See What AI Testing Actually Saves
70%
% of generated test cases that are correct
30%
Review cost as % of writing one case manually
Manual workflow
- 1Write test case
- 2Record / script it
Effort is predictable but high
AI-assisted workflow
- 1AI generates
- 2Verify all cases
- 3Re-record wrong ones
Effort depends on AI accuracy
Key insight
70%
Naïve savings estimate("AI got 70% right")
35%
Actual savings afterverification + re-recording
The gap between these two numbers is the hidden verification tax. And it grows as AI accuracy drops or verification takes longer.
Effort breakdown (per 100 test cases)
Manualbaseline
Write + record
Write + record: 100%
AI-assistedactual total: 65 units
Verify
Re-record
AI gen: 5%
Verify: 30%
Re-record: 30%
The real savings formula
−Manual effort (baseline)
100 units−AI gen overhead (~5% of baseline)
5 units−Verify all 100 cases (30% cost each)
30 units−Re-record 30 wrong cases (100% cost each)
30 units=Actual time saved
35 units (35%)