Hiring AI Architects
What does an AI Architect do?
An AI Architect works hands-on at the client's premises and is not a trainer. You go into a company, turn the repetitive, tedious daily work of each role into defined workflows, connect them to the company's data and software, and build each employee's own AI assistant, automated workflows and SOPs people can actually follow. Finally, you hand everything over so employees can use it and another technician can take over maintenance. HowBridge grades AI Architects as A-, A or A+ by the difficulty of problems they can solve on their own. This intake is only for people based in Taiwan who can work on-site at client companies in Taiwan. Applying and the A- online test are both free.
It is for people who already use AI, automation tools or code to solve work problems and want to go into companies and turn that into proper workflows, such as IT staff, automation engineers, ERP consultants, IT support technicians, or office workers who have already brought AI into their own department's processes. This is a hands-on job, not a teaching role. If you are looking for parcel consolidation or customs services, see the China-to-Taiwan shipping cost calculator.
How is an AI Architect different from a trainer or an outsourced engineer?
An AI Architect is responsible for making sure employees really use the solution every day and that someone can deal with problems when they come up. Teaching employees to use AI is only a small part of it; the main job is to go into the company and turn the work into workflows that keep running over the long term.
| AI Architect | Trainer | Typical outsourced engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they do at the company | Map the work, connect systems, build assistants and workflows, write SOPs, hand over | Teach classes, demonstrate tools | Develop features to spec |
| Deliverables | AI assistants and automated workflows employees use every day | Courses and handouts | Code or a system |
| Acceptance criteria | The agreed work cases run, exceptions have an owner, another technician can take over | Trainee satisfaction | Features match the spec |
| After the project | Ongoing maintenance through the platform; the original technician gets priority on follow-up work orders | Usually ends | A separate maintenance contract |
What will you actually do at client companies?
The approach is "shared role template + the company's own data and rules + each employee's own identity and permissions". For example, five customer service agents share one customer service template, connected to the company's order data and service guidelines; each agent signs in with their own account and only sees the customers they are responsible for.
| Role | Work the AI assistant helps with | Decisions kept for people |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service | Look up orders, summarize delivery status, categorize issues, draft replies, track exceptions | Special commitments, refunds and important external replies |
| Sales | Organize inquiries, prepare draft quotes, set follow-up reminders, compile customer records | Approving prices and deal terms |
| Administration | Sort documents, file attachments, tidy up forms, track meeting action items | Confirming anything involving sensitive data or exceptions |
| Finance assistant | Extract fields from documents, summarize reconciliation differences, list missing documents | Booking entries, payments and tax decisions |
| Warehouse / operations | Organize arrival data, summarize exceptions, generate shipping to-dos | Physical discrepancies and releasing shipments |
- Division of labor: AI handles understanding, extracting, classifying and drafting; pricing, field validation, permission checks and transaction processing are left to explicit program rules.
- Integration order: use existing APIs first; use rule-based desktop automation only where there is no API; let AI operate the screen only when understanding the screen is truly required.
- Every production workflow must be able to answer: Did this run succeed? Who handles a failure? Will a retry create duplicate orders? How do you stop it? How do you fall back to manual work?
Why are there three levels: A-, A and A+?
Because people differ in how difficult a problem they can handle on their own, and client problems differ in difficulty too. The levels exist to match the right person to the right work order: standard rollouts within a template go to A-, cross-system integration goes to A, and company-wide diagnosis and production incidents go to A+.
| A- Deployment | A Integration | A+ Architecture | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one sentence | Apply a template and set up a standard workflow | Connect different systems and handle exceptions | Diagnose the whole company, design templates, clean up incidents |
| Scope | 1 role, 1 system | 1 department, across 2 to 3 systems | The whole company or several departments |
| Problems faced | Known problems with a template available | No template; you decide how to connect things | Unfamiliar systems, conflicting requirements, production incidents |
| Work orders you can take | Half-day or one-day rollouts within a template | Custom integrations of one day or more | Diagnosis, architecture planning, reviewing A- and A deliveries |
| Independence | Works independently within the template; reports anything beyond it | Can take full ownership of a whole project | Can lead A- and A technicians and is accountable for quality |
| Eligibility | Open to all | Held A- for 3 months with 5 work orders actually accepted by clients; or apply directly, but you must also pass the A- practical stage | Held A for 6 months with 10 work orders actually accepted by clients |
How is each of the three levels tested?
At every level the core is a timed practical exam; the written test only checks basic concepts. The exam takes place in a simulated company with a fake order database, Excel reports, a customer service mailbox, an old desktop application with no API, and employee accounts with different permissions. All three levels use the same environment; the tasks set the difficulty. You may use AI tools in the practical and oral exams, because you will use them on the job anyway; what is tested is your judgment, the quality of what you deliver, and your ability to clean up a mess.
