ServiceNow Agentic AI + AI Control Tower

0. Map in 20 seconds

1 Minute 1 — AI Control Tower

Summary: Control Tower is the command center for enterprise AI — see agents/models, govern risk, monitor runtime, and measure value. You cannot control what you cannot see.

Open on instance

1. Filter navigator → type AI Control Tower → open workspace
   Direct: {BASE}/now/ai-control-tower (alternate: Workspaces menu → AI Control Tower)
2. Open AI Inventory — list agents, models, providers.
3. Open one record — note lifecycle stage, owner, risk.
4. Glance Governance / Assessments — policies and review status.

Functions (Control Tower)

2 Minute 2 — AI Agent Studio (Build Agent)

Summary: AI Agent Studio is where you create, manage, and test AI Agents and Agentic Workflows — your digital workforce builders. Requires Now Assist AI Agents capability installed.

Open on instance

1. Filter navigator → AI Agent Studio
   Direct try: {BASE}/now/ai-agent-studio
2. Click Create and manage.
3. Open tab AI Agents — note existing agents (or empty on fresh lab).
4. Open tab Agentic Workflows — open one sample if present.
5. In Guided Setup, find Define Data Access:
   • Act as invoking user — runs with caller’s roles
   • AI User — dedicated identity (least privilege for agents)

Functions (Agent Studio)

3 Minute 3 — Otto / Now Assist + Workflow Data Fabric

Summary: Otto (AI assistant for work) unifies assistant experiences so users ask and work gets done across workflows. Workflow Data Fabric connects enterprise / external data so agents and assist skills act on accurate, governed context — not guesses.

3A — Open Otto / Now Assist on the instance (≈90 sec)

1. Open assist
   • Direct: {BASE}/now/assist
   • Or click the Otto / Now Assist / sparkle icon in the instance header (name varies by release).
   • Filter navigator fallback: type Now Assist or AI Experience.
2. Confirm panel loads — Chat / Ask visible. If blocked, check license + Now Assist plugins.
3. Run one safe lab prompt (pick one):

   Prompt	What you verify
   List my open incidents	Returns INC numbers only from accessible data
   Summarize this incident (open an INC first)	Uses record context
   What is my leave balance? (if HR Leave skills exist)	Scoped HR Leave skill / VA topic
   How do I request annual leave?	Knowledge / catalog guidance — no write if not intended

4. Note the trail — skill name, agent, or flow mentioned in the answer UI (you will match this in Control Tower inventory later).
5. Optional action — if Otto offers “create / update / assign”, cancel on lab unless you intend to test write paths.

3B — Open Workflow Data Fabric / data paths (≈60 sec)

1. Filter navigator search (try in order):
   • Data Fabric
   • Integration Hub
   • Remote Tables
   • Flow Data / Connections
2. Useful direct URLs to try:
   • {BASE}/now/assist — assist surface
   • {BASE}/$restapi.do — REST API Explorer (integration check)
   • {BASE}/sys_alias_list.do — Connection aliases
   • {BASE}/sys_rest_message_list.do — REST Messages
   • {BASE}/sys_db_object_list.do?sysparm_query=nameLIKEremote — remote-related tables
3. Discuss with team: Which sources should agents read for HR Leave / ITSM? CMDB only? External HRIS? Block PII fields.

3C — Close the loop with Control Tower (≈30 sec)

1. Re-open {BASE}/now/ai-control-tower
2. Search AI Inventory for the skill/agent name you saw in Assist.
3. Confirm: owner, risk stage, whether it is governed.

Functions — Otto / Assist (detailed)

Functions — Workflow Data Fabric (detailed)

Minute-3 apply checklist

Functions cheat-sheet (all three areas)

Screenshot pack (what to capture on your instance)

3-minute apply checklist