Reflections from the ServiceNow Developer Meetup – Pune (Q1 2026)

maheshkhatal

Beyond the LinkedIn Post: Reflections from the ServiceNow Pune Developer Meetup

A few days ago, I shared a short LinkedIn post about the recent ServiceNow Developer Meetup in Pune. Later, one of the organizers mentioned that such meetups deserve more than just a social media update — they deserve a proper article.

That suggestion revived something in me.

During my college days at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, I spent quite some time writing — mostly quietly, mostly for myself. Somewhere along the way, that writer went dormant. But this meetup felt like a good reason to bring him back.

Being somewhat of an introvert, I have usually attended developer meetups by sitting quietly in a corner, observing discussions and absorbing as much as I could. This article is simply my attempt to share that experience — recalling whatever I could remember even though it has already been more than two weeks since the event.

Before diving further, a quick acknowledgement is deserved. Meetups like these do not happen by accident. They require effort behind the scenes from people who genuinely care about building the community. Gaurav Shirsat, Shreya Wani, and Anubhav Ritolia did a wonderful job organizing the event and ensuring everything ran smoothly. In fact, one of the organizers(Gaurav Shirsat) even travelled all the way from Nashik to Pune — nearly 215 kilometers — just to make the meetup happen. That level of dedication truly deserves appreciation.

I have tried to summarize the sessions as best as possible. Each one of them truly deserved a detailed write-up, but since AI and AI Agents were the dominant theme of the meetup, I have focused more on that topic while keeping the discussion concise. To make the reading easier, I have divided the article into small sections, sharing both the technical highlights and a few lighter moments from the day, without overwhelming the reader with too much technical detail.

The ServiceNow Developer Meetup – Pune Q1 2026 took place on Saturday, 28th February 2026, hosted graciously by InfoBeans.

And like most good technical gatherings, it began with a mixture of curiosity, caffeine, and conversation.

The Journey: From Mumbaikar Complaints to Pune Hospitality

As a typical Mumbaikar, I often find myself nitpicking about Pune’s public infrastructure.

But that morning, all such complaints dissolved quickly.

The drive to the venue was refreshing — cool breeze, cloudy weather, and the anticipation of meeting fellow ServiceNow developers. By the time I reached the InfoBeans campus, I was already in a great mood.

The reception was warm. The hospitality was excellent. And the breakfast — well — developers and breakfast tables have always shared a healthy relationship.

While I was quietly enjoying my meal, a gentleman came and sat across from me. We started chatting, introduced ourselves, and discovered something quite amusing.

He had just joined the same organization that I recently joined.

What were the odds?

His name was Rohit, and that unexpected coincidence set the tone for the rest of the day. Soon we were joined by other developers, and conversations drifted naturally toward topics like AI Agents, Now Assist, and ongoing experiments people were building within ServiceNow.

It was particularly satisfying to share some insights around AI implementations I had been exploring. Moments like these remind you that knowledge flows both ways in communities like this.

The Dominant Theme: AI, AI Agents, and Intelligent Automation

Almost every session during the meetup revolved around one central theme — AI within the ServiceNow ecosystem.

Before diving into the sessions themselves, it’s useful to understand a few key concepts that formed the backbone of many discussions.

AI Agents in ServiceNow

An AI Agent is essentially an autonomous system capable of analyzing information, making decisions, and executing actions to achieve a defined objective.

Unlike traditional automation scripts, AI agents can adapt to context, process natural language instructions, and coordinate multiple tools to complete complex workflows.

A typical example discussed during the meetup involved incident analysis.

Instead of manually investigating repeated incidents, an AI agent could analyze incident patterns and automatically create a Problem record, identifying potential root causes.

The Importance of Prompt Engineering

One fascinating aspect of AI agent development is prompt design.

A well-structured prompt provides the AI agent with:

Context of the task
Expected reasoning process
Tools it can use
Desired output

Poorly designed prompts often lead to vague or inaccurate results. Carefully crafted prompts, on the other hand, significantly improve reliability and decision-making.

AI Agents + Tools = Real Automation

In ServiceNow, AI agents do not operate in isolation.

They interact with platform tools such as:

Flow Designer flows
Subflows
Custom actions
Integration Hub capabilities

By invoking these tools, the agent moves from thinking to acting, turning reasoning into real operational outcomes.

The AI Agent Orchestrator

Behind the scenes, the AI Agent Orchestrator acts as the coordination layer that manages how agents operate.

It determines:

Which agent should perform a task
What sequence of actions should occur
How results are consolidated

In many ways, it functions as the central nervous system of ServiceNow’s Agentic AI architecture.

ReAct: Reason + Act

Another framework that surfaced during discussions was ReAct — short for Reason and Act.

The model follows a simple but powerful cycle:

Reason about the problem
Select a tool or action
Execute the action

This iterative reasoning loop allows AI agents to solve complex operational problems step by step.

AI Control Tower

As AI adoption increases, governance becomes equally important.

ServiceNow addresses this through the AI Control Tower, a centralized platform that provides visibility and oversight across enterprise AI systems.

