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State of DevOps Report: AI in Testing Edition 2026
- Chapter 1: The Current State of Testing
- Chapter 2: The Role of AI in Testing
- Chapter 3: The Trade-Offs of AI-Powered Testing
- Chapter 4: Evolving Roles and Responsibilities
- Chapter 5: Governance and Compliance in Testing
- Chapter 6: Measuring the Business Value of Testing
- Chapter 7: Regional and Industry Variations
- Chapter 8: Recommendations for the Future of Testing
- Bottom Line
Report > State of DevOps Report: AI in Testing Edition 2026
Chapter 8: Recommendations for the Future of Testing
To thrive in 2026 and beyond, quality leaders must adapt their strategies to manage the complexity of AI while maximizing its benefits.
Back to topStandardization Maturity Levels
Level 1: Fragmented
- Ad hoc governance
- Siloed ownership
- Metrics focus on activity
Level 3: Measurable
- Auditability by default
- Clear ownership
- Balanced scorecard
Level 2: Standardizing
- Basic compliance automation
- Shared ownership emerging
- Start outcome metrics
Level 4: Optimized
- Continuous improvement
- Strong enablement
- Cost-normalized KPIs
- Business outcomes linked
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Back to topRecommendations for Leaders
- Adopt Hybrid Testing Infrastructures: Do not force a single environment strategy. Leverage the flexibility of hybrid infrastructures to balance cost, scalability, and data sovereignty.
- Focus on Comprehensive Cost Tracking: You cannot manage what you do not measure. Implement tools to track the total cost of testing—infrastructure, AI tokens, and personnel.
- Invest in Skills and Training: The skills gap in security and AI usage is a major risk. Provide continuous training on secure coding and AI-augmented tool usage.
- Measure Strategic Outcomes: Shift the conversation with leadership. Move focus away from "number of tests run" to strategic outcomes like risk reduction, customer retention, and speed to market.
- Treat Testing as a Strategic Asset: Move away from viewing testing as a cost center. Invest in upskilling teams on AI and security to transform QA into a driver of digital resilience and business growth.
- Standardize Governance: Success in 2026 requires active management. Enforce rigorous governance across hybrid environments to maintain control over the speed and complexity of AI-augmented delivery. Automate compliance workflows to remove manual bottlenecks. Ensure secure coding practices are embedded by default in the pipeline.