The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) is at a decisive stage in the evolution of Nondestructive Testing (NDT), marked by digitization, automation, and the growing integration of artificial intelligence. As part of its 2021 Strategic Plan and Vision 2035 initiative, the organization is focusing its efforts on strengthening the global workforce, updating its certification models, and promoting standards that facilitate the adoption of advanced technologies in multiple industrial sectors.
In this exclusive interview, the ASNT president outlines the organization’s strategic priorities in the face of challenges such as the international portability of credentials, the shortage of qualified talent, and the need for competency frameworks in line with emerging techniques such as PAUT, TOFD, industrial tomography, data analytics, and AI-assisted inspection. He also addresses ASNT’s role in the global harmonization of certifications, the articulation between research, manufacturers, and end users, and the redefinition of training schemes to respond to an increasingly integrated and data-driven technical environment.
- ASNT has long set the benchmark for NDT training, certification, and community building. What are the global strategic priorities of your presidency to strengthen the impact of NDT across multiple industries?
Rather than setting any personal agendas, the priorities and goals for my term as ASNT President is simply to focus on the strategic direction and initiatives that have been set by the ASNT Board of Directors. As a mission driven Society, I feel it is vitally important that my sole focus should be on executing to the best of my ability the elements of our Strategic Plan that was approved by the Board in 2021. Fortunately, both the current Plan, as well as the newly approved Plan, Vision 2035, continue to focus ASNT’s efforts on strengthening the NDT workforce through training, certification, community building, and global engagement of the NDT industry as a whole.
- With the rise of AI, automation, advanced PAUT/ TOFD techniques, industrial CT, and data analytics, how is ASNT updating its competency frameworks and credentialing ecosystem to remain internationally relevant?
In today’s rapidly changing digital landscape, innovation and new technologies are moving at a pace the likes of which we in the NDT world have never encountered. While the industry as a whole has been somewhat slow to react, I believe that we now fully understand that we must be more proactive and responsive to this new normal within our industry. In fact, one of the four objectives of our Vision 2035 Strategic Plan is “Promote and accelerate the adoption of next-generation NDT techniques through standards development, scientific research, education, and partnerships”.
As a key part of this objective, developing a competent and reliable workforce is essential for the long-term success of any of the new technologies. ASNT is examining every aspect of the legacy credentialing models, evaluating what needs to be updated, changed, or eliminated, and is certainly prepared to introduce completely new ecosystems in order to keep pace with tomorrow’s NDT needs.
- Credential portability is essential for professionals working with multinational clients. What progress has been made to facilitate mutual recognition and global mobility of NDT talent?
With the exception of the ASNT NDT Level III program, ASNT has historically been known for it’s “employer based” certification models. One of the first initiatives of the Strategic Plan of 2021 was to launch the ASNT 9712 certification program, which was indeed successfully launched in 2023. These certification exams are currently available in both the United States and India, and will be available very soon in Saudi Arabia. There are also plans being finalized to also bring the ASNT 9712 exams to Europe and the UAE in early 2026. In addition to the ASNT 9712 exams, the ASNT Oil and Gas Industry Sector Qualification (ISQ) will also be available at these locations as well.
- How does ASNT perceive its role in the international NDT community as the industry navigates the challenges of workforce shortages and perceived competency issues?
As a leader within the industry, ASNT must work to coordinate, unify, and activate the global NDT community. We must be proactive in establishing international collaboration, harmonizing certification systems and implementing cross-border initiatives that advance consistency and shared standards. If the NDT industry is to meet the requirements needed for the future, it is essential that the entire global community understand the challenges, work together to find solutions, and collectively bring those solutions fruition.
- How is ASNT working to connect researchers, equipment manufacturers, and end users in meaningful technical dialogue?