It allows organizations to:

Monitor AI performance
Track operational costs
Enforce governance policies
Manage both ServiceNow-native AI and third-party AI integrations

Essentially, it acts as the command center for enterprise AI operations.

ServiceNow Spokes

ServiceNow Spokes are integration packages within Integration Hub that connect the ServiceNow platform with external applications. Each spoke includes reusable elements such as actions, flows, and subflows that enable cross-system automation without heavy custom coding.

Session Spotlight: Maximizing Efficiency with ServiceNow Spokes Integrated AI Agents for Streamlined Operations.

By Priytam Shukla

One of the most engaging sessions was conducted by Priytam Shukla, who demonstrated practical use cases combining Integration Hub Spokes and AI Agents.

For those unfamiliar, ServiceNow Spokes are packaged integrations that allow ServiceNow to communicate with external platforms.

Each spoke typically includes:

Actions
Flows
Subflows
Integration capabilities

What made the session interesting was the demonstration of out-of-the-box AI agents that are bundled with certain spokes through Now Assist.

These agents offer several advantages:

Minimal setup requirements
Natural language interaction
Built-in enterprise security
Full action traceability
Easy extensibility

A Real-World Automation Example

Priytam demonstrated a practical workflow involving the DocuSign eSignature Spoke.

The automated process handled:

Commission calculations
Document template selection
Draft agreement generation
Signatory identification
Data prefilling
Document dispatch via DocuSign
Sequential signing workflows
Final synchronization back to ServiceNow

In short, a process that typically required multiple manual steps could now be executed automatically with intelligent orchestration.

UI Builder Demystified – Session by @Ankur Bawiskar

Another highlight of the meetup was the session by Ankur Bawiskar.

In the ServiceNow community, he hardly needs an introduction. If the ServiceNow ecosystem had royalty, I would probably call him the Shehenshah of ServiceNow knowledge sharing.

His talk focused on UI Builder, an area many developers find challenging due to its declarative nature and relatively limited documentation.

He walked the audience through:

Declarative Actions
UX Action configuration
Event mapping
Editing page experiences
Deactivating and modifying OOB configurations

The clarity with which he navigated the topic was impressive.

In fact, the session motivated me to start writing future articles on UI Builder to help newcomers better understand its architecture and capabilities.

The Reality Check: AI, Developers, and the Future

Community member and decorated ServiceNow MVP Prasad Pagar brought an important perspective to the discussion.

He spoke about the need for developers to stay updated with recent ServiceNow innovations, including areas like autonomous systems and evolving AI capabilities.

His questions triggered a moment of silence in the room.

What happens when AI starts automating many tasks developers currently perform?

Is this the beginning of an AI-dominated future?

For a moment, the room felt contemplative.

Personally, my mind wandered through the broader arc of human history.

From hunter-gatherers to agrarian societies.

From the first industrial revolution (steam power) to the second (electricity and mass production).

Then the third revolution — computers and electronics.

And now we stand in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, where physical, digital, and biological systems are merging through AI based intelligent technologies.

Every technological shift has triggered resistance.

People once feared computers too.

Yet here we are.

Perspective from the Sr. Developer Advocate

Senior Developer Advocate Sujan Dutta offered a balanced and reassuring perspective.

He reminded us that technology evolution does not eliminate developers — it changes the nature of development.

Developers who embrace AI will shape the next generation of systems.

Those who resist it may struggle.

Meetups like these are valuable precisely because they allow us to hear such insights directly from experienced professionals navigating the same technological landscape.

And Then Came the Fun Part

Of course, no developer meetup is complete without some lighthearted chaos.

The organizers — Shreay, Gaurav, and Anubhav — arranged a crossword puzzle competition.

Now, as someone who enjoys puzzles, I managed to fill most of the grid quickly.

Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm I ended up over-scribbling one answer, which cost me the chance to win my first meetup prize.

But the story has a happy twist.

The person sitting next to me was struggling with the puzzle, so I decided to help him complete a few answers.

A while later, to my surprise and genuine delight, he was announced as one of the winners.

Strangely enough, that felt better than winning myself.

Community Moments That Matter

After the technical sessions and games, we wrapped up with:

A group photo
Networking
Informal conversations with fellow developers
And finally a wonderful lunch hosted by InfoBeans

Events like these remind us that developer communities are not just about technology.

They are about shared learning, collaboration, and human connection.

Final Thoughts

This was probably my fourth in-person ServiceNow meetup, and each one leaves me with new insights and new connections.

In an industry evolving as rapidly as ours, gatherings like the ServiceNow Pune Developer Meetup serve an important purpose.

They help us:

Stay technically updated
Exchange ideas with peers
Learn from experienced professionals
And occasionally win (or help someone else win) a crossword puzzle.

All in all, it was a memorable day — full of learning, reflection, and community spirit.

And perhaps most importantly, it reminded me that the writer inside me is still very much alive.

So until the next meetup, the next conversation, and the next round of ideas — see you all again soon.

Or as they say, hasta la vista… until the next developer meetup.

— Mahesh Khatal