworks — and gain insights into current industry shifts shaping the future of quality engineering.
• AI as a Catalyst in QE: Understand how AI is transforming quality engineering from a cost centre into a strategic differentiator.
• Beyond Scripts: Embracing Intelligent Automation: Discover the transition from rule-based automation to AI-powered testing — including autonomous execution, NLP-driven test case generation, and adaptive test maintenance.
• Shift-Left and Shift-Right with AI: Discover how AI integrates into the entire SDLC — from predictive quality to production monitoring.
• Human + AI Synergy in Testing: Understand how QA teams can leverage AI not as a replacement, but as a powerful collaborator — amplifying human judgment, reducing repetitive tasks, and accelerating innovation.
• Kickstarting Your AI-in-QA Journey: Practical strategies and tools for organizations looking to begin or scale their AI-in-QA journey.

This session will discuss automation, test data management, test scripting, exploratory testing enhance testing with Large Language Model (LLM) Identify opportunities to improve test quality with AI Construct test automation with AI tools Ideas during exploratory testing using AI tools Leverage AI tools to aid the design process of new features Improve testability with AI tools Maximize output with prompt engineering

Leverage AI and LLMs and GenAI to improve your software and data testing efficiency Learn new tools and tricks for Testing

As digital transformation accelerates, Quality Assurance is evolving into a critical driver of innovation and business success. This session delves into the transformation of QA into quality engineering, where automation, agile practices, and data-driven strategies converge to meet the demands of speed, scale, and superior customer experience. Discover the tools, techniques, and future trends redefining quality in the digital age—and learn how to position QA as a catalyst for continuous improvement and competitive advantage.

The audience would get an understanding of the following:

• The role of QA in Digital Transformation
• How QA has evolved (from traditional QA to QE)
• The role of automation in QA
• Current trends and how they integrate with QA
• QA in new and emerging technologies
• Challenges and how to overcome
• Overlay the above with my examples of my experience in embedding QA across organisations

This presentation explores how to build and implement a scalable test automation solution with observability to enable high-speed continuous delivery. I will share our journey, key insights, challenges, and lessons learned along the way. Additionally, we will showcase how this approach has helped us accelerate feature delivery to production.

• Shared approach to quality
• An agreement on risks
• Early steps for scalable test automation
• Testability
• Observability
• Derive insights
• Sharing of insights and feedback loop
• Maintenance & Improvements

Testing has been transformed by automation, but has software quality increased as a result? Assuming that these metrics accurately represent quality, many teams take pride in passing test suites, strong test coverage, and quick execution times. However, serious flaws continue to make their way into production. Why?

This talk explores the Quality Illusion—the false belief that automation guarantees better software. We’ll break down the biggest misconceptions about automation, the erroneous use of metrics that create false confidence, and the cognitive biases that influence what we choose to automate (and what we ignore).

We’ll also go over why it’s a mistake for automation to frequently replace human-driven testing methods like risk assessment, exploratory testing, and user-focused validation. Automation should be a tool for insight, not a replacement for thinking.

• A deeper understanding of automation biases, why we automate certain things and overlook others.
• Why metrics like test coverage and pass rates can be misleading and what better indicators of quality look like.
• How over-reliance on automation reduces space for human-driven testing and why that weakens overall quality.
• A practical framework to align automation with real-world risks and business impact.

This talk dives into what Quality Engineering really is, and how, when done early in the delivery lifecycle, test automation can benefit from it. The speaker will also explore how differently Quality Engineering can be interpreted.

• Quality is in everything we do
• Progressive automation is the way of the future
• When Quality Engineering is done properly we actually do less testing

Vaibhav Mittal is a dynamic technology executive with expertise in driving business growth through strategic leadership. He is skilled in digital transformation, data strategy, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity. Vaibhav excels in managing cross-functional teams and delivering impactful projects. His proficiency spans diverse domains, including energy, finance, healthcare, and advanced analytics, ensuring operational excellence.

A highly experienced senior QA program director with a proven track record in SAP test strategy creation, governance and delivery.
Has also led QA transformations, QA governance, global workforce management, implementing developer led testing, technical automation and large project delivery.
Delivering substantial, measurable cost and headcount savings, while improving overall application quality through strategic planning and delivery, most recently at Transport for NSW, JP Morgan and Macquarie Bank.

Stephen Wykes is a passionate technology leader who builds high-performing, innovative teams. An early Agile adopter, he has led technology change by developing quality engineering platforms. He thrives on aligning business strategies with technology, ensuring teams understand their role in driving company and customer success.

A senior digital and technology executive with 20+ years of IT and digital management experience. Expertise in leading complex projects, authoring books on SOA, and holding digital innovation patents. Specializes in enterprise software security with a Doctorate in IT and a strong track record in startups and large enterprises.

Hema has 18+ years of expertise in Software Testing, Test Automation, and SRE. Skilled in test strategy, automation frameworks, tool evaluation, performance tuning, and stakeholder management across domains like Retail, Healthcare, BFSI, ERP/CRM. Experienced in cloud migrations, integrations, and testing diverse tech stacks and platforms.