QualiZeal and HFS Research Launch Joint Study on AI Quality Engineering and Trust Assurance

QualiZeal, a global leader in trust-first, AI-powered Quality Engineering, and HFS Research, a global advisory firm, have released a joint study titled “HFS Take 5 x QualiZeal.” The research examines enterprise readiness in validating production-grade AI systems and explores how Quality Engineering (QE) must evolve for the AI era. Based on a survey of 101 enterprise technology and quality leaders in the US, the findings reveal a widening gap between the rapid adoption of enterprise AI and the assurance mechanisms required to govern it. While 57% of enterprises currently run generative AI in production and 36% deploy agentic systems live, formal validation frameworks remain largely in pilot phases. Only 15% utilize purpose-built approaches for AI testing, and 52% continue to test probabilistic AI systems using traditional frameworks designed for deterministic software.

Metrics on Trust, Compliance, and Governance:
The study highlights that while baseline metrics are widely tracked, broader indicators of responsible AI lag behind:

Accuracy vs. Trust: While 88% of enterprises measure model accuracy, significantly fewer evaluate bias and fairness (47%), explainability (37%), or provide evidence for regulatory compliance (35%).

Accountability Deficit: About 37% of enterprises operate AI systems in production without a designated functional owner accountable for system quality.

Resource Disparity: Only 24% of enterprises report allocating proportional budgets to match Quality Engineering’s expanded mandate for AI governance.

Leadership Perspectives and Trust Engineering:
Kalyan Konda, Co-Founder, Executive Director & CEO of QualiZeal, noted that enterprises have deployed AI faster than they have developed the discipline to govern it, emphasizing that AI quality has become a critical boardroom concern. Madhu Murty, Co-Founder & Head of India Operations, highlighted that quality engineering is shifting toward assuring intelligence itself, with 82% of enterprises expecting the QE role to grow into that of trusted ‘trust engineers’. Hansa Iyengar, Practice Leader at HFS Research, added that while accuracy helps AI enter production, trust elements like fairness and compliance are essential for sustainable scaling. To help bridge these gaps, QualiZeal offers specialized AI ecosystems including QMentisAI™ for agentic QE, ValidAIte™ for AI assurance, and NexaAI for trust-first advisory.