A- Deployment (one day of practical work, about 6 hours)
① Online written test, 40 questions (40 minutes, 10%) ② Using the "customer service order lookup + reply drafts" template, set up an individual AI assistant for each of 3 simulated employees (2.5 hours, 40%) ③ Find and handle these 4 situations yourself: no matching data, system disconnection, insufficient permissions, and a customer asking something outside the template (1 hour, 20%) ④ Write the handover document (1 hour, 20%) ⑤ 15-minute oral exam (10%). Pass: a total score of 70 or more, and all 4 situations handled.
A Integration (two days)
① Requirements interview: the examiner plays a warehouse manager who is deliberately vague and leaves out conditions; you must uncover the real requirements and write up the scope and hours (15%) ② Connect the order database, the Excel arrivals sheet and the customer service mailbox into a daily exception summary workflow, with scheduling, run logs and failure alerts (30%) ③ Use desktop automation for the old system with no API, and decide which machine it runs on (15%) ④ Troubleshooting: the examiner secretly breaks 3 things, such as a renamed field, an expired token, or retries creating duplicate orders; fix them within 90 minutes (25%) ⑤ Handover check: another A- candidate redeploys using only your documentation (15%). Pass: 75 or more, at least 2 faults fixed, and the person taking over deploys successfully.
A+ Architecture (three days, plus shadowing a real project)
① Company-wide diagnosis of a 30-person company: rank the 5 workflows most worth bringing AI into, and estimate the net monthly time saved after review and exception handling (20%) ② Design multi-role permissions, time-limited access for external technicians, revoking access at project close, activity logs and data ownership (20%) ③ Turn a custom workflow into a template that an A- technician deploys successfully on the spot within 4 hours (20%) ④ Simulated production incident: a workflow sends 200 wrong customer notifications in the middle of the night; you must contain it, report it, find the root cause and write an incident report (20%) ⑤ Review an A-level delivery and find the 5 hidden problems (10%) ⑥ A 30-minute defense, plus shadowing a real project that the client and HowBridge accept jointly (10%). Pass: 80 or more, correct incident containment steps, and the shadowed project passes acceptance.
Both A and A+ are taken in person. After you pass the A- online test, HowBridge will notify you separately of the exam date and venue, based on where candidates are located and how many there are.
What does the A- online test cover, and what is the pass mark?
The A- online test has 40 single-choice questions with a 40-minute limit. You pass with 28 or more correct answers, including at least 6 of the 8 questions in the "Data and permissions" category. 8 questions are drawn from each of 5 question banks, the order of the options differs for every candidate, and you see your total score and correct answers per category as soon as you submit.
| Category | Questions | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Data and permissions | 8 (at least 6 correct) | Customer personal data, key storage, least privilege, instructions hidden in external content, remote access |
| Splitting work between AI and rules | 8 | What to give to AI and what must be handled by program rules or decided by people |
| Workflow reliability | 8 | Retries without duplicate orders, run logs, rollback, exceptions, versioning |
| On-site delivery | 8 | Up-front confirmation, scope changes, acceptance, handover documents, describing benefits honestly |
| Operations and incidents | 8 | Containment order, expiring authorizations, monthly reports, handing over to another technician |
- The questions are currently available in Traditional Chinese only.
- Once you start, the timer does not pause; if you reload the page you can continue, and the test is submitted automatically when time runs out.
- Each email address can apply and take the test only once every 30 days.
- Looking things up is not forbidden, but the questions test on-site judgment, which the later practical and oral exams will check again.
What leads to an automatic fail?
At any level, committing any one of the following means an automatic fail, no matter how high your score. These are also grounds for suspension once you are working.
- Pasting the simulated company's customer data into an external service or a personal AI account.
- Writing passwords or keys in plain text in code, documents or chats.
- Making changes without a way to roll back, or touching production data without a backup.
- Faking test results: saying you tested something when you did not.
- Accessing systems or data the task did not authorize.
Does a level stay valid forever?
No. A level is valid for 12 months and is renewed based on your actual work order record. The exam shows you can do it in the exam room; your work order record shows you keep doing it at client sites.
- Renewal looks at four things: first-time acceptance rate, rework hours, completeness of handover documents, and client ratings.
- Moving up: once you have built up a record of real projects, apply for the next level.
- Moving down: repeated rework leads to a lower level; security violations lead to immediate suspension.
- Verifiable: after certification there is a public certificate check, so clients can look up a technician's level and expiry date.
What are the steps from applying to certification?
After applying you can take the A- online test right away; if you pass, HowBridge will contact you to arrange the practical stage. Applying and the written test are both free.
1Fill in the application form
Enter your contact details, city or county, years of experience, skills and the level you want to take, and confirm the personal data notice.
