ServiceNow's AI Vision: Interview with Chris Bedi

ServiceNow's AI Vision: Transforming Enterprise Workflows

ServiceNow's ambitious AI strategy, spearheaded by Chris Bedi, aims to integrate AI deeply into enterprise operations, enhancing decision-making and productivity across the organization. Through the strategic implementation of machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI, ServiceNow is redefining how businesses operate, with AI-driven recommendations becoming an essential part of daily workflows.

"AI is no longer a futuristic concept for us," Bedi explained in a recent interview. "It's a core component of our operations, supporting every human decision with machine learning insights. Our goal is to make AI so integral to the workflow that it feels indispensable."

AI's Role in Enterprise Decision-Making

The impact of AI at ServiceNow is profound. Machine learning models are now embedded in almost every aspect of the company, providing millions of predictions daily. While these models are not yet replacing human decisions, they are increasingly influencing them. For instance, in scenarios where AI accuracy is high, decisions are often deferred to the model, though this is still an emerging trend.

"The real challenge isn't the technology itself," Bedi noted. "It's about adoption. We've focused heavily on creating a seamless user experience, ensuring that AI becomes a natural part of how our employees work." This emphasis on user-centric design has led to the deployment of hundreds of AI models in production, driving significant improvements in efficiency and accuracy.

Examples of AI Implementation

One of the most striking examples of AI's impact is in field sales. Previously, a team dedicated to answering compensation questions could take up to four days to respond. With generative AI, these responses are now delivered in just eight seconds. This rapid turnaround allows team members to focus on more strategic tasks, such as redesigning compensation models.

In customer support, agentic AI has proven equally transformative. After being trained on standard operating procedures and a comprehensive knowledge base, AI has improved resolution times by 18% for high-volume, low-complexity cases and by 54% for more complex issues. The AI's ability to run diagnostics, retrieve logs, and execute scripts has added significant value, particularly in complex scenarios.

Measuring AI's Impact

ServiceNow measures AI's impact through its contribution to growth, margin, and revenue per employee. However, the focus extends beyond financial metrics. AI is also evaluated based on its ability to save time through summarization, meeting notes, and automation, effectively increasing capacity without replacing human roles.

"We're already seeing AI handle 20% of support cases," Bedi shared. "The long-term vision is the 'AI employee'—software capable of performing 80% or more of a specific job. With approximately 2,100 unique roles at ServiceNow, even creating one AI employee could eliminate the need to hire for that role again, allowing us to focus on new, emerging roles."

The concept of a 'zero-headcount department' resonates strongly with customers. While achieving a complete elimination of human roles may be unrealistic, a 70% reduction in headcount is both appealing and achievable. AI employees will collaborate with humans, providing greater scalability and proactivity. Currently, most generative AI is reactive, waiting for prompts. However, AI employees, especially those powered by agentic AI, will operate more independently.

Productivity Gains and Future Vision

Productivity has already increased by 20% across customer, HR, and IT support due to AI agents. Most companies, including ServiceNow, are leveraging AI to automate simple tasks and provide summaries, effectively increasing capacity. The shift from pilots and proof-of-concepts to scaled, production-level use cases is a testament to AI's growing importance.

"AI is a top priority for us," Bedi emphasized. "We've moved beyond experiments to intentional scaling. Agentic AI has been implemented in several areas, and we expect to have 10–15 digital employees by the end of the year. This has already resulted in over $350 million in enterprise value derived from AI."

The focus remains on AI, data, and workflows as the fundamental components of ServiceNow's strategy. Metrics are defined at both the company and department levels, and projects that advance these metrics are prioritized. Teams are encouraged to innovate, with structured opportunities like AI hackathons and sandbox environments fostering experimentation.

"Enterprises must stay intellectually curious and learn from startups," Bedi advised. "Clear on-ramps for startups should be created, and interoperability is crucial. One of the biggest challenges remains adoption. Making tools seamless and integral to the daily workflow is essential. Poor user experience can hinder adoption, so execution must be flawless."

As ServiceNow continues to push the boundaries of AI integration, the company's vision of AI employees and AI-driven workflows is becoming a reality. With a balanced approach to innovation and execution, ServiceNow is setting a new standard for enterprise AI adoption.