Fantastic question! Interestingly, as we were working to develop Vision 2035, one of the steps was to engage these exact stakeholders directly in order to ascertain what they deemed as the biggest challenges that they faced today. Almost without exception, each identified the inability to consistently obtain meaningful connection and collaboration from research – to manufacturer – to end user as a serious breakdown in communication and execution success.
It is clear that we must be more thoughtful and diligent in finding pathways and forums for these critical stakeholders to actively engage and collaborate. As a first step, ASNT is planning to organize a “thought leaders” forum in 2026 with the specific purpose of bringing industry leaders from these groups together in order to discuss how we can more effectively close this loop.
- As industries move toward digital and automated inspection, how does ASNT plan to guide the integration of AI-assisted evaluation, digital twins, and smart data management, while ensuring that human expertise and ethical standards remain central to the process?
While we are bombarded with the term “AI” at almost every turn today, it is important that we must not lose sight of a very important point. The role of AI or machine learning in NDT will not be to replace the human being, it will be to augment the human being and to make them more efficient and productive. We must focus our attention on how we use AI and technology to help solve a very real and growing problem – a global workforce shortage. NDT, like all skilled trades, continue to see diminishing numbers of available workers coming into the labor market each and every year.
This trend will continue for the foreseeable future; therefore, it is obvious that following conventional workforce models is not sustainable. We must have a pivot plan, we must develop new strategies using AI, automation, smart hardware and software, in order to close the workforce capacity gaps if we are to maintain critical infrastructure and product quality and reliability. For NDT to continue to make the world a safer place, we must embrace, not fear, human-led, human-first, AI technologies.
- The next generation of inspectors faces a rapidly evolving skills landscape. How is ASNT working to attract, train, and retain new professionals, including women and younger engineers, to ensure the continuity of expertise in the NDT field?
Although NDT touches most everyone in some way on a daily basis, very few people realize this or even know that our industry exists. In addition to the traditional channels, including all social media platforms, ASNT has initiated two specific networks to better reach and educate people about NDT and its vital role in society. As part of the 2021 Strategic Plan, the ASNT Foundation was established. A primary role of the Foundation is to fund scholarships for the aspiring NDT professionals, as well as to develop strategies to expand and grow the NDT workforce, especially for women and minorities.
Through STEM activities, we are now attempting to introduce the younger generation to NDT as early as elementary school. Secondly, in 2024, ASNT launched a dedicated Advocacy campaign and now have an Advocacy and Legislative Affairs office in Washington, DC with a full-time person dedicated to educating Congress and government organizations on the importance and critical role of NDT. Much progress has been made, including the first ASNT Hill Day this past March, to raise awareness of NDT and to open new pathways for the next generation to pursue a career in NDT
- Looking toward the next decade, what is your vision for the future of NDT in terms of hybrid competencies that combine inspection, data, and software integration, and ASNT’s role as a global leader in standards, ethics, and innovation?
Without question, the next decade will bring significant changes to the NDT industry. In order to maintain a healthy and thriving NDT community, we must be willing to move past legacy thought processes, embrace change, and adapt to a world driven by technology and innovation. We must accept that the workforce capacity gaps can not be filled with “warm bodies”, but instead use the power of AI, automation, and smart hardware to close these gaps. We must understand that tomorrow’s workforce will need different tools with which to learn, not through traditional methods, but relying heavily on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/ VR) platforms.
We must also be willing to completely revamp the qualification and certification models that were developed nearly 60 years ago. They will not support the needs of the next decade, as the workforce continues to migrate to a more specific tasked-based approach rather than the traditional method/technique approach. We must develop the necessary competency frameworks and credentialing systems to support this new normal for the next generation NDT professional. While we arguably face somewhat of a true paradigm shift in the coming years, I am confident that both ASNT and the entire NDT community will rise to the occasion, adapt and innovate as needed, and continue to make the world a safer place.
This article was developed by specialist Clyde May and published as part of the seventh edition of Inspenet Brief February 2026, dedicated to technical content in the energy and industrial sector.