Agentic AI to revolutionize enterprise workflows: Sumeet Mathur, ServiceNow

Amid the rapidly shifting sands of digital transformation, Agentic AI is setting a new benchmark for what’s possible in enterprise automation. Far beyond the realms of traditional chatbots or simple task automation, Agentic AI autonomously gathers data, makes strategic decisions, and executes complex tasks with minimal human input.

In this exclusive conversation with Sumeet Mathur, SVP & MD, ServiceNow India Technology & Business Center, we dive into how Agentic AI can revolutionize business operations, redefine ROI, and propel organizational efficiency to unprecedented heights.

Excerpts:

DQ: Elaborate on what sets Agentic AI apart from traditional knowledge-based tools like chatbots?

Agentic AI surpasses traditional chatbots by autonomously interacting with its environment, gathering data, making decisions, and executing tasks without constant human intervention. It combines advanced automation with modern large language models (LLMs) to simulate human decision-making, analysis and creativity. Unlike simple automation, like answering one question at a time in a chatbot Or doing an atomic task like increasing temperature on a thermostat Agentic AI excels in autonomously executing a series of tasks that may require planning, execution and generation of new content in dynamic environments.

The architecture typically involves an orchestrator that sets goals and actors that execute tasks, leveraging large language models to simulate human decision-making. Each AI agent, guided by an orchestrator, handles specific tasks by leveraging LLMs for decision-making and execution. They are the building blocks of Agentic AI, each designed for specific tasks. 

Compared to generative and traditional AI, Agentic AI emphasizes goal-oriented actions, higher autonomy, and reinforced learning, making it ideal for complex tasks with minimal human oversight. Applications include automating repetitive Tier 1 Customer Service or IT tasks, and providing 24/7 monitoring with immediate anomaly response.

DQ: What industries or functions are likely to see the earliest and most significant benefits from adopting Agentic AI?

Industries such as IT, customer service, procurement, HR, and software development are expected to experience the most significant early benefits from adopting Agentic AI. These sectors involve repetitive tasks, process management, and customer interaction that can be greatly streamlined with AI. 

For instance, in IT Service Management (ITSM) and Customer Service Management (CSM), AI agents can resolve issues autonomously, reducing mean-time-to-resolution and enhancing the productivity of live agents. Similarly, in HR and procurement, Agentic AI can assist in streamlining routine operations, improving decision-making, and driving faster results. In procurement, AI agents can automate purchasing decisions and optimize supply chain management, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making. The versatility of Agentic AI across various functions makes it a transformative tool across industries looking to improve operational efficiency and customer experience. Overall, these AI agents will revolutionize workflows across industries, driving scalability, personalization, and productivity while ensuring human oversight through integrated governance.

DQ: ServiceNow is positioning itself as a leader in Agentic AI—what are the key features that differentiate your AI Agents from competitors?

ServiceNow’s AI Agents stand out for their ability to connect people, processes, and systems across an entire organization, breaking down silos to drive enterprise-wide transformation. Unlike siloed AI solutions, our agents integrate seamlessly into existing workflows on a unified platform, architecture, and data model, ensuring consistent outcomes across departments.

Embedded in the Now Platform, our AI Agents autonomously handle repetitive tasks, propose step-by-step plans, execute processes, and collaborate with employees. Leveraging industry-specific large language models and a reasoning engine, they understand deeper business contexts to make informed decisions efficiently. Our recently announced AI Agents are designed for diverse use cases, including IT, customer service, procurement, HR, and software development. Initial deployments in Customer Service Management (CSM) and IT Service Management (ITSM) aim to reduce mean-time-to-resolution and enhance agent productivity. A limited release for select customers is expected in November 2024, with a full general availability launch planned for 2025.

We envision a future where AI Agents work autonomously, managing tasks and collaborating seamlessly with employees through an agent-AI interaction layer across the silos of an organization to drive end to end business transformation

DQ: How do AI Agents on the Now Platform ensure seamless integration and collaboration across diverse business functions?

At ServiceNow, our AI agents are redefining businesses integration by seamlessly connecting workflows across IT, customer service, procurement, HR, and more. Embedded within the Now Platform, they deliver advanced reasoning, contextual understanding, and robust governance, enabling organizations to scale confidently.

Currently the AI tools assist humans performing tasks faster, while AI Agents handle high-volume, low-complexity, repeatable work autonomously. The Now Assist Skill Kit further empowers businesses to create custom generative AI skills tailored to their needs, integrating with enterprise data and workflows.

