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In this episode of Modern Software, host Mike Verinder sits down with Marcel Veselka, founder of Wopee.io, for an honest and insightful look into the evolving world of autonomous software testing. They dive into Marcel’s journey from PowerPoint prototype to a fully functional AI-driven testing platform that’s reshaping how teams think about visual testing, agents, and LLM-assisted automation.

From the early days of comparing screenshots to the emerging promise of agent-based workflows and context-aware test generation, Marcel shares what works, what doesn't, and why being honest about the gaps in AI testing tools is critical. They also cover:

• What makes visual testing hard—and why most tools fall short
• The limits of today's AI agents (and where they really shine)
• Why Wopee chose not to implement the Model Context Protocol (MCP)...yet
• How testers and non-testers alike can get started with automation in minutes
• The real reason experienced SDETs are still skeptical of AI tools

Whether you're a QA leader, a hands-on tester, or just curious about the future of automation, this is a no-fluff, deeply technical episode worth your time.

🎙️ Bonus: Marcel gives a full demo of Wopee.io in action and shares where you can catch him live across Europe this conference season.

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🎙️ Episode Title: Is BDD Dying? Did Low-Code Kill It?

In this episode of Modern Software, host Mike Verinder is joined by Andy Knight (aka The Automation Panda) for a thoughtful, spicy, and at times hilarious conversation about the state of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) in 2025.

BDD was supposed to revolutionize how teams collaborate—bridging developers, testers, and business folks through shared examples, plain English, and clarity of intent. But somewhere along the way, it became... Gherkin files nobody reads, tools nobody maintains, and a checkbox item that often misses the point.

So we ask the honest question:
👉 Is BDD actually dying? And if so... did low-code kill it?

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:

• What BDD was meant to be vs. how it’s used today
• Why Gherkin became more of a burden than a bridge
• The explosion of low-code and codeless tools (like Testim, mabl, and Functionize)
• How AI-generated tests and tools like Copilot are changing the testing landscape
• The rise of “automation for all” and how it bypasses dev-tester collaboration
• Why BDD still can work—and where it shines (especially in complex domains)
• A look at how enterprise systems like Cycle Labs use or abandon BDD
• The danger of skipping the conversation and automating everything
• Whether “Specification by Example” is the future BDD should’ve been

🔍 Quotes from the Episode:

🎧 Who Should Listen to This Episode:

• QA engineers and SDETs wondering if BDD is worth the effort anymore
• Developers who’ve written Gherkin and felt it added nothing
• Test managers or VPs exploring low-code automation platforms
• Product owners curious about how testing is shifting left (and sideways)
• Anyone trying to bring better collaboration to their SDLC

🙋‍♂️ About Our Guest: Andy Knight – The Automation Panda

Andy Knight is a software engineer and quality advocate known for his blog AutomationPanda.com and speaking engagements around the world. He’s a prominent voice in the test automation community and deeply passionate about making software quality accessible, collaborative, and sustainable.

🎙️ Hosted by Mike Verinder

Mike is the founder of Modern Software, an open-source support company and creator of the Modern Software Podcast. He runs the largest Selenium group on LinkedIn and works with companies exploring test strategy, automation tooling, and real-world software delivery problems.

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🎧 New episodes every 3–4 weeks featuring voices from dev, test, product, and open source.

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BDD, Behavior Driven Development, test automation, low-code testing, software testing, testing podcast, automation strategy, AI in testing, Andy Knight, Automation Panda, Gherkin, Cucumber, Spec by Example, Cycle Labs, Mike Verinder, QA podcast, DevOps, software engineering, developer tools, Agile testing, Selenium, Playwright, Modern Software

Revolutionizing Testing with AI: Checksum’s Journey

In this episode of Modern Software, Mike Verinder sits down with Gal Vered, co-founder of Checksum, to explore how AI is reshaping the Autonomous Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Gal shares his journey, the mission behind Checksum, and how their AI-driven testing solutions are revolutionizing end-to-end automation.

From enterprise AI adoption challenges to the future of manual testing, they dive deep into the evolving role of AI in software quality assurance. The conversation also touches on open-source testing, privacy concerns, and the startup landscape for AI-driven companies.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Checksum automates end-to-end testing using AI
✅ AI-powered solutions are transforming software quality assurance
✅ Enterprise AI adoption presents unique challenges
✅ Manual testing remains crucial, even in an autonomous world
✅ Checksum’s system of small models enhances precision and reliability
✅ Privacy concerns are critical in AI-based testing
✅ Open source testing plays a vital role in software development
✅ Investors seek strong business foundations in AI startups
✅ Israel’s tech ecosystem fosters groundbreaking AI innovation

Sound Bites from the Episode:

🎙️ "We generate end-to-end tests using AI."
🎙️ "We call it continuous quality."
🎙️ "AI will definitely change tech completely."

Join us as we unpack the future of Autonomous SDLC, the role of AI in testing, and what it means for developers, enterprises, and investors navigating this transformative shift.

🚀 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!

Modern Software Podcast: David Robertson on AI-Generated Books, Autonomous SDLC, and Modern Development Tools

In this episode of the Modern Software Podcast, host Mike Verinder sits down with David Robertson, Director of Enterprise Software at Exterior Finance, for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, software automation, and modern development practices.

Mike and David discuss:

• AI-Generated Content: David shares his journey of experimenting with ChatGPT to write and publish books, from ideation to publication in under 10 days. He explains the challenges of prompt engineering, AI consistency, and generating AI-driven cover art for his second book—a children's picture book.
• The Autonomous SDLC: They explore the idea of an autonomous software development life cycle (SDLC), covering how AI tools can generate test cases, write code, automate testing, and monitor production environments. Mike shares insights on current tools, autonomous testing innovations, and the investment hurdles preventing widespread adoption.
• Modern Development Tools: David dives into the power of GitHub Copilot for accelerating development workflows, from writing boilerplate code to generating unit tests and learning Python for emerging AI frameworks like LangChain and Semantic Kernel. They also touch on the rise of tools like Cursor AI Studio and the role of AI in enterprise coding environments.
• Security Testing and DevOps: The conversation shifts to the growing importance of security testing in modern software development. David discusses integrating static and dynamic analysis tools into CI/CD pipelines to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance—critical for finance organizations.
• Testing Trends: Mike provides valuable insights into the current state of automated testing, including API testing, mobile testing challenges, and the role of tools like Selenium, BrowserStack, and Sauce Labs. They explore why Selenium remains dominant in the industry despite new innovations in AI testing.

Along the way, Mike and David reminisce about their shared history at Drive Financial, the evolution of development tools, late-night deployments, and the value of strong teams in software projects.

This episode is packed with insights into AI, testing trends, and the future of automation—perfect for developers, testers, and software enthusiasts alike.

🔔 Subscribe to Modern Software for more interviews and discussions on software development, testing, and innovation!

Topics Covered:

• AI-generated books and images
• Autonomous testing and SDLC
• GitHub Copilot and modern coding tools
• Security testing trends and DevOps integration
• The challenges of mobile testing and enterprise tools