Artificial intelligence (AI) raises two different questions for architects: how can it help with architecture work, and how should a service that uses it be designed? This section covers both.
The design guides follow a fictional support assistant. They explain how the application finds the rules and facts it needs, checks a recommendation and controls any change to a business record. Research examples explain the reasons for the advice. The practice guide covers briefing an assistant and reviewing its contribution to research, design and delivery.
Design a system built from prompts and skills
Start here if you are combining instructions, reusable procedures, sources and tools to produce an architecture review, a software change or a support recommendation. Read the three guides in order for a complete example, or choose the decision you need to make.
| Guide | What you should take away |
|---|---|
| 1. AI-system blueprint | Component responsibilities; where instructions, rules, facts and state belong; a small advisory starting point and a comparison of ways to obtain context. |
| 2. AI worked example | One support request traced through selected rules and facts, the returned proposal, validation, and an optional approved action with recovery. |
| 3. AI regression testing | A change from prompt version 3 to 4, the tests selected for that change, a call budget, checks of the test selection and the release decision record. |
The example defines a fictional support service. It has not been implemented, and its proposed model tests remain unrun.
Use AI in architecture work
AI-supported architecture explains how to brief an assistant, check its sources and review the work it produces. Use it when AI helps with research, design, delivery, governance or service support.
These shared task collections sit under All templates. They pair a human brief with an AI prompt example for architecture practice; they are not components or ready-made test suites for the AI-system blueprint:
| Your task | Briefs, prompts and worked examples |
|---|---|
| Review principles, responsibility or release readiness | Governance |
| Check requirements, tests or a proposed change | Delivery and quality assurance |
| Diagnose a problem, examine a runbook or assess recovery | Service support |
Connect the AI design to the wider service
The AI design is part of a wider service. The following links lead to the Portal’s general architecture guidance:
- Systems covers interfaces, software and business rules.
- Information covers source meaning, ownership and correction.
- Security covers access and authority.
- The general service blueprint connects people, work, information and operation.
- Methodology configuration helps fit these concerns to your team’s existing terminology and records.