This article is published in collaboration with the European, North American and Asia Pacific Testing Awards taking place in London and Toronto respectively. The deadline to submit your entry for the awards is the 02nd of October 2024.Â
Author: Khurram Mir is the Founder & Chief Marketing Officer for Kualitatem
AI is a rapidly developing technology, expected to grow by 37.3% in the next decade. With more and more companies relying on AI to improve their productivity levels, using it is a natural move. AI’s steady growth makes it clear that you need to keep up with the trends to succeed. After all, you are not the only company using the benefits of this technology.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to stay updated with the trends. As software testers, you are likely already familiar with the digital world, so you need to use your resources. Here are some effective ways to stay updated with the new trends.
Participate in Online Courses
We live in the digital era, where most students prefer online classes rather than the traditional ones. Naturally, the education system caught on to this, providing more and more courses that can be accessed remotely. Accelerated programs have also gained a lot of traction, with more working professionals preferring to get their degrees this way. Even if your aim is not that high, there are plenty of courses where you can get credentials on different upcoming technologies.
Subscribe to Academic Journals
Most successful individuals start their mornings with activities that can keep them productive over the day. If this is you, chances are you are reading the newspaper or some articles every morning, gaining insight into what has changed over the day (or week). If this is you, it might be a good idea to subscribe to tech academic journals, particularly those focusing on AI. This can bring access to cutting-edge research that can offer a better understanding of AI advancements.
Attend Regular Conferences
Attending conferences about AI technology and potential workshops is also an excellent way to stay up to date with everything that happens in the industry. Tech companies that use AI technologies often hold these conferences, sharing their insight on the latest methodologies, technologies, and tools. This is also a good opportunity to network with other professionals, improving your reach and gaining knowledge from these connections.Â
Experiment with Various AI Technologies
Hands-on practice is perhaps one of the best ways to keep up to speed with a specific technology, but you must be willing to try it. Starting with 2020, more than 2,600 AI startups were trying to promote their apps, with other companies being reluctant to change from the old technology to the new. These businesses would often miss out as the use of technology was continuously growing. The earlier you start experimenting with various AI technologies, the better your grasp of potential new trends will be.
Read Industry Blogs
Like academic publications, industry blogs are also a great source of information. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of AI-related blogs out there, all offering a fresh data feed. Go for blogs with authority and a long history, like Forbes, to find your materials, as they are more likely to deliver accurate information. If you know any industry leaders, you should also follow their blogs. This can provide a steady flow of reliable data, keeping you from falling behind.
Join Professional and Social Media Forums
Social media forums are a great way to learn more about the industry because they keep everyone connected. Platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Quora are often clad with information, bringing answers to questions you didn’t know you had. Save or join the forums that are relevant to your industry and regularly scan through them to stay up to date with emerging trends.
Collaborate with Data Science Teams
One of the best ways to stay updated with the trends is to go straight to the roots. When you collaborate with AI experts and data science teams, you should be able to understand how AI works. The more insights you get, the better you can predict these trends yourself. Plus, data science teams will always have a thing or two to say about what will catch on, so these collaborations can help you be one step ahead.
Set Up Search Engine Alerts
There are more than 1.88 billion websites out there, and a good part of them share information on the tech and AI industry. Keeping up with all these websites is challenging, especially as it often takes time for search engines to catch onto smaller trends. A good idea to find potential is to activate search engine notifications such as Google Alerts, which frequently send you the latest results. This way, you won’t accidentally miss new technologies simply because you didn’t look for them.
The Bottom Line
Staying updated with the trends as a software tester in the age of AI is not that difficult if you know how to pick your sources. The idea is to stay informed and agile, never pausing your education. This way, not only can you catch the trends as they arise, but you can also anticipate their emergence.
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