Generating AI summary and next steps

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Generating AI summary and next steps

    ServiceNow's incident form now includes AI-driven capabilities to generate summaries, key actions taken, proposed next steps, and related search results. These features help streamline incident resolution and provide a comprehensive understanding of the incident details directly within the incident overview tab.

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    Key Features

    • AI Summary and Next Steps: Automatically generates a summary of the issue, key actions taken, and resolution details. It also proposes actionable next steps for incident resolution. Users can copy this information into work notes or comments and provide feedback on the AI outputs.
    • Related Search Results: Displays up to four relevant search results from sources such as Incident records, Knowledge Base articles, and Catalog items. Users can refine searches, filter by source, and open results in separate tabs. Contextual actions include attaching KB articles or linking to incidents directly from the search results.
    • Compose Section: Enables posting relevant information into work notes, comments, or emails seamlessly from the incident form.
    • Activity Stream: Shows the audit trail of the incident with options to view it within the main pane, in a split panel, or as a dedicated tab for easy tracking.
    • Now Assist Panel: Accessible via the "Ask Now Assist to..." button, this AI chat interface supports summarizing records or conversations, getting help, and continuing incident-related chats. The panel can be pinned, unpinned, or closed as needed.
    • AI History and Follow-up: Users can view all AI workflows executed for the incident in the AI history dialog and ask follow-up questions to refine or extend AI assistance.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Accelerates incident diagnosis and resolution by providing AI-generated insights and recommended next steps directly in the incident form.
    • Improves collaboration and communication through quick copying of summaries and relevant information into work notes or comments.
    • Enables efficient knowledge discovery by surfacing related search results and allowing direct action on KB articles or incidents.
    • Provides transparency and auditability via the activity stream and AI history tracking features.
    • Offers a conversational AI interface to interactively assist with incident management tasks and information retrieval.

    You can generate AI summary, key actions taken, proposed next steps, and related search results directly on the incident form to help resolve the incident, and also summarize the incident to gain an overall understanding of the incident details.

    The incident overview tab consists of these sections:
    • AI summary and next steps: Consists of AI summary details and proposed next steps.
    • Related search results: Consists of up to four related search results for the issue.
    • Compose: Used to post relevant information in the work notes, comments, or in an email.
    • Activity: Contains the audit trail for the incident.

    You can scroll within the pane to view the different sections (default), or you can choose the Split option, which opens an additional panel for the activity stream. You can also choose the Tabs option, which adds the activity stream as a tab (between Overview and Related records tabs).

    AI summary and next steps

    The incident Summary section includes the issue, key actions taken, and resolution for the incident. You can use the copy action icon to copy the contents and add to work notes or comments, for example. You can also use the feedback action icons to submit feedback.

    The Proposed Next Steps section contains the resolution steps applicable to the incident. You can copy the contents or give feedback using those icon actions, as well.

    These menu options are also available:
    • View steps and history: Opens the AI history dialog box which contains all the AI workflows that have been run for the incident so far.
    • Ask a followup question.

    You can access the Now Assist panel by selecting the Ask Now Assist to... button in this section, which opens the Now Assist panel in the context of the incident. Once opened, you have the option summarize a record, summarize a conversation, or get help, and you can continue the chat for the incident.

    Additionally, you can use the chat menu icon in the Now Assist panel to view the chats for your specific incident, All, any Updates, or Closed.

    The Now Assist panel can be pinned (default), unpinned, or closed.

    Related search results

    The Related search results section contains up to four search results related to the issue. You can regenerate the AI recommendations results further by entering more specific information relating to the issue to search on.

    You can filter results on a specific source, or select all (default). Source search categories:
    • Incident
    • Knowledge
    • Catalog

    When you select a search result, a separate tab is opened to view the details of that result.

    You can also choose specific menu actions based on the category of the search result:
    • For a KB article, you can Attach, Attach and add link in comment, or Add link in worknote.
    • For an incident, can Copy or Link to incident for specific incident category search results.
    • For a catalog, you can Order item.

    AI native recommendations section.

    Incident with Now Assist panel