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November 6, 2025
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19:00
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Offline
Transforming QA Practice in the AI Era
2025
Ukraine
The meetup focused on the evolving role of Quality Assurance (QA) in the age of AI. Marina Didkovska from EPAM shared her journey from being a developer to becoming a test practice manager. She discussed how testing has transformed into a distinct service and product. The pandemic and ongoing war highlighted the necessity for businesses to quickly develop high-quality online solutions, which led to the need for new competencies and restructuring of processes. EPAM is actively developing centers of expertise and governance models to prepare for an AI-native environment. Importantly, AI does not replace testers but raises the expectations for ethics, security, and stability.
Additionally, we had a conversation with Vira Tkachenko from MacPaw, who shared her transition from a Java developer to CTO. She explained MacPaw's approach to product development for macOS. At MacPaw, quality assurance is seen as a collective responsibility, with QA integrated into cross-functional teams. This approach includes creating tools, testing user experience, and participating in data annotation. The company is also experimenting with local AI models to automate testing and log analysis, while still emphasizing the importance of live testing.
Meetup speakers
CTIO and co-founder @ MacPaw
Vira — CTIO and co-founder of MacPaw, a company that has grown from a small startup into a global business with millions of users around the world. She joined MacPaw in 2009 as a student at KPI, and today she heads the technology and innovation department, combining deep engineering expertise with product vision and strategic leadership.
Director of Software Engineering @ EPAM
Maryna — Director of Software Engineering at EPAM, an expert in building scalable QA ecosystems in large teams. She has an academic background in AI and combines theory with the practice of managing hundreds of specialists. She frequently participates as a speaker at international conferences on strategic quality transformation.
Director of Engineering @ Turnitin
The moderator is Yana Mykhailenko, CTO of Turnitin, an international company that ensures the integrity of education and is a leader in anti-plagiarism solutions. She is a judge and mentor at international competitions and hackathons.
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