For almost 30 years, LoadRunner has set the standard for performance testing and been relied on by organisations of all shapes and sizes. Now, LoadRunner has released a bespoke AI solution that will take performance testing to a whole new level.
With proven protocol coverage, scalability, and three decades-long track record of innovation, LoadRunner has consistently set the benchmark for performance testing. It’s always been a future-proof solution, and unlike many performance tools, has consistently evolved to keep pace with technological change.
This latest change marks the start of the most significant evolution in performance testing since the advent of cloud-based testing; the ability to embed AI capabilities directly into scripting and analysis opens the door to a radically different future.
It is only the beginning of the journey, but I’ve spoken with early users who report that it is already saving time and pointing the direction for what is to come. As we’ve seen with other OpenText products, AI features rapidly evolve once they open the door!
2026: The Year of AI-Assisted Scripting and Analysis
Ok, technically, the LoadRunner products are now known as the OpenText Performance Engineering products, but LoadRunner is probably the name you’re most familiar with, so I’m sticking with it in this article.
Regardless of what you call it, it’s the first genuinely enterprise-grade platform to deeply embed AI into its load testing workflows. AI-driven scripting, smarter analysis, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) support now sit squarely alongside its long-established performance testing strengths.
The result is a platform that makes everything faster and easier, combining classic reliability with automation and guided insight without sacrificing control. It goes without saying, but I’ll mention it anyway, seasoned LoadRunner users will obviously see less benefit than those new to Performance Testing.
Building on a History of Success
For decades, LoadRunner has delivered class-leading performance testing to everyone from SMEs to multinational enterprises. It has been used by all sectors, from regulated healthcare and finance to public sector and blue-chip industries, since the 1990’s.
Companies choose LoadRunner (and return to it after trying alternatives) for myriad reasons. It is rock-solid, feature-rich, almost infinitely scalable, secure, flexible, and comes with professional support, among other benefits.
The latest release builds on that rock-solid foundation by adding optional AI features that accelerate scripting and analysis, without forcing teams into an unfamiliar way of working. You keep the workflows and reports you know, and gain a powerful assistant inside them.
Core Performance Engineering Aviator is OpenText’s new cloud-based AI service.
It comes at a moderate additional cost and integrates directly with VuGen and LoadRunner Analysis, so AI support is embedded and built specifically for LoadRunner, rather than sitting off to one side as a generic chatbot.
Adding AI To Your Scripting Workflow
Performance scripting has traditionally been time-consuming in performance testing.
By automating protocol selection, correlation, error resolution, and boilerplate logic, Aviator for Scripting in VuGen streamlines and accelerates the process for new and experienced engineers. In practice, that means you can create and maintain high-quality scripts more quickly.
Key capabilities now available in the tool:
- Protocol selection guidance based on your application.
- Natural-language explanations of captured scripts or code blocks.
- Real-time code suggestions, correlations, and fixes for errors.
- Boilerplate automation for parameterisation and think-time logic.
Plus, teams and individuals that have been experimenting with freestyle AI tools such as Copilot or Cursor can now consolidate those gains into this class-leading stack. The difference is that Aviator sits inside LoadRunner, within a governed, auditable, and scalable environment, rather than living externally in a general-purpose editor.
Smarter Analysis on Familiar Reports
Testing only delivers value when you can interpret the results quickly and confidently. Aviator for Analysis enhances Core Performance Engineering Results by letting you query performance runs in plain language on top of the dashboards and SLAs you already use.
It surfaces anomalies, correlates metrics to likely root causes, and benchmarks results against baselines, turning raw data into clear, actionable stories for programme reviews.
Because AI findings stay within the platform, you can also use them to detect regressions and spot trends across multi-release programmes, rather than treating each test cycle as an isolated event.
Why LoadRunner’s AI Revolution Really Matters
LoadRunner’s new AI capabilities change what is possible for performance teams. With AI built into Core Performance Engineering and VuGen, LoadRunner is redefining what good looks like.
While this is an initial release, make no mistake: this is not a trivial development. We have reached the tipping point where AI has shifted from a useful extra to the core engine that drives scripting speed, analysis quality, and coverage at scale. Future releases will build on this to deliver greater capabilities, much as has already happened with UFT One.
For organisations that rely on application performance as a competitive advantage, this is not a marginal improvement. It is the kind of platform shift that will allow smaller teams to deliver the kind of throughput and insight that once required large, specialist performance centres of excellence.
Take advantage of that shift with confidence and see the impact in your next performance cycle, not your next major transformation.
