Question: What is one immediate ROI teams have seen using AI?
Answered by: Lindon De Souza, Director of QA, Vistra
Answer:
“Using AI with tools like Katalon, we reduced test case creation from three days to a couple of hours. What used to take 120 hours now completes in five minutes. And manual testers are becoming confident automation contributors.”
Question: Does team size affect whether AI is worth the investment?
Answered by: Michael Giacometti, Head of Innovation, TestingXperts
Answer:
“Not at all. AI isn’t reserved for enterprise giants. Even small teams with three testers can benefit by starting with low-code tools and using AI for guided learning. It’s about mindset, not headcount.”
Question: How can manual testers begin learning AI without getting overwhelmed?
Answered by: Lindon De Souza, Director of QA, Vistra
Answer:
“Start by using AI for test case generation. Let it analyze your user stories and help you draft cases. As your confidence grows, expand into automation. Baby steps matter. Curiosity is your best asset.”
Question: What mindset shift helps teams adopt AI successfully?
Answered by: Michael Giacometti, Head of Innovation, TestingXperts
Answer:
“You’re not just using AI—you’re managing a digital asset. You’re mentoring it. Combine your domain expertise with its processing power. That shift—from tool user to strategy driver—is transformative.”
Question: Is the fear of AI taking testing jobs valid?
Answered by: Lindon De Souza, Director of QA, Vistra
Answer:
“AI can’t replace human empathy, domain understanding, or judgment. It amplifies, not eliminates. The testers embracing AI today are the ones stepping into leadership and strategy roles tomorrow.”
Question: What are the key traits that help testers thrive in the AI age?
Answered by: Michael Giacometti, Head of Innovation, TestingXperts
Answer:
“Three things: a point of view about quality, deep domain expertise, and relentless curiosity. AI won’t succeed without humans guiding it with intention. Those who question, explore, and mentor the tools will always be ahead.”
Question: What advice would you give to QA leaders rolling out AI this year?
Answered by: Michael Giacometti, Head of Innovation, TestingXperts
Answer:
“Ensure any AI solution you choose can learn continuously, execute intelligently, and collaborate effectively. If it checks those boxes, you’re not just adopting a tool—you’re enabling transformation.”
Question: Why do many QA teams fail to scale automation despite investing in tools?
Answered by: Priyanka Halder, VP of Quality, HealthEdge
Answer:
“Most companies treat QA as an afterthought. They don’t invest early in a structured strategy, tooling, or governance. By the time they realize quality is a bottleneck, it’s already a systemic issue. You can’t scale what wasn’t thoughtfully built in the first place.”
Question: What prevents QA teams from showing real ROI from automation?
Answered by: Jason Lee, Senior Director, Deloitte Canada
Answer:
“Too many teams measure automation by coverage alone—90%, 95%, etc. That’s not enough. We need to quantify automation’s impact on business KPIs: reduced time to value, faster delivery, and risk reduction. Those are the metrics that win buy-in at the executive table.”
Question: What causes the persistent skill gap in automation and AI adoption?
Answered by: Priyanka Halder, VP of Quality, HealthEdge
Answer:
“The problem isn’t always talent—it’s exposure. Most QA professionals are taught the basics, but real-world enterprise implementation experience is rare and often siloed. We need more transparent sharing of success stories and blueprints to close this gap.”
Question: How can QA leaders overcome the fear of automation maintenance costs?
Answered by: Jason Lee, Senior Director, Deloitte Canada
Answer:
“Maintenance becomes costly when test cases are brittle and business context is ignored. Auto-healing, smart design, and AI-driven risk prioritization help. But the key is treating automation as a long-term investment with upfront planning—not a quick fix.”
Question: How do top-performing teams benefit when QA is treated as a strategic driver?
Answered by: Jason Lee, Senior Director, Deloitte Canada
Answer:
“They see real results: 53% report faster time to market, 83% see fewer production defects, and 73% achieve more efficient operations. QA is no longer a checkbox—it’s a competitive advantage when embedded early and deeply into product delivery.”
Question: What role does AI play in the modern QA playbook?
Answered by: Priyanka Halder, VP of Quality, HealthEdge
Answer:
“AI accelerates everything. It speeds up test case generation, enables agent-based pipelines, and helps scale quality without adding headcount. It doesn’t replace testers—it elevates them by reducing grunt work and freeing them to focus on strategy.”
Question: What practical advice would you give to QA leaders looking to scale with AI?
Answered by: Priyanka Halder, VP of Quality, HealthEdge
Answer:
“Be curious. Stay ahead of the industry. Upskill continuously. AI isn’t here to steal jobs—it’s here to give testers leverage. And stop hoarding quality—coach developers and product managers to share the responsibility. Quality is everyone’s job now.”
Question: If you had to summarize your QA scaling advice in one sentence, what would it be?
Answered by: Jason Lee, Senior Director, Deloitte Canada
Answer:
“Think big, start small, scale fast—then let platforms, standards, and cross-functional collaboration do the rest.”
Question: Why do many QA leaders still struggle to quantify the ROI of their automation investments?
Answered by: Andrew Hammond, QA Leader, KGR
Answer:
“Because we don’t consistently measure the time and cost savings our work produces. If you track how many manual hours are saved by automation, you’ll be surprised how quickly the ROI stacks up—but too often, we don’t tell that story clearly enough.”
Question: What is the biggest misconception business leaders have about QA?
Answered by: Suraj Jadav, Head of Strategy, Quality Kiosk
Answer:
“They still think of QA as a bottleneck or overhead. In reality, QA is your first real end-user. When done right, QA simulates real-world usage and protects your brand before customers ever touch your product.”
Question: What metrics should QA leaders use to talk to the C-suite?
Answered by: Andrew Hammond, QA Leader, KGR
Answer:
“Defect detection rates and test execution stats don’t resonate at the board level. Translate your work into business metrics—faster feature releases, lower production incidents, reduced support costs, or increased customer retention.”
Question: How should ROI be framed beyond defects and speed?
Answered by: Suraj Jadav, Head of Strategy, Quality Kiosk
Answer:
“Measure what matters—like reduction in production support tickets or how QA has prevented reputational damage. Show how your team enabled business agility, not just bug reports.”
Question: What causes dissatisfaction with QA tool vendors despite high market competition?
Answered by: Andrew Hammond, QA Leader, KGR
Answer:
“Misalignment of expectations. If vendors aren’t clear on what the client needs—or if they oversell features they can’t deliver—that trust breaks. Partnerships thrive when both sides know what value looks like and work toward it together.”