{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Vernon Richard Show","title":"Six Principles of Automation in Testing: Still Relevant in 2026?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3797,"description":"In this episode, Richard Bradshaw and Vernon discuss the relevance and application of the six principles of automation in testing in the context of AI advancements. They explore how these principles hold up in 2026, the challenges faced in automation, and the future of testing strategies.00:00 - Intro01:47 - Welcome (Richard is not at home 👀)02:07 - Ramadan, cooking without tasting, and plastic teeth 🦷04:01 - Today's topic: revisiting the AiT principles ahead of a keynote04:58 - What is Automation in Testing (AiT)?06:49 - Principle 1: Supporting Testing over Replicating Testing07:01 - Vernon's take: testing is a performance, not a click sequence08:22 - What the industry promised vs what automation actually does08:49 - The serendipity you lose when a human isn't testing09:59 - Agentic testing: observing more, but still not replicating humans10:56 - The danger of anthropomorphising AI output12:10 - LLMs always give an answer — and that's the problem13:03 - Principle 2: Testability over Automatability13:14 - Vernon's take: narrow vs broad — operate, control, observe14:38 - Making apps automatable for the robots but not the humans15:37 - The shiniest framework in a broken testing context16:40 - If it's testable, it's probably automatable — but not vice versa16:55 - Automation strategy vs testing strategy: when they compete, everyone loses17:46 - The problem has always been testing, not automation19:57 - Principle 3: Testing Expertise over Coding Expertise20:18 - Vernon's take: testing expertise lets you leverage the tools21:47 - The spoonfed tests problem: great at automating, lost without guidance22:36 - The \"code school\" era: everyone told to learn to code22:51 - Coding agents have changed the maths on this26:01 - The new nuance: test design and framework knowledge over writing the code28:44 - Evaluating code is a testing problem — and LLMs can help you do it30:43 - Are agents as good as a junior developer?31:42 - Outcome Engineering (O16G) and the race to write...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UFGkkh_jsZubLbpE6txGLPU3-7iIlh6gJ0JsseFDEm0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iM2Zk/NGQ3NDk4NmVkNjA5/OGJmMzA0ODQxMWIy/N2ExOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}