These AI Agents collaborate across functions, manage end-to-end processes, and continuously learn alongside the business. For example, AI Agents in IT Service Management (ITSM) and Customer Service Management (CSM) reduce resolution times and free up live agents to focus on complex, high-value tasks. Using multimodal AI, they interpret voice and video inputs to provide context-driven, individualized solutions efficiently.

DQ: How is ServiceNow’s GenAI solution, Now Assist, transforming IT, HR, and software development workflows?

Now Assist, ServiceNow’s GenAI solution, is revolutionizing enterprise workflows by automating tasks, enhancing collaboration, and delivering intelligent recommendations. As ServiceNow’s fastest-growing product, it secured 11 major deals in Q2 alone, with annual contract values exceeding $1 million. Enterprises leveraging Now Assist report significant improvements in IT resolution times, developer velocity, and cost savings, driven by its GenAI-powered automation.

In IT workflows, Now Assist automates incident management to minimize downtime by quickly identifying and resolving issues. It streamlines operations by generating case summaries, creating knowledge articles, and providing actionable insights to help agents resolve problems faster. Its predictive capabilities further enable proactive IT resource management. For developers, Now Assist enhances productivity by generating code snippets, automating workflows, and simplifying the development of low-code applications, accelerating deployment and boosting efficiency.

In HR workflows, Now Assist optimizes key processes like onboarding and query management. By automating paperwork and organizing training schedules, it creates a seamless experience for new hires while enabling HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives. This improves operational efficiency and enhances employee satisfaction.

For software development, Now Assist accelerates workflows by automating tasks such as code generation, testing, and offering intelligent suggestions. This reduces manual effort, shortens development cycles, and ensures higher code quality.

DQ: Looking ahead, how do you envision the evolution of Agentic AI over the next five years?

Over the next five years, Agentic AI is expected to evolve significantly, becoming an even more integral part of business operations. AI Agents will be able to converse seamlessly with humans across text, video, and speech formats while exhibiting enhanced reasoning capabilities.

These AI Agents could function as digital twins for employees, automating routine tasks and allowing humans to focus on creative and strategic initiatives. This shift will not only boost productivity but also enable businesses to explore new frontiers that are currently unimaginable.

As their capabilities mature, the return on investment (ROI) from AI Agents will demonstrate a substantial impact, with these systems driving efficiency and innovation across enterprises. While the full potential of Agentic AI is still unfolding, its trajectory points towards transformative changes in how businesses operate and deliver value.

DQ: What steps is ServiceNow taking to ensure that its AI solutions remain scalable, secure, and ethically sound as capabilities expand?

At ServiceNow, we believe that responsible AI isn’t just a necessity, it’s our commitment to building trust and delivering real value. Our approach to scalable, secure, and ethically sound AI solutions is deeply rooted in transparency, security, accountability and a human-centric design philosophy. Central to this is our belief that the key to good AI governance lies in understanding your data inside and out—where it comes from, how it’s used, and whether it’s appropriate for the large language models (LLMs) driving innovation. This commitment is underscored by our recognition in Stanford University's Foundation Model Transparency Index, which ranks Starcoder, our collaboration with Hugging Face, as the most transparent LLM for developers and end users.

We’ve embedded GenAI directly into the Now Platform to seamlessly integrate intelligence into workflows, delivering targeted and actionable insights. This approach makes our solutions not only scalable but also tailored to the specific needs of our customers, ensuring a level of precision that generic third-party models simply can’t match. Our focus on domain-specific use cases and task-specific intelligence means customers can trust the relevance and reliability of our AI capabilities.

Security is fundamental to everything we do, the Now Platform’s secure-by-default design ensures that data remains protected through encryption, access controls, and robust monitoring. 

DQ: How should CXOs across industries approach the adoption of Agentic AI to maximize ROI?

CXOs should adopt a strategic, structured approach to leveraging Agentic AI to maximize ROI, focusing on alignment with business goals, scalability, and value generation. They must view AI as a form of digital labor, capable of automating routine tasks and enabling employees to focus on strategic priorities.

Currently, around 46% of enterprises have initiated AI agent adoption, with an additional 29% exploring solutions—reflecting a cautious yet growing embrace of Agentic AI. A recent report by Deloitte forecasts that by 2025, 25% of companies using generative AI will initiate Agentic AI pilots or proofs of concept, with adoption expected to grow to 50% by 2027.

For CXOs, the key lies in integrating AI Agents into existing workflows, setting clear objectives, and ensuring measurable outcomes. A well-structured approach will not only drive efficiency but also create sustainable value across the organization.