ServiceNow Otto panel: assistant Active but Otto/sparkle icon not showing in Unified Navigation

[AnaFilipaV]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to enable the ServiceNow Otto panel on my instance (Now Assist, Moveworks and AI Experience are now ServiceNow Otto), but the Otto icon never appears in the header. I've checked a lot of things and I'm hoping someone has seen this before.

INSTANCE
- Release / patch: [add, e.g. Zurich Patch X / Australia]
- Type: [add, e.g. demo / training / PDI]
- UI: Next Experience Unified Navigation. I also use Service Operations Workspace.

WHAT I DID AND WHAT I SEE
1. AI Admin Hub > AI Experiences > ServiceNow Otto Panel:
- The "Turn on" button was greyed out with the note "Requires product plugin install" and the text "Install at least one product plugin so that you can turn on ServiceNow Otto Panel".
- The page says "Included in license" and "Product Touchpoint: Next Experience Unified Navigation".
2. Assistant Designer > "ServiceNow Otto panel - Platform (default)":
- It was Inactive. I clicked Activate and it now shows Active (button says Deactivate).
- Display experiences lists only "Unified Navigation app shell" (chat experience: Enhanced). It is the only option in "Add ServiceNow platform", marked "Already selected". I cannot add Service Operations Workspace there.
- Chat features: Response streaming, Document uploads and Closed chats are Active. Web search mode is Inactive.
- Promoted assets are populated (resolution notes, knowledge article generation, record summarization, voice guidance, an agentic workflow for Otto diagnostics, etc.). All assets: 53 (23 topics, 2 subflows, 6 actions, 2 custom skills, 15 agentic workflows).
3. Deployment channels (sys_now_assist_deployment_channel): there is an active record for "UX Parent Application: Unified Navigation app shell" linked to "ServiceNow Otto panel - Platform (default)".
4. Context profiles (sys_cs_context_profile): "ServiceNow Otto panel - Platform (default)" is active, Condition Mode = Simple, Model Type = Now Assist Panel, order 1,000. "ServiceNow Otto panel - Developer (default)" is also active with Model Type Now Assist Panel.
5. The user role for the panel appears to be correct on my user, and I did logout/login, hard refresh and so on.

WHERE THE ICON IS MISSING
- I tested in Service Operations Workspace (where I can see "Summarize this incident" and "AI Agent V2") and in the standard Unified Navigation UI (incident list via All > Incident). The sparkle/Otto icon does not appear in either.
- The header icons I see are: search, globe, side bar discussions (chat bubbles), a screen icon, help, notifications and profile. The globe icon is still visible. As far as I understand, the globe should be hidden once the Otto panel is enabled.

ROLE AND PLUGIN PROBLEMS
- The documentation says: "You must install at least one AI application before you can turn on the ServiceNow Otto panel. Role required: sn_generative_ai.nsa_admin".
- I don't have that role and I can't add it. Searching Roles for "nsa_admin" only returns sn_nowassist_admin.nsa_admin ("This user can create and update Now Assist Admin Experience"), not sn_generative_ai.nsa_admin.
- A plugin called "ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent" does not exist in my plugin list. In AI Admin Hub > Settings > Plugins, the "Available for you" tab lists 37 plugins (e.g. ServiceNow Otto for Finance and Procurement, Summarization for Order Management, Now Assist for IRM, ServiceNow Otto for Security, ServiceNow Otto for Hardware). "Default activation of Out-of-box skills" is ON. Installed plugins: [add what the Installed tab shows, or "none"].

MY QUESTIONS
1. Is sn_nowassist_admin.nsa_admin the current name of sn_generative_ai.nsa_admin, or are they different roles? Which role is really needed to turn on the Otto panel?
2. Which role(s) does a normal user need for the Otto icon to render in the header (separate from the admin role)?
3. Which plugin must be installed for "Turn on" to become available (e.g. ServiceNow Otto for ITSM), and is it expected that nothing named "for Virtual Agent" shows up?
4. Can the missing icon be caused by the panel never being properly turned on, even though the assistant is Active in Assistant Designer?
5. Does the Otto panel (Unified Navigation app shell) work inside Service Operations Workspace, or does that need a separate assistant or deployment channel?
6. Is there anything else I should check (e.g. instance provisioned but not fully activated for AI)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[VJ_Srivastava]

Hello @AnaFilipaV,

From a platform architecture perspective, the discrepancy you are experiencing perfectly illustrates the strict decoupling of capability and entitlement within ServiceNow's modern AI framework.

Activating a context profile in the backend via the Assistant Designer merely readies the routing logic and data structures. However, the presentation layer (the Unified Navigation shell) relies on the AI Admin Hub to act as the ultimate governance gate.

ServiceNow intentionally suppresses the Otto panel UI if a core product plugin (like Otto for ITSM) is absent. Exposing an empty generative AI shell without licensed, domain-specific skills introduces significant architectural risk and a poor user experience. The system falls back to the legacy Virtual Agent (the Globe icon) because it recognizes the foundational conversational routing exists, but the generative AI entitlements have not been fully satisfied.

To resolve this, you must stop attempting to bypass the AI Admin Hub through backend configuration. Install the appropriate enterprise domain-level Otto plugin. This satisfies the licensing entitlement check, ungreys the activation toggle, and ensures the panel binds natively and securely to both your Unified Navigation header and your Service Operations Workspace without creating technical debt.

[Tanushri]

Hi @AnaFilipaV,

Thank you for detailing your troubleshooting steps so clearly! The transition to the new ServiceNow Otto experience involves a major shift in how the platform handles conversational interfaces, and running into documentation lag regarding role names is a very common friction point during deployment.

From a user adoption and service delivery perspective, the presence of the "Globe" icon tells us your instance is still safely falling back to the legacy Virtual Agent interface. The Otto generative experience is designed to completely supersede that legacy interface, drastically reducing cognitive load for your agents and employees. However, because the system requires a specific business context (like IT, HR, or Customer Service) to provide accurate, high-value AI interactions, it actively hides the new Otto sparkle icon until a dedicated domain plugin is installed.

Once you install that product plugin (like Otto for ITSM) and formally toggle the panel on in the AI Admin Hub, the system will swap the legacy Globe for the Otto icon. This immediately upgrades your interface, providing your fulfillers in the Service Operations Workspace with powerful summarization and agentic workflows that drive down Average Handle Time (AHT).

Which specific business unit (IT, HR, or CSM) are you prioritizing for this initial Otto rollout?

[AnaFilipaV]

Hi! The business is ITSM. As you can see in the attachments, the plugin is installed but i cannot turn on the panel.

[Rahman4]

Hi Ana,

Same issue here. I have already installed "ServiceNow Otto for IT Service Management (ITSM) " and I have enabled the Ottom Panel but I still can't see it.

Did you manage to resolve your issue? Would appreciate if you share your solution. It possibly will save me a HI Ticket.

Many thanks

Rahman