Every business software company out there is working to bring more workflow automation and artificial intelligence to the platform. ServiceNow has been on this journey for some time now, and given the kind of data it collects through interactions on its platform, it’s building more sophisticated models.
Part of the shift to AI is coming internally by building, some through acquisitions and others from broad partnerships, says vice president of corporate business development Philip Kirk. But whatever the source, it’s all in the works to build a stronger platform, he says.
“It’s a three-dimensional chess game right now to figure out whether to build, buy or partner. I think the biggest thing we’re trying to prioritize is how we can make decisions that are in the long-term best interest of our customers and that differentiate us from what we know we’re world-class at, which is business automation, our platform.” Kirk told TechCrunch.
Lara Greden, an analyst at IDC who covers ServiceNow, says that going beyond manufacturing is a big part of any company’s AI strategy. “Acquisition and strategic partnerships are an essential element of corporate strategy in the age of artificial intelligence,” Greden told TechCrunch.
“Like other great waves of technological innovation, the breakthrough capabilities in genetic AI are coming through entities that are laser-focused on the technology itself, in other words: startups. ServiceNow’s acquisition strategy aligns with our expectations to be a leader in accelerating value from creating artificial intelligence.”
ServiceNow has built on this in its latest releases, called Washington DC. The company has embraced genetic AI in a way that makes sense in the context of the information the platform tracks and collects, says Jeremy Barnes, vice president of AI products at ServiceNow, who joined the company when it acquired its predecessor, Element AI. , in late 2020. That means providing the kind of features for customers who want to take advantage of genetic AI in a customer service framework without having to build it themselves.
“And so if you look at what’s coming to the Washington launch, we’re providing all kinds of features that companies wouldn’t have really gone out and built, or people who want to develop AI projects couldn’t put together a proof of concept, and us building it on the platform for them makes perfect sense,” he said.
Keith Kirkpatrick, an analyst at Futurum Group, says ServiceNow makes it easy for people with some domain knowledge to build things like smart workflows without bringing in a developer or workflow expert.
“ServiceNow’s focus has been on incorporating genetic AI to improve entire workflows, not just individual processes or tasks. This is a critical point of differentiation for them as it enables the intelligent automation of multi-step processes that once required significant effort and switching between applications to complete,” said Kirkpatrick.
Virtual or AI agents also take center stage in this release, which would make sense given ServiceNow’s capabilities to help answer customer questions and complete tasks. And just as ServiceNow builds AI capabilities for its customers, it works with partners where it makes sense and is outside of their areas of expertise, Grden said.
“The company’s focus on chat capabilities in Virtual Agent is important because getting chat AI right offers significant ROI potential for end customers. However, getting it right is not easy,” he said. “This is one reason why platform vendors are strategic partners of choice for organizations in the age of artificial intelligence, because they can take on the data science work of making the technology work and work well. They also play an important role in guiding clients with best practices around data governance and control.”
The Washington edition is available starting Wednesday for all ServiceNow customers.