2Take the A- online test
You can start as soon as you have applied, or save the exam link and take the test within 30 days.
3HowBridge contacts you
After you pass the written test, HowBridge will contact you by the phone number or email you provided to confirm your experience and availability.
4Take the practical stage in person
The practical tasks, handover and oral exam are arranged according to the level you applied for.
5Get certified and start taking work orders
Once certified, you take work orders according to your level. The working arrangement and pay are explained in person after you pass the practical stage, and a contract is signed.
Who can apply, and what are the requirements?
This intake is only for people based in Taiwan, aged 18 or over, who can work on-site at client companies in Taiwan. There are no degree or major requirements; what matters is whether you can actually solve the problem.
- You can work on-site at client companies; remote support is part of the job, but you cannot work remotely only.
- You have solved a real work problem in at least one way: AI assistants, automation tools, APIs, databases, desktop automation, code or Excel macros all count.
- You can communicate with client employees in Chinese and understand how work is done on site.
- You are willing to write up your methods in documents others can understand.
How will your application data be used?
In accordance with Article 8 of the Personal Data Protection Act, HowBridge informs you of the following before you submit your application. Before you press submit, you need to tick a box confirming you have read and agree to it.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Data collector | HowBridge (0523.tw) |
| Purpose of collection | AI Architect recruitment, skills assessment, communication and work order matching |
| Categories of data | Name, email, phone, city or county, years of experience, current job title, skills, links to work samples or experience, self-introduction, and your written test answers and score |
| Period of use | During recruitment and the working relationship; data of applicants who are not selected is deleted 12 months after the application date |
| Area and recipients of use | Taiwan; used only by HowBridge staff responsible for recruitment and assigning work, and not provided to clients or other third parties. After certification, your level and expiry date are shown in the certificate check |
| Your rights | You may request to inquire about, review, receive a copy of, supplement or correct your data, or to stop its collection, processing and use, or to delete it. Make requests via Contact HowBridge |
| If you do not provide data | If required data is not provided, the application and skills assessment cannot be completed |
What do the terms on this page mean?
- AI Architect
- A person who works on-site at companies, turns the daily work of each role into AI assistants, automated workflows and SOPs, and is responsible for handover and ongoing maintenance.
- Role AI assistant
- An AI assistant designed around the work of a specific role, connected to company data and rules; each employee uses it with their own account and permissions.
- SOP
- Standard operating procedure: a clear write-up of the steps, owners and exception handling for a task, so different people get the same result.
- API
- A formal interface for exchanging data between systems; more stable than having a program imitate a person clicking on the screen.
- Desktop automation (RPA)
- Using a program to operate the computer screen according to fixed rules; suited to old systems with no API.
- Least privilege
- Giving an account only the permissions it needs to do the job, to limit the damage from errors or leaks.
- Rollback
- Going back to the version before a change when the change causes problems.
- Handover document
- A document that sets out the workflow's scope, account permissions, how to operate and stop it, versions and owners, so employees can use it and another technician can take over.
What are the sources and the scope of verification?
The laws below were checked in the Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on 2026-11-12. The exam system is HowBridge's own version 1 and will be adjusted based on actual exams and work order records.
Laws
- Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan): Personal Data Protection Act, Article 8 | Document date: not stated. When collecting personal data directly from the data subject, the collector must state its name, the purpose of collection, the categories of data, the period, area, recipients and manner of use, the rights the data subject may exercise and how, and the effect on their rights if they do not provide the data. The section "How will your application data be used?" on this page is based on this article.
- Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan): Employment Service Act, Article 5 | Document date: not stated. When recruiting, employers may not require private information not needed for the job, nor collect a deposit. The application form on this page only asks for information related to this job, and no fees of any kind are charged for applying or the written test.
The levels, exam content and pass marks on this page are HowBridge's internal system, not a government license, and do not represent certification by any external body. The working arrangement and pay between AI Architects and HowBridge are explained separately after you pass the practical stage and are governed by a written contract.
Frequently asked questions about AI Architect recruitment
Is there a fee to apply or take the exams?
Can I apply without an IT-related degree?
Is an AI Architect supposed to teach classes to employees?
Can I go straight for A or A+?
Can I look things up or use AI during the online test?
Can I retake the written test if I fail?
What if I lose my exam link?
Can I apply if I am outside Taiwan?
How is pay calculated?
Is the certification a government license?
Further reading
Apply to be an AI Architect
After you submit, you can take the A- online test right away (40 questions, 40 minutes). Applying and the written test are both free. Each email address can apply only once every 30 days.
Apply for the first intake of AI Architects
Submit your application and you can take the A- online test. Applying and the exams are free. Only people based in Taiwan who can work on-site at client companies are being recruited.
Apply now