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Testing AI systems – possible or impossible?

What feelings does the term artificial intelligence (AI) evoke in you? For some, a future without the use of artificially intelligent systems is no longer imaginable. In this world, artificial intelligence helps autonomous driving to make a breakthrough, reliably makes medical diagnoses and autonomous robots care for our elderly.

For many other people, these are precisely the worst imaginings of the future. They fear that artificial intelligence will make us humans superfluous, causing millions of unemployed and gaining power over us.

The following article addresses artificial intelligence from a neutral point of view. Artificial intelligence is not good or evil, but simply a technology that can be used to solve certain problems.

First, we consider the definition of AI and current fields of AI applications. After that, we discuss challenges and possible solutions when testing artificial intelligence systems. Read more

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Static analysis and dynamic testing: What are the strengths and weaknesses?

Static analysis and dynamic testing: Even after several decades of software engineering, we still far away from guaranteed error-free software. Even for software developed to the highest safety standards, no one can guarantee absolute freedom from errors. All functional safety standards recognize that a guaranteed error-free software (with the current state of the technology) cannot be achieved. The measures in the standards have the goal to minimize the number of errors and to detect occurring errors in time to prevent a serious error effect.

The static analysis and dynamic testing represent two such measures. Especially in safety-relevant systems, the use of both measures is required, although in some cases the same errors are found.

Extensive validation, verification and testing is associated with high costs. In most projects this leads to a high pressure to develop an optimized test strategy.

A prerequisite for successful test optimization strategies is the comprehensive understanding of strengths and weaknesses of static analysis and dynamic test and analyses. The following article provides a basic overview of the topic.

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Risk-based testing: Method for identifying the right test cases

There is no such thing as bug-free software! Nevertheless, software is successfully used even in very critical systems. The software development processes have become so mature that it is possible to reduce the number of errors in the software reliably to such an extent that the number of system errors which have their cause in the software have become so small that they are accepted by society. In these safety relevant projects mainly specification-based, efficiency-based and structure-based test design methods are used. Risk-based testing has not played a significant role in this area so far. On the other hand, the complexity and scope of software is also increasing strongly in the safety-relevant area. Trends such as Industry 4.0 and autonomous driving strongly support this development. Under what conditions could risk-based testing take on a more important role in the safety-relevant area in the future? How can this test design technique be improved so that the technique itself can be further disseminated? The following blog post discusses the strengths and weaknesses of risk-based testing and suggests ways to improve the technique itself. An overview of common test design methods can be found in the blogpost Comparison and evaluation of different test design techniques.

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Comparison and evaluation of different test design techniques.

The complexity of technical systems has been increasing for years and there is no foreseeable end to this. The crucial driver of innovation is software. Very powerful hardware in combination with complex software are the basis for trends such as IOT, autonomous driving, Smart Home and human-robot collaboration, to list just a few.

Today, software enables the realization of functionalities with a complexity that was never imaginable with electronics or mechanics alone.

However, this also increases the potential errors in a system. There is no such thing as guaranteed error-free software! A major reason for this is that it is not possible to test an industry relevant software system completely. This is due to the fact that the number of data and control flow paths that can be passed through a software system tends to be infinite. With this background, the following article introduces common test design techniques and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses.

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Implicit Testing – A good idea (Part 2)?

In the first part of the blog I defined the term Implicit Testing and discussed root causes for the need of implicit tests. Now, in the second part I will focus on the disadvantages of such tests and on possible solution approaches with the goal to avoid these disadvantages. Read more

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Implicit Testing – A good idea (Part 1)?

In larger safety-critical projects, quite often I hear the following statement: “Well, the Requirement A is indirectly or implicitly proven with the test XY!” Do you know this sentence as well? Have you ever experienced what can happen in late project phases when you have tested many requirements indirectly?
The blog defines the term in part 1 and it discusses the causes of implicit testing. Read more

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Structural source code coverage and Requirements – Is there any dependency?

If you are newly engaged in the area of functional safety, then you will encounter fairly quickly the terms “structural source code coverage” and “requirements”. The specification of technical systems by requirements is, of course, also common in non-safety-critical areas. By contrast, the subject structural source code coverage is almost unknown outside safety-critical projects.
In this blog I want to discuss these two methods and the underlying processes. In particular, the question of inter-dependence is exciting. Read more

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Psychology of Testers

What is the Psychology of Testers? What qualities characterize good people working in the testing area? Well, you can define some criteria: expertise- and methods know-how are sure essential characteristics. In addition, they must have management skills and bring social skills. These are certainly necessary skills. However, it is missing an important point that I want to explain further in this blog: Who wants to be a master in the test area, must also be constructive and destructive!

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Testing of platforms: A challenge!

Testing of platforms are challenges! Do you develop platforms in embedded systems in order to offer more customer solutions without having to make a completely new development for each customer project?
Or do you have used an embedded operating system in order to develop your application as independent as possible from the hardware?
For the development of the systems you have probably benefited from this policy, but what was about the testing? Was it clear and easy to test the platform? Was it easy to achieve complete test coverage? Were you able to quickly and efficiently create good requirements? No? Then you are right here!
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Management aspects of testing

Management aspects of testing : Often Testing is a hassle topic. Time is short. The number of unmanageable tests, review and analysis is high. Employees are not really motivating for the subject. The technical resources are not sufficient. In the opinion of management, the expected result is already predetermined: no mistakes! Do you know this situation or something similar? As a test manager in such a project it is not easy to handle these situations. This blog discusses Management Aspects of Validation and Verification?
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Dipl. Ing. (FH) Martin Heininger
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88477 Schwendi

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Email: info[at]heicon-ulm.de

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