KEYNOTE: Testing in the Era of AI - Dona Sarkar

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker from Microsoft shares her personal journey and insights on the transformative impact of AI in the workplace. Initially skeptical about AI's practical applications, her perspective shifts after experiencing AI's assistance with PowerPoint, leading to an exploration of generative AI and its potential to enhance efficiency and skill acquisition. The speaker debunks myths about AI replacing jobs, emphasizing its role in handling mundane tasks and fostering a growth mindset for future workforce adaptation. She also highlights the importance of upskilling and the emerging job landscape in AI, urging the audience to embrace AI tools to augment their capabilities.

Takeaways

• 🙌 The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the effort behind organizing events, such as the 10-year anniversary of the conference mentioned.
• 🔍 The speaker humorously recounts her initial skepticism towards AI, particularly generative AI, before experiencing its utility firsthand due to a physical limitation.
• 💡 She highlights the concept of 'AI moments', suggesting that everyone will eventually have an 'aha' moment where they realize the value of AI in their work.
• 🗣️ AI is often misunderstood and feared, with misconceptions about it taking jobs or businesses, but the speaker argues that these fears are unfounded and based on a lack of understanding.
• 📚 The explanation of generative AI is provided, distinguishing it from predictive AI and detailing how it creates new content rather than just identifying existing patterns.
• 🌐 Semantic search is introduced as a key concept in AI, which is about finding content that is similar or related in meaning, as opposed to traditional keyword search.
• 🛠️ The speaker discusses 'retrieval-augmented generation' (RAG) as a crucial component that makes AI useful for businesses by prioritizing user-provided data.
• 🚀 AI's role in the workplace is not to replace jobs but to assist with tasks, learn skills faster, and manage meetings, thereby enhancing productivity and efficiency.
• 💼 AI is positioned as a tool for specific tasks rather than a complete solution, with the analogy of a boss's nephew who is given non-critical tasks to feel involved.
• 🌟 The potential of AI to transform various roles in a business is explored, including software engineers, testers, and product developers, who can leverage AI to improve their work.
• 🔒 The importance of data quality for AI outcomes is stressed, and the role of data professionals in ensuring good data practices is highlighted.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's presentation?

The main theme of the speaker's presentation is the impact of AI, specifically generative AI, on the workplace and how it can be integrated into various professional roles to enhance productivity and efficiency.

Why did the speaker initially think AI was the 'stupidest thing' they had ever seen?

The speaker initially thought AI was the 'stupidest thing' because they tried an early version of AI that took their code and turned it into a poem, which seemed nonsensical and unhelpful for practical use in technology.

What changed the speaker's perspective on AI?

The speaker's perspective on AI changed when they experienced a physical limitation in their right hand due to carpal tunnel, arthritis, and bad posture, which made them unable to create slide decks efficiently. They discovered the AI feature in PowerPoint, which helped them generate slides through dictation, highlighting the practical value of AI.

What is generative AI, and how does it differ from predictive AI?

Generative AI is a subset of AI that creates new content rather than just predicting or classifying existing data. Unlike predictive AI, which has been around for a while and is used for tasks like image recognition, generative AI can produce new texts, images, or other content based on learned patterns.

What is the role of 'retrieval augmented generation' in making AI useful for businesses?

Retrieval augmented generation (RAG) involves using a combination of a company's own data and AI-generated content to produce insights or outputs that are more relevant and tailored to the company's specific needs. This approach prioritizes the company's data, making AI more useful and applicable to their business context.

How does the speaker suggest AI can improve the efficiency of creating work presentations?

The speaker suggests that AI can improve efficiency by generating a starter presentation quickly, which can then be refined and customized by the user. This saves time compared to creating a presentation from scratch and reduces the workload.

What are the three main benefits the speaker identifies AI providing in the workplace?

The three main benefits identified are: 1) Producing work of similar quality in half the time, 2) Assisting in learning new skills twice as fast, and 3) Taking over tasks that the user dislikes, such as attending meetings, allowing the user to focus on more enjoyable aspects of their job.

What is the speaker's analogy for AI in the workplace?

The speaker's analogy for AI is that of a boss's nephew who is hired for non-mission critical tasks to make them feel important. AI should be given tasks that are smart but not overly critical, and its work should always be checked because while it's smart, it's not as smart as it thinks.

How does the speaker suggest the integration of AI will change the concept of work-life balance?

The speaker suggests that with AI handling more mundane tasks, people can reclaim their work-life balance. AI provides a knowledge shortcut, allowing work to be done faster and more efficiently, which can help prevent the constant connectivity and work demands that have arisen with the advent of the internet and remote work.

What advice does the speaker give regarding charging for work done with AI?

The speaker advises against charging by the hour for work done with AI, as this may undervalue the effort and result in lower payments. Instead, they recommend charging by the value of the project delivered, emphasizing the importance of not undervaluing work just because AI was used to increase efficiency.

What is the speaker's view on the future job market and the demand for AI skills?

The speaker believes that the job market will demand AI skills, with job postings increasing for roles that require the use of AI tools. They predict that there will be a shift in job requirements, with a focus on practical AI tool usage rather than advanced degrees in computer science or machine learning.

What does the speaker suggest as the first step for someone new to AI in their job?

The speaker suggests starting with using AI for non-core job tasks, such as generating technical documentation or creating test cases, rather than attempting to replace core job functions with AI immediately.

How can someone create a prompt library according to the speaker?

The speaker recommends creating a prompt library using a familiar tool like Excel, where one can list the tool, the prompt, the expected output, and usage recommendations. This can be shared with others in a downloadable format or within an AI tool that supports prompt libraries.

What is the speaker's perspective on the current state of AI and its comparison to mobile phone technology evolution?

The speaker compares the current state of AI to the era of the flip phone, indicating that we are still in the early stages of AI development. They emphasize that AI currently serves as an 'intern from last summer' and is not yet indispensable like a smartphone.

What is the importance of having a growth mindset according to the speaker?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a growth mindset because the AI field is rapidly evolving, and professionals need to be adaptable and open to continuous learning to keep up with the changes and innovations.