This article examines the role of PlantUML as a tool in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) development and its impact on the design processes of complex software systems; emphasizes the relevance of effective architectural visualization, especially in the face of increasing system complexity and automated code generation. The ergonomic advantages of PlantUML are analyzed, including reduced cognitive load for developers, consistency in documentation, and integration into continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The authors propose a model where PlantUML serves as a modern interface between humans and AI, with textual diagram descriptions acting as a structured data source for analysis and generation. Practical examples of PlantUML’s synergy with AI assistants, such as automatic sequence diagram generation and code reverse-engineering are provided. The article concludes with insights into the future of PlantUML as a tool for creating human-centric design environments that balance machine efficiency with human understanding in the age of AI dominance.
A 2026 study studied this question.