ServiceNow boasts that Xanadu, the latest version of their Now Platform, is the most significant AI release in the platform’s history. And it’s hard to disagree:
- ticket summarization across various modules such as ITSM, HR, Security,
- e-mail and chat reply suggestions for agents to use,
- data visualisation,
to name a few.
However, the feature that sparked my interest the most was the Now Assist Skill Kit – a tool for developing custom features enhanced by GenAI. For that reason, I signed up for a “Unlocking Generative AI: Building Custom Skills using Now Assist Skill Kit” webinar hosted by ServiceNow.
So, how was it?
Now Assist Skill Kit
At first glance, the Assist Skill Kit resembles the popular Flow Designer. When accessed, we’re presented with a list of available skills (which are actions that use GenAI) with a button to create a new one. It’s worth mentioning that we can use one of eight available LLM models – including the native ServiceNow model – or our custom one.
The skill-creation process is easy and challenging at the same time. The ease comes from the interface because all we need to do is specify the input data that will be used by a prompt and what should happen next. The actual challenge is writing a good prompt that will yield satisfactory results. Luckily, we can keep checking the outputs as we improve our prompt. Once the skill is ready, it can be published on the platform.
A significant upside is the option to automatically create a UI Action on the corresponding table to call the newly defined skill. Currently, this is the only direct way of using custom skills. But fret not; you can write a script to make the call so that you may use GenAI elsewhere!
During the webinar, the host showcased such a custom UI Action for Knowledge Articles. GenAI was responsible for analyzing an article and providing relevant feedback based on the criteria defined in the prompt. It’s a simple but inspiring example of creative GenAI use that can actually benefit users in their everyday responsibilities.
AI Agents
ServiceNow released AI Agents at the end of 2024 for Customer Service and IT Service Management. These AI-powered agents would take over human agents’ most manual and tedious workloads, allowing them to focus on the most important cases.
Currently, only text processing is available, but there are plans to introduce the processing of speech, images, and videos. In their vision, ServiceNow sees AI Agent groups working on multiple cases overseen by specialist AI Admins, who would have to intervene only when necessary.
Data visualisation
GenAI can also help users visualize data. All you need to do is create a prompt, and GenAI will analyze your data – even if you don’t know the specific structure of this set. And as with any other report on the platform, you can share it on a dashboard.
Microsoft Copilot integration
The integration between Now Platform and Microsoft Teams is expanding. Thanks to this, Copilot will be able to redirect users to Now Assist from within the application. Say you need to access the service catalog – you’ll no longer need to open your web browser. Thanks to the integration between Copilot and Now Assist, you can do all that.
Code and flow generation
GenAI supports not only end-users but also platform admins. One prompt can result in a draft script or flow. And it doesn’t end there – once you have a flow generated, GenAI may suggest the following actions for it to complete the process you’re building.
Summary
ServiceNow states that they put a heavy focus on the further development of features utilizing GenAI. They’re actively collaborating with:
- NVIDIA,
- Microsoft,
- and IBM
on this matter.
When it comes to the Now Platform, we must praise the ease with which GenAI can be integrated into our platform – all according to the low-code/no-code philosophy.
All the aforementioned features surely help with everyday work, and they’re projected to only get better. Will it? Well, we can’t predict the future. However, looking at the amount of resources being poured into development and already reported benefits – such as productivity boost, cost reduction, and process enhancement – it surely is hard not to believe in GenAI’s potential.
Sources
- ServiceNow releases its most comprehensive set of new AI innovations with the Now Platform Xanadu release
- ServiceNow infuses new AI capabilities into purpose-built industry solutions with the Now Platform Xanadu release
- ServiceNow to unlock 24/7 productivity at massive scale with AI agents for IT, Customer Service, Procurement, HR, Software Development, and more
- Let Now Assist and Microsoft Copilot show you how to put AI to work
- The Now Platform Xanadu release: Actionable AI across the enterprise
- How to approach building custom generative AI solutions using Now Assist
- Now Assist Skill Kit (NASK) FAQ
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If you are interested in other tools used in the IT industry, be sure to take a look at our experts’ articles 🙂
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