A startup called Blok Intelligence Inc. has raised $7.5 million to transform the software testing process with AI agents that simulate the behavior of human users. Blok has developed AI agents that are grounded in a combination of behavioral science and product data to try to simulate how different types of people use software. That way, developers can identify the most useful features and uncover and eliminate any friction points in their applications. It’s aiming to transform the software testing process, which often takes weeks, and condense it into a matter of hours. According to the startup, the capabilities its AI agents provide are needed more than ever, given the surging popularity of “vibe coding,” which has led to a flood of new digital products, but the challenge is that many of these new applications aren’t giving people what they want. Blok gets around that with AI agents that behave like humans. It says they’re curious, imperfect and full of nuance, just like people are. By grounding them in the “messy realities” of human decision making, they’re better able to identify what humans will like and dislike about new software products. Co-founder and Chief Executive Tom Charman said he thinks static, one-size-fits-all software products are soon going to become obsolete, replaced by tools that are more adaptive and responsive to each user’s needs. But developers need help to understand what those needs are.