Challenges of Applying AI in Software Testing: from Hype to Practical Use
Artificial Intelligence is widely promoted as a game changer for software testing, promising higher automation, broader coverage and faster feedback. In real industrial environments, especially in large, long-lived and safety-critical systems such as automotive software, these promises often collide with practical constraints. Many AI initiatives remain stuck at the prototype level or introduce new risks instead of improving quality.
On 3 June, at 3 pm CEST, we will host the next session of our AI Testing Talks webinar series, featuring Robert Fey, an automotive software testing expert and creator of the Automotive Testing Efficiency Framework (ATEF). He currently works at Synopsys, driving the shift from slow, fragile testing toward scalable, system-based validation approaches.
The webinar will explore why applying AI in software testing is far more challenging than commonly assumed. The session will highlight the fundamental tension between probabilistic AI behaviour and the strict requirements for deterministic, repeatable and explainable test results that professional testing and certification demand. Rather than focusing on tools or fashionable use cases, the webinar will address architectural and methodological questions that determine whether AI can be used productively at scale.
A central part of the talk will be a pragmatic approach to applying AI with clear boundaries. It will highlight how AI can be used effectively to capture and structure human intent, while the execution and validation of tests remain deterministic and controllable. This separation makes it possible to benefit from AI without sacrificing reproducibility, trust or auditability.
Participants will gain a realistic understanding of where AI adds measurable value in software
testing, where it creates hidden complexity and how to move from experimental hype towards
stable, economically viable and industry-grade testing solutions.
Key takeaways:
- Why AI often increases testing complexity instead of reducing it.
- Why “smart” tests are useless if they are not deterministic and repeatable.
- How to use AI without losing control, trust and accountability.
- Why separating test intent from test execution is key to scalable automation.
- How to turn AI from a hype experiment into a predictable engineering tool.
Q&A Session Moderator
Robert Fey
Automotive Software Testing Expert,
Creator of the Automotive Testing Efficiency Framework (ATEF)
Synopsys
Bio
Robert Fey is an automotive software testing expert and creator of the Automotive Testing Efficiency Framework (ATEF). He currently works at Synopsys, driving the shift from slow, fragile testing toward scalable, system-based validation approaches.
Before that, Robert spent over a decade within the Volkswagen Group (Carmeq and CARIAD), where he held multiple leadership roles in software development, verification and IT. During this time, he experienced firsthand the challenges of large-scale system integration, organisational complexity and inefficient testing processes.
These experiences shaped his core perspective: Most testing isn’t broken because it fails. It’s broken because it creates false confidence. Today, Robert is known as “Mr. Broken Testing,” challenging established industry practices and advocating for a new generation of testing architectures: focused on behavior, automation and real engineering efficiency.
AI Testing Talks Host
Anna-Maria Lukina
Marketing Director, Exactpro
Bio
Anna-Maria Lukina is the Marketing Director at Exactpro and Outreach Director for Exactpro’s AI Testing Training programs. In her Marketing Director role, Anna-Maria is responsible for global brand and business development and management of industry events. Coming from a technology background herself, Anna-Maria also wears an Outreach Director hat to bring a strategic vision into Exactpro’s professional development activities such as the award-winning ISTQB®-accredited AI testing course for enterprises and individual learners.
Anna-Maria has co-authored Exactpro’s latest book – ‘Introduction to AI Testing: Guide to ISTQB® CT-AI Certification’ released in September 2025 by BCS Publishing.
With a deep understanding of information systems and technologies and extensive experience in global marketing, Anna-Maria has successfully led the Exactpro brand through product launches, the acquisition by LSEG and the following buyout, countless international and local industry gatherings, as well as the accompanying social media campaigns.
Q&A Session Moderator
Iosif Itkin
CEO and co-founder of Exactpro
Bio
Iosif is co-founder and co-CEO of Exactpro – an independent provider of AI-enabled software testing and related development services for financial organisations. Founded in 2009, Exactpro has a client base of major exchanges, post-trade platform operators, banks and technology vendors across 24 countries.
In his professional career, Iosif has held many technology roles: software developer, performance testing department lead, technology architect – on a number of global financial industry initiatives. Iosif’s expertise at the intersection of high-availability systems and capital markets has enabled him to successfully facilitate technology transformations within exchanges, investment banks and clearing and settlement organisations in London, New York, Milan, Singapore, Sydney and other major financial centres.
Iosif is a co-author of ‘Introduction to AI Testing: Guide to ISTQB® CT-AI Certification’ released in September 2025 by BCS Publishing.
The session will be streamed live on LinkedIn.
About Exactpro
Exactpro is an independent provider of AI-enabled software testing services for financial sector organisations. Our clients are exchanges, post-trade platform operators, and banks across 20 countries. Our area of expertise comprises protocol-based testing of matching engines, market data, market surveillance, clearing and settlement systems, payments APIs. We help our clients to decrease time to market, maintain regulatory compliance, improve scalability, latency and operational resiliency. Exactpro is involved in a variety of transformation programmes related to large-scale cloud and DLT implementations at systemically important organisations.
Our approaches leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to help harness the power of exploratory data analysis and big data analytics to assist in the generation of test ideas and the interpretation of test results, supported by advanced execution capabilities of the th2 frameworks suite.
Founded in 2009, the Exactpro Group is headquartered in the UK and operates delivery centres in Georgia, Sri Lanka, Armenia, and the UK and representative offices in the US, Canada and Italy, and as well as a global distributed network of consultants.
Are you interested in gaining a deeper understanding of your system, reducing costs, accelerating time to market, while maintaining operational resiliency and regulatory compliance? Visit us at exactpro.com.