CAST 2026 Recap

At the Association for Software Testing’s CAST conference in Cocoa Beach, Florida, attendees explored how software testing can remain valuable amid rapid changes driven by artificial intelligence, with communication, shared terminology, and adapting established skills to new contexts emerging as central themes. Workshops and talks addressed AI-readable knowledge bases, systems thinking, workplace conflict, user experience, exploratory testing, and the likelihood that testing AI-generated applications will shift increasingly toward APIs rather than user interfaces. The author led a workshop on effective feedback using marshmallow towers and presented an experience report on launching a new business line, emphasizing that solutions depend heavily on context. Closing discussions recognized uncertainty about the profession’s future while arguing that testing expertise remains important and can become more impactful through clear advocacy, collaboration, and continued adaptation.

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