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World Congress 2026 Europe • Jul 9, 2026 • Session details

Back to the Roots: Testing in the Age of AI

Jakub Janczyk

AI effortlessly generates tests, but blindly trusting them creates a dangerous illusion of coverage. Reclaim your application's intent with foundational testing principles for robust, cost-effective code.

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#1 about 3 min

The evolving role of software testing in AI development

AI reduces the cost of writing code significantly while elevating the critical strategic importance of test design.

#2 about 2 min

Avoiding the trap of AI self-verification loops

Relying on autonomous agents to compose both internal implementation details and tests often masks underlying logic hallucinations.

#3 about 2 min

Four essential jobs of a high-quality test

Structuring tests securely around clear feedback, strict specification, broad context, and safe guardrails guides autonomous coding agents effectively.

#4 about 2 min

Providing unambiguous testing signals to AI agents

Applying fundamental testing principles proactively prevents automated agents from guessing aimlessly due to ambiguous or flaky feedback.

#5 about 2 min

Identifying lying tests and avoiding false operational confidence

Poorly defined test assertions ultimately fail to catch actual software errors despite incorrectly reporting extremely high code coverage.

#6 about 3 min

Defining precise behavior scenarios to prompt coding agents

Writing rigorous initial test scenarios before tackling technical implementation establishes a reliable conceptual target for robust code generation.

#7 about 3 min

Decoupling test behavior from specific implementation details

Avoiding tight coupling to internal modules guarantees that executable architectural specifications survive aggressive functional application refactoring.

#8 about 3 min

The critical importance of observing a test fail

Confirming a genuine test failure state carefully before allowing an agent to complete the implementation ensures long-term test validity.

#9 about 4 min

Comparing human-led versus AI-led test ownership

Experimental practical results expose how human-defined tests enable seamless broad refactoring in stark contrast to brittle AI-generated suites.

#10 about 2 min

Tests as structured operational memory for coding agents

Leveraging readable domain-specific language tests maintains long-term project configuration context far better than transient standard chat prompts.

#11 about 3 min

Managing AI token costs through strategic test design

Keeping discrete test files small and minimizing redundant boilerplate cuts cumulative API billing metrics and overall agent processing time.

#12 about 2 min

Preventing AI scaling traps and excessive code mocking

Establishing strong foundational architectural templates early rapidly curbs an autonomous agent's tendency to replicate messy patterns and overuse mocks.

#13 about 3 min

Retaining human intent while delegating software implementation

Maintaining absolute functional control over intended software behavior makes it inherently safer to grant coding agents broader operational autonomy.

#14 about 3 min

Enforcing behavioral testing patterns in AI development tools

Guiding automated AI tools iteratively through test-driven logic preserves long-term structural predictability using established core behavioral testing patterns.

Matching moments

1:48 min

The future landscape of artificial intelligence in software testing

Alisa Hrustic Alisa Hrustic · Europe 2026 Virtual

5:56 min

Five common failure patterns in AI-generated software tests

Maish Saidel-Keesing Maish Saidel-Keesing · WWC Europe 2026

2:35 min

Recognizing developer fatigue and poor test generation issues

Lilia Gargouri Lilia Gargouri · WWC Europe 2026

3:06 min

Key takeaways for reliable AI agent testing

Sebastian Messingfeld Sebastian Messingfeld · WWC Europe 2026

2:27 min

Using automated tests to validate AI generated codebases

YK Sugi YK Sugi · WWC 2025

4:10 min

Essential checklist for reliable AI-generated test suites

Maish Saidel-Keesing Maish Saidel-Keesing · WWC Europe 2026

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