{"id":21726,"date":"2026-10-08T10:40:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/?p=21726"},"modified":"2026-10-08T11:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:39:51","slug":"servicenow-otto-and-now-assist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/servicenow-otto-and-now-assist\/","title":{"rendered":"ServiceNow Otto and Now Assist: Key Differences, Use Cases &amp; Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When businesses search for ServiceNow, they often see these two terms together, and that creates the biggest confusion. Now Assist is the established ServiceNow generative AI experience and capability set. Whereas, Otto is ServiceNow&#8217;s newer and broader AI experience that brings conversational interaction, AI agents, and orchestration more closely together. This shift toward AI-powered ServiceNow experiences is also changing how businesses approach automation, development, and service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question remains, \u201cWhy do I still see \u201cNow Assist\u201d everywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Now Assist term is still used in ServiceNow documentation and current implementations for certain features, such as Now Assist AI agents and Now Assist in Virtual Agent. Otto is being positioned by ServiceNow as its more recent unified AI experience. For this reason, both terms are being used in tandem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ServiceNow-Otto-vs-Now-Assist-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"ServiceNow Otto and Now Assist: Why Are Both Names Still Used\" class=\"wp-image-21727\" title=\"ServiceNow Otto and Now Assist: Why Are Both Names Still Used\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ServiceNow-Otto-vs-Now-Assist-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ServiceNow-Otto-vs-Now-Assist-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ServiceNow-Otto-vs-Now-Assist-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ServiceNow-Otto-vs-Now-Assist.webp 1198w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ServiceNow Otto vs. Now Assist: Which Role Does Each Play?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that you have understood&nbsp; these terms, let\u2019s look at the differences between them to&nbsp; give you a clearer idea of why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/servicenow-services\/implementation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ServiceNow implementation<\/a> is important when using these AI features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The simplest way to grasp the concept is to think about assistance versus an AI-powered experience, for completing tasks. Now Assist adds GenAI features into ServiceNow workflows and helps users and agents work efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ServiceNow introduced Otto in May 2026 as a unified AI experience designed to bring together conversational interaction, AI capabilities, and enterprise workflows. It builds on technologies including Now Assist, Moveworks, and AI Experience. Otto ServiceNow understands a user\u2019s request and connects it with the right AI capabilities, agents, workflows, and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Comparison Factor<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>ServiceNow Now Assist&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>ServiceNow Otto<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Primary purpose<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It assists users and service agents with AI<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">It provides a broader AI experience for getting work done<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Generative AI<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Yes<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">AI agents<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Supported&nbsp;<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Otto is part of the broader agentic experience<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Virtual agent<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Works with Now Assist capabilities<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Part of the evolving AI experience<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">User interaction<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">AI-assisted workflows and conversations<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Natural-language requests and conversational interaction<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Automation&nbsp;<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Supports AI-assisted actions and workflows<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Emphasizes connecting requests with agents, workflows and actions<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now Assist: \u201cLet me help you with this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Otto: \u201cTell me what you need, and I can help connect it to the right AI capabilities and workflows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ServiceNow reports that its Level 1 Service Desk AI Specialist <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.servicenow.com\/press-releases\/details\/2026\/ServiceNow-turns-enterprise-AI-chaos-into-control-with-the-platform-for-governed-autonomous-work\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">resolves assigned IT cases 99% faster<\/a> than human agents handling those cases. This highlights how AI agents can move beyond assisting service teams to handling defined tasks more autonomously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ServiceNow Now Assist and Otto Use Cases: Where Can They Make an Impact?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ServiceNow Otto and Now Assist can support different parts of everyday service operations, from handling employee requests to helping agents resolve incidents faster. Let\u2019s look at some practical use cases and see where these AI capabilities can make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ServiceNow Now Assist Use Cases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ServiceNow Now Assist uses generative AI to help service teams work with incidents, cases, requests, and other ServiceNow records. Its capabilities can support employees and agents across IT, customer service, employee services, and software development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>IT Service Management (ITSM)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Incident Summaries:<\/strong> Summarises lengthy incident records and work notes for faster understanding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Resolution Notes:<\/strong> Helps agents create clear notes from resolved incidents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Change Support:<\/strong> Provides relevant information to help teams review change requests and risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agent Responses:<\/strong> Suggests responses based on the context of an incident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Customer Service &amp; Employee Services<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Case Summaries:<\/strong> Provides agents with brief case information about customers and employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Self-Service Assistance:<\/strong> The ServiceNow Now Assist Virtual Agent provides users with assistance by searching for answers using natural language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Request Assistance:<\/strong> ServiceNow Now Assist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/generative-ai-services\">Generative AI<\/a> provides assistance to teams in understanding requests and preparing appropriate responses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Document Understanding:<\/strong> Provides information extracted from the documents attached to the case.