This challenge is frequently posed by boosters of AI: if a bot were smart enough to be completely indistinguishable from a natural human, wouldn't it be moral and correct for it to have civil rights? … [Read more...] about Thinking Critically About AI
Ethics
Competent People and Conference Keynotes
My colleague and friend Anne-Marie Charrett has a thing about women. A) She is one. B) She feels that not enough of them are speaking at testing conferences. (See also Fiona Charles' post on this … [Read more...] about Competent People and Conference Keynotes
Integrity #3: A Testimonial
Oliver Erlewein is an automation specialist. He's respected in the Context-Driven Testing community of New Zealand and has been an agitator pushing back against the ISTQB. After some years of … [Read more...] about Integrity #3: A Testimonial
Mr. Langella Never Does it the Same Way Twice
This is from the New York Times: Its other hallmark is that Mr. Langella never does the part the same way twice. This is partly because he’s still in the process of discovering the character and … [Read more...] about Mr. Langella Never Does it the Same Way Twice
Integrity 2: On Being Under the Radar [REVISED]
I have taken down the original text of this post at the request of my colleague who had the courage and audacity to let me post his detailed comment about how he works "under the radar" to change … [Read more...] about Integrity 2: On Being Under the Radar [REVISED]
Finding Your Own Integrity
I have a belief that I'm not going to justify-- I'm simply going to say it and challenge you to look into your own experience and your own heart and see the truth of it for yourself: Your sense of … [Read more...] about Finding Your Own Integrity
Benjamin Mitchell and the Trap of False Hypocrisy
One of the puzzles of intellectual life is how to criticize something you admire without sounding like you don't admire it. Benjamin Mitchell has given an insightful talk about social dynamics in … [Read more...] about Benjamin Mitchell and the Trap of False Hypocrisy
How I Invented Sympathetic Testing
I did not invent sympathetic testing. Anyone who says I claim to have invented it will have only read the title of this post, but nothing further. Now you know. I may have been the first in my circle … [Read more...] about How I Invented Sympathetic Testing
Willful Ignorance on Parade
Michael Bolton is accused of hand-waving in this thread on LinkedIn. (See the comment by Peter). Michael and I talk a lot about cognition and exploration. We speak in tropes that come from philosophy … [Read more...] about Willful Ignorance on Parade
A Tester’s Commitments
This is the latest version of the commitments I make when I work with a programmer. Dear Programmer, My job is to help you look good. My job is to support you as you create quality; to ease … [Read more...] about A Tester’s Commitments