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AI will transform the role of the master architect

To keep up, master architects must hone hard and soft skills to be successful in this new era

Master architects design complex IT systems for clients, including application architectures, cloud infrastructures, and enterprisewide systems. The rise of AI has many impacts on the role of master IT architects, who shape how systems are designed, used, and maintained. For those willing to learn new tools and new ways of working, it is a time of opportunity and growth.

To quantify this future of work, ServiceNow paired up for the third year in a row with research partner Pearson to produce the 2025 Workforce Skills Forecast. This study assesses how AI agents and related technologies such as generative AI (GenAI) will impact workers and organizations in the next five years.

[NOTE: Experienced human writers and editors used AI to help research and draft this article.]

ServiceNow and Pearson used machine learning to mine labor market data in 10 countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S.). The resulting analysis maps the changing relationship between people and AI in the workplace and predicts that AI will change the mix of skills required for people and organizations to thrive.

By 2030, the U.S. will see its workforce increase by roughly 3 million due to economic growth and jobs to support new technologies, according to the research. At the same time, more than 8 million U.S. workers’ roles will be affected by agentic AI, which is a type of AI capable of autonomous decision-making. These AI agents will orchestrate sets of discrete work tasks that can replace (automate) or improve (augment) the work of humans. If human work changes but human workers don’t adapt, there’s a good chance they’ll be displaced.

For master architects, the changes will be quite significant. AI tools are increasingly becoming a key part of the development process; this will continue over the next five years. As these tools mature, the master architect role must change. However, there will always be a place for humans to help design and manage large-scale AI systems and to make sure they do what they’re supposed to do. To remain relevant, master architects must future-proof their skills.

By 2030, the impact of AI-powered automation and augmentation on the master architect role will be moderate.

Long-term impacts on master architects:

1. Seamless AI integration: The rise of agentic AI, capable of multistep automation, requires master architects to rethink workflow automation entirely. This means architecting systems where AI agents can interact across silos, execute tasks autonomously, and escalate issues when they encounter roadblocks.

2. Governance at scale: As the role becomes more about orchestration and oversight of AI agent-powered systems, master architects must build strong guardrails to protect against unethical or rogue AI behavior. They must make sure that systems are fully auditable, reversible, and constrained by policy frameworks aligned with organizational ethics.

By 2030, the impact of AI-powered automation and augmentation on the master architect role will be moderate.

Despite changes to the role, an additional 52,900 master and technical architects (of all levels) are projected to be needed in the U.S. to satisfy increasing demand over the next five years, according to our research.

A master architect is a technical advisor who guides customers on large-scale digital deployments while assisting them in their digital transformation. They provide expert guidance on technology strategy, governance, solution design, and architecture, supporting customers from strategy development to system execution.

The median annual salary for master IT architects is $116,000, according to Salary.com. Specific fields, such as machine learning architecture, AI platform design, and AI governance, can command higher salaries due to the specialized nature of the work.

To be successful in the role of master architect requires a mixture of skills and mindsets:

  • Proficiency in enterprise architecture design: The ability to conceptualize and develop scalable, secure, and efficient IT systems that are aligned with organizational goals and technical requirements
  • Expert knowledge of cloud technologies: Mastery in cloud computing platforms, hybrid architectures, and virtualization to design flexible and future-ready IT environments
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: Ability to assess complex IT challenges and devise innovative, practical solutions to overcome technical and business obstacles
  • Expertise in systems integration: A deep understanding of integrating disparate systems to ensure seamless data flow across applications and create cohesive enterprise solutions
  • Effective communication and collaboration: Ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical teams and nontechnical stakeholders, enabling alignment and buy-in across all layers of the organization
  • Strategic mindset with future-ready vision: Anticipating technology trends and aligning IT strategies to long-term organizational goals to ensure adaptability and sustained competitiveness

The impact of AI (generative and agentic) on the master architect role will reshape how architects approach their responsibilities, skills, and strategic priorities.

According to our research, 28% of U.S.-based master architects’ job tasks will be transformed by AI in the next five years. Only 29% of that amount will come specifically from agentic AI, while the rest will result from non-agentic automation tools such as generative AI, robotic processing automation, and machine learning. The impact of this and other time savings will be the equivalent of 11.4 hours saved per week per person—3.2 hours saved with the use of agentic AI and 8.2 hours saved with other, non-agentic AI technologies.

By 2030, agentic AI-based tools and bots will automate roughly three-quarters of AI-impacted tasks, meaning humans will no longer be needed to complete them. At the same time, a quarter of AI impacted tasks will be augmented by agentic AI, increasing the amount of work human master architects can do. Agentic AI will save time previously spent providing technical guidance for developing IT systems. Non-agentic AI will reduce time spent collaborating with engineers and software designers and communicating project progress to clients and staff.

As AI becomes increasingly prevalent in the workplace, master architects can take the following measures to thrive and remain relevant.

  • Master new technologies and tools: Continuously learn AI frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and OpenAI APIs to design cutting-edge solutions while keeping up with trends in AI.
  • Lead the AI strategy: Develop enterprisewide AI strategies for clients to help them unlock business value. This includes identifying areas where GenAI and agentic AI can have the most impact.
  • Focus on AI governance: Create AI governance frameworks to ensure ethical, compliant, and scalable implementations of AI technologies.
  • Co-create with AI: Learn to work alongside AI rather than seeing it as a threat. Use GenAI to draft initial technical architectures or documentation that you refine. Employ agentic AI for automating design validation or dynamic testing workflows.
  • Collaborate across disciplines: Partner with data scientists, business leaders, and domain experts to align AI capabilities with organizational priorities, ensuring solutions meet both technical and business needs.
  • Prioritize strategic leadership: Focus on understanding customer needs, designing adaptive architectures, and aligning technology to business strategy—roles that require human vision and empathy.
  • Embrace automation and transformation: Leverage AI-powered automation tools (e.g., robotic process automation, intelligent orchestration) to streamline processes and modernize workflows, improving efficiency and innovation within IT teams.

By honing these skills and adopting a mindset of continuous learning, master architects can maintain relevance and thrive alongside agentic AI. Remember, agentic AI is a tool, not a replacement for human ingenuity. By focusing on adaptability, continuous learning, and leveraging uniquely human traits, tech workers can position themselves as indispensable collaborators in an AI-driven future.

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