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AI Agents &amp; Automation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Task Execution:<\/strong> ServiceNow Assist AI agents can perform assigned tasks using prepared tools and workflows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Workflow Assistance:<\/strong> Workflow Assistance correlates requests with workflows and actions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Knowledge Discovery:<\/strong> Knowledge Discovery assists users in searching for information via question and answers using natural language.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Developer Support<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Code Assistance:<\/strong> Helps developers generate or explain ServiceNow code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Code Summaries:<\/strong> Simplifies scripts and technical information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Development Support:<\/strong> ServiceNow Now Assist AI features can assist with routine development tasks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ServiceNow Otto Use Cases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ServiceNow Otto can help employees and service teams move from a simple request to completed work by connecting natural-language interactions with enterprise data, workflows, and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cross-Department Request Handling:<\/strong> It handles requests like equipment needs, access requirements or service demands by connecting them to the teams and workflows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Natural-Language Service Requests:<\/strong> Otto enables employees to explain what they need using language instead of searching through many menus or filling out forms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Business System Information Search:<\/strong> It involves searches in the organization\u2019s systems to retrieve information and displays results according to the situation and the needs of the user.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Workflow Automation:<\/strong> It helps initiate and automate the business process flow so that employees don\u2019t need to perform every activity manually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IT Service Support:<\/strong> It involves assistance for IT problems like access, problem-solving, software, and incident management through ServiceNow Otto.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Customer Service Assistance:<\/strong> Supports service teams, by gathering case details pulling in related records and showing the steps needed for each customer request.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Employee Service Support:<\/strong> Covers employee needs including HR questions, onboarding tasks, workplace services and internal support requests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data and Business Insights:<\/strong> Lets users ask about business data in language and get useful insights without dealing with complicated reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking to understand where AI can fit into your existing ServiceNow setup? Explore our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/servicenow-services\/consulting\">ServiceNow consulting services<\/a> to discuss your requirements and plan the next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can Modern Businesses Adopt ServiceNow Otto?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wondering how you can use ServiceNow Otto to boost your business growth? You can adopt it gradually, starting with repetitive tasks in IT support, customer services, and employee services. Before implementation, you must assess existing workflows, data, knowledge bases, and permissions with the help of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/hire\/servicenow-developers\">experienced ServiceNow developers<\/a> to ensure AI readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aegis Softtech<\/a> helps businesses adopt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/servicenow-services\">ServiceNow development<\/a> and AI solutions through consulting, implementation, integrations, migration, and workflow automation. We also support complex enterprise environments. We are experts at providing ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/servicenow-services\/managed-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ServiceNow managed services<\/a> to maintain, optimize, and scale AI-powered workflows as business needs evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Is ServiceNow Otto replacing Now Assist?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Otto is the full-fledged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/ai-services\">AI solution<\/a>, while Now Assist remains the name for particular features and products. It is best to check the current documentation of the product to understand whether to consider transitioning or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Is ServiceNow Otto available to all ServiceNow customers?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. The availability of Otto varies according to the stage of deployment, licensing and supported configuration. It is important to consult ServiceNow in advance on the topic of access to the solution in order to prepare a deployment strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Does ServiceNow Otto require additional licensing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, maybe. It would depend on particular AI capabilities and products you will be using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Can ServiceNow Otto integrate with third-party applications?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, with ServiceNow integrations and workflow connections. Everything ServiceNow Otto can do within another application will depend on the configuration of the connector, permissions, and functionality of the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. How does ServiceNow protect sensitive data when using Otto and Now Assist?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is the business-level security and accessibility of ServiceNow, but it all depends on the configuration and abilities of the AI. There are four things that companies need to think about before implementing any standard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":21728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[1714],"class_list":["post-21726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-servicenow","tag-servicenow-otto-and-now-assist"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21726"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21761,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21726\/revisions\/21761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aegissofttech.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}