We’re all used to getting agentic AI updates piecemeal. An enhancement here, a partner announcement there. Yet, with its latest platform release, ServiceNow has given us analysts a lot more to unpack.
The Yokohama release introduces thousands of AI agents across the ServiceNow ecosystem. These agents cover a wide range of use cases, from CRM to HR, IT, industries, and data and analytics. The addition of these new agentic AI capabilities, including preconfigured agents, build and management facilities, and improved agent to agent connectivity, promises to revolutionize the way ServiceNow customers work and interact with the technology.
What’s New?
“Agentic AI is the new frontier,” says Amit Zavery, president, chief product officer, and chief operating officer at ServiceNow. “Enterprise leaders are no longer just experimenting with AI agents; they’re demanding AI solutions that can help them achieve productivity at scale.”
Yokohama brings to the table thousands of preconfigured AI agents developed by ServiceNow, its partners, and the wider community. These agents cover a vast array of tasks, often working in teams to deliver practical benefits.
Some examples include security operations (SecOps) expert AI agents. These agents support efficient SecOps by ensuring the entire incident lifecycle is managed and monitored, freeing up SecOps teams to concentrate on more pressing use cases.
Autonomous change management agents take on the role of a change manager, ensuring the correct analysis and implementation strategies are in place to minimize disruption, while network test and repair AI agents automatically detect, interpret, and resolve network discrepancies. Other types of agents perform business enrichment tasks, such as operational technology (OT) knowledge generation agents, which automatically create knowledge base articles following incident resolution.
Agentic AI Management
ServiceNow describes its platform as the “AI agent control tower for enterprises.” The company eliminates silos and integration requirements by providing a single platform for AI agent development and orchestration.
To further this goal, Yokohama includes the general availability of the ServiceNow AI Agent Orchestrator and AI Agent Studio, which is a powerful tool for designing and configuring AI agents using natural language prompts. Additionally, ServiceNow has expanded its overall performance management for agentic AI with a new analytics dashboard specifically tailored for AI agents.
Another key differentiator in ServiceNow’s AI approach is its Workflow Data Fabric, which unites and connects data regardless of its origin. Regarding data unification, the Yokohama release includes enhancements to the capabilities of the ServiceNow Knowledge Graph, specifically in relation to the Common Service Data Model (CSDM).
CSDM is a data standardization framework. Its new enhancements enable users to orchestrate AI and “live” agents without manual intervention, with built-in governance for secure and scalable implementation of agentic AI.
Closing Thoughts
At first glance, the phrase “thousands of AI agents” grabs attention. It echoes the Benioff prophecy, which suggests that billions of AI agents will constitute a digital labor force. While deploying thousands of preconfigured agents certainly moves toward this goal, a closer look at the Yokohama release reveals deeper, multilayered enhancements.
For me, the most compelling aspect is the idea of teams of agents. This concept of achieving a common goal through the collaboration of multiple AI agents is the closest I’ve seen to a digital workforce, with each component playing its part, much like a physical department.
Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on data. ServiceNow could have simply released the agents, and that alone would have been sufficient. However, the introduction of a data-driven, governed orchestration platform and enhancements to data connectivity not only make the announcements in this release possible but also set the stage for future developments.
Ask Cloud Wars AI Agent about this analysis
