The Metamorphosis of Code: How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Software Architecture

Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs), are beginning to influence how modern software systems are designed and maintained. Researchers have increasingly examined the role of AI within the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including architecture design, automated code generation, testing, and developer productivity (Zhang et al., 2023; Devanbu et al., 2023). This paper reviews current literature to understand how AI tools are reshaping software architecture and engineering practices. The study finds that AI systems perform well when automating repetitive development tasks such as code generation and documentation, but their ability to support complex architectural reasoning remains limited. Furthermore, integrating AI into development workflows introduces new challenges related to reliability, security, evaluation frameworks, and technical debt (Moreschini et al., 2026; Synovic et al., 2023).