The OpenClaw approach is continuing to gain traction as yet another company from the Cloud Wars Top 10 embarks on developing its own agentic desktop system. Quick refresher from the OpenClaw site:
The AI that actually does things. Clears your inbox, sends emails, manages your calendar, checks you in for flights. All from WhatsApp, Telegram, or any chat app you already use.
This time, it’s ServiceNow. Previously, I reported on Microsoft’s ambitions to deliver OpenClaw-style agentic capabilities to its customers. You can read more about that here: “Microsoft Accelerates Toward an Agentic Copilot Future Inspired by OpenClaw-Style AI Systems.”
ServiceNow is teaming up with NVIDIA, expanding its existing collaboration, to launch Project Arc, which the company describes as an enterprise autonomous desktop agent secured by NVIDIA OpenShell and governed by ServiceNow AI Control Tower. Let’s dive into it.
What Is Project Arc?
Project Arc is an enterprise-grade autonomous desktop agent that is designed to reason, write code, execute tasks, and adapt to unexpected outcomes. This new agent can execute complex workflows spanning multiple tools and systems within the enterprise, similar to OpenClaw.
Project Arc is powered by ServiceNow Action Fabric, the company’s enterprise AI tool. This tool enables AI agents and third-party LLMs to leverage the ServiceNow platform ecosystem. As a result, the agent can operate across tools and systems outside ServiceNow while remaining grounded in organisational data through the ServiceNow Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
In addition to being available as a desktop application, Project Arc can also be accessed through other interfaces, including email and various enterprise collaboration tools.
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The NVIDIA Connection
NVIDIA secures Project Arc through NVIDIA OpenShell, the company’s secure runtime environment that enables organizations to run and sandbox autonomous agents. NVIDIA OpenShell enables enterprise users to add policy-based management rules to contain Project Arc’s outputs securely. This secure layer is designed to instil confidence in users who may be concerned that letting the agent loose on their machines could cause disruption or even compromise security.
“ServiceNow and NVIDIA set out to make AI real for the enterprise, and today we’re showing the proof of that work,” said Joe Davis, executive vice president of AI Engineering & Delivery at ServiceNow. “
“Whether it’s autonomous AI agents that can be trusted on the desktop, governance that extends to the data center, or open benchmarks that hold the entire industry accountable, this is enterprise AI that’s built to last.”
Finally, governance is delivered by the ServiceNow AI Control Tower, which regulates the actions that the agent takes.
Closing Thoughts
Project Arc represents ServiceNow’s strategic entry into the broader industry shift from conversational AI to AI agents capable of executing real tasks within enterprise environments. The key differentiator here is governance.
By combining the NVIDIA OpenShell sandbox environment with the governance capabilities of the ServiceNow AI Control Tower, this approach is well-founded. As workers become more accustomed to integrating AI into their everyday practices, the transition from web-based solutions to desktop applications is inevitable.
However, security concerns will always persist. ServiceNow has not only acknowledged these concerns but also proactively addressed them to ease users’ minds and ultimately increase adoption.
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