How’s your GenAI / LLM learning journey going?
How’s your GenAI/LLM learning journey going? Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, GitHub Copilot and AI Assistant have become part of our software development world. Let’s face it, this can feel scary. I don’t believe Generative AI and Large Language Models can replace testers / quality engineers, or do a team’s testing for them. And, I
am pretty sure that every delivery team member, including testers / QEs, needs to have these tools in their toolbox to do their best work.
One thing this technology cannot do is replace your own knowledge, skills and experience. Yes, ChatGPT will generate Gherkin test scenarios for you. And, you will need to know whether those scenarios are useful and properly designed. Also – you should be writing those in a small ensemble that includes a tester, a coder, and a product person, because it’s the conversations and shared understanding that matters most. Keep your perspective as you explore this new set of tools!
We’re seeing a lot of tools from vendors that offer GenAI features. I tried out a few of these during the Ministry of Testing’s 30 days of AI in testing. I didn’t find them any more helpful than my favorite existing tools that rely on heuristics, like the BugMagnet browser extension. It’s early days and I’m sure we will keep seeing more testing-focused GenAI tools. I’ve heard from folks who have trained their own LLMs that help them with testing, There’s still a ton I don’t know about it all!
I could easily go down the rabbit hole of all the skills you should learn first, like communication, collaboration and other thinking skills. Assuming you have some of the basics and experience in some areas of testing, let’s focus on your learning journey around GenAI.
My GenAI learning journey
In my experience, a good way to learn something is to teach it! In late 2022, Rachel Kibler and I decided to do a workshop on leveraging Ai for test automation at Agile Testing Days 2023. I spent a year taking every opportunity to join a workshop, read a publication, watch a webinar, every chance I could find to learn more about AI in general and using GenAI tools for testing in particular.
At Agile Testing Days, I learned even more while co-facilitating our workshop, as well as attending workshops led by James Lyndsay and Bart Knaack. I wrote about what I learned.
My favorite way to learn anything is by doing it at work. I no longer work full time on a team, but we have a small, part-time Agile Testing Fellowship team! The developer I work with, Brandon, was an early adopter of AI coding assistants. With his help, I tried out both Tabnines and GitHub copilot. He shared his experiences with using these tools. Since I’m somewhat familiar with our web app’s codebase, I had a great opportunity to try out the GenAI tools for explaining code. That is super helpful to me as a tester.
Your learning journey
What’s on your learning roadmap for learning more about using GenAI tools for testing and other software development activities? We’re so lucky to have many
resources available to help us learn. For example, Ministry of Testing has a lot of excellent AI content. Lots of conferences have AI-related tracks, probably there are even entire conferences devoted to GenAI. I’ll be at Agile Testing Days and hope to take in as much of the “AI Deep Dive” track as I can.
And books on the topic are rolling out. I’ve just gotten an early access copy of Mark Winteringham’s Software Testing with Generative AI, and plan to make time to start reading!
Recently, someone on my favorite Slack workspace asked if anyone knew of meetup groups that focus on GenAI tools for testing. Nobody there knew of any. So I thought – maybe we should start one? So, we’re going to try having an online Lean Coffee session, and see where that goes! Consider starting your own learning group, virtual or in-person. Or if not a whole group, find a learning buddy who can pair up with you, share resources, and you can keep each other accountable for your learning goals.
I wish you safe travels on your GenAI and LLM learning journey. I’m happy to help you along the way, please get in touch via my contact page!
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