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Posted November 16, 2021

Test Automation Should Not Be Used to Replace Humans

This week, we discuss the different circumstances that do and do not call for test automation. There are a lot of discussions in all industries about automation and how it can replace humans. This anxiety has fueled science fiction films for decades but alas, the robot uprising has not yet come to fruition. Now robots coming for our jobs? That can be a different story, but in the testing space, we need to remember that testing automation should not be used to replace humans.

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Humans and technology have different skill sets. Humans have an unbelievable capacity to make quick decisions on how the software is supposed to perform and how to feel. Test automation focuses more on numerical challenges and logic-based assessments. Remember there is a human element to writing code, so there always will be a human element to testing.

Here’s more on the types of challenges that are ripe for test automation and the circumstances where the human feel and understanding are still necessary.

Come back for part 4 next week, when we talk about Selenium as a framework, but not a strategy.

Photograph of Marcus Merrell.
Test Strategist
Published:
Nov 16, 2021
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