Autonomous Quality in the AI Era
The 2026 edition took place online from August 12–14 and in person on August 15 at Universidad Panamericana in Zapopan, Jalisco.
Autonomous Quality in the AI Era
Four days of expert talks, hands-on sessions, and real connections.
August 12–14 virtual, August 15 in-person at Universidad
Panamericana, Guadalajara.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
International. Practical. Community-driven.
Hands-On Testing is Latin America’s leading software quality and testing conference. Since 2018, we bring together thousands of IT professionals in a collaborative environment to share experiences, best practices, and approaches that help teams improve how they design, test, and operate software.
The ninth edition was successfully held in 2026, welcoming more than 120 in-person attendees in Zapopan and a broader virtual audience. Across the program, speakers and participants explored AI-driven testing, quality engineering, test automation, and the changing role of QA in modern software teams.
9
Editions
+80k
Total audience
reached
+205
Sessions
+60
Countries
FAQ`S
Hands-On Testing 2026 is not limited to testers. We bring together QA engineers, developers, SDETs, automation specialists, AI and ML engineers, students, and career changers who want practical ways to improve software quality.
The Hands-On Testing 2026 agenda covered AI-driven testing, autonomous quality, test automation, performance, security, continuous quality practices, modern engineering workflows, and practical applications of AI in software delivery. Recordings of talks and workshops are available to watch for free on the QA Minds YouTube playlist. Explore the 2026 sessions and revisit the ideas, tools, and approaches shared throughout the program. Watch the 2026 talks and workshops.
Yes. Hands-On Testing 2026 is a hybrid conference. The virtual program runs from August 12 to August 14, 2026, and the in-person day takes place on August 15, 2026, at Universidad Panamericana in Zapopan, Jalisco.
Yes. Sessions from the Hands-On Testing 2026 program are available to watch on demand through the QA Minds YouTube playlist. Explore talks and workshops covering AI-driven testing, quality engineering, test automation, GenAI, and the future of software quality. Watch the 2026 sessions on YouTube.
The in-person day of Hands-On Testing 2026 took place at Universidad Panamericana in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. To revisit the event, explore the conference photo gallery and see highlights from the day.
The Quality Engineering Summit is a dedicated in-person track for senior professionals who want deeper discussions on strategy, leadership, and quality engineering in the AI era. It is especially relevant for QA leaders, test managers, engineering managers, staff engineers, and similar senior profiles.
If you have questions about registration, attendance, sponsorship, or participation, write to us at contacto@handsontesting.com.
You can also send your inquiry through the contact form.
KEY FOCUS AREAS FROM 2026
What we explored in 2026
The agenda focused on four critical themes in software quality — from AI-driven automation to security in production systems.
AI-Driven Testing & Autonomous Quality
Explore how agentic AI is reshaping test generation, execution, and analysis. Learn to implement intelligent pipelines that self-correct and scale without constant human oversight.
Human–AI Collaboration & Skills Evolution
How QA professionals can work alongside AI systems effectively. Covers role transitions, prompt engineering for testers, and building hybrid workflows that amplify human judgment.
Testing Innovation Across Modern Architectures
Microservices, serverless, event-driven systems, mobile, and cloud-native apps — strategies and tooling for testing distributed systems at speed and at scale.
Security, Reliability & Risk Management in Critical Systems
Security testing, chaos engineering, and SRE practices for teams building software where failure has real consequences. Risk-based testing and compliance strategies for 2026.
WHY ATTEND HANDS-ON TESTING
Your career. Your skills. Your network.
Leave with practical insights, new perspectives, and connections to support your work in software quality.
Practical skills you can use immediately
Workshops are structured around real scenarios. You leave with techniques tested in production environments, not just slides.
Global perspectives, local context
Speakers from across Latin America, the US, and Europe share how their teams tackle the same challenges you face — with regional context that matters.
A community that grows with you
8 years of Hands-On Testing Conference alumni means you’re joining one of the most active QA networks in LATAM. Connections you make here turn into collaborators, references, and friends.
Direct access to AI & testing tool builders
Meet the teams behind the tools you use every day. Ask questions, run demos, and shape product roadmaps through direct feedback sessions.
A conference that looks good on your CV
Hands-On Testing Conference 2026 is a recognized credential in the Latin American tech community. Speakers and attendees are cited in industry reports, job descriptions, and hiring conversations.
A certificate of attendance
All registered attendees receive a digital certificate of participation, valid for professional development records and LinkedIn profile.
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE
A word from our co-founder
“When we first came up with the idea for Hands-On Testing back in 2018, our mission was clear: we wanted to create an annual conference that would bring together the best practices in software testing and quality. Today, AI trends are really taking off — autonomous systems that can plan, reason, and take action without constant human oversight are reshaping roles, processes, and even what we consider quality in software engineering.
It was a pleasure to welcome our community to Zapopan for the 2026 edition of Hands-On Testing. This year’s program brought together talks, workshops, and conversations about the practices reshaping software quality engineering in the AI era.”
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Built for the people who build quality
Whether you write test code all day or lead a quality engineering team, there’s a track, workshop, or conversation at Hands-On Testing Conference 2026 designed for your level.
VENUE & TRAVEL
Guadalajara, Mexico
Mexico’s Silicon Valley — a thriving tech ecosystem with excellent international connections, world-class universities, and a vibrant QA & engineering community.
Conference Venue
- Universidad Panamericana Calz. Nueva 49, Granja, 45010 Zapopan, Jal., México
- Main auditorium: Aula Panamericana, Building H.
- Quality Engineering Summit: Building E.
- Networking, sponsors & coffee break: Auditorium esplanade.
- Visitor parking: In front of the university.
