Creating AI agents for AI Desktop Actions

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated November 2, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Creating AI agents for AI Desktop Actions

    ServiceNow’s AI Desktop Actions enable customers to create AI agents in AI Agent Studio that mimic human-like intelligence to autonomously execute repetitive desktop and web tasks. These AI agents use large language model (LLM) instructions and tools to interpret goals, generate dynamic execution plans, and perform actions across legacy systems, thick client applications, and web applications without APIs or backend integrations.

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    AI agents can coordinate with other agents, process human inputs during execution, and collaborate with users when human judgment is needed. The Web Automation Agent and agentic workflow named Web Automation are preconfigured AI components provided by default for adaptive desktop actions after installing AI Desktop Actions.

    Creating and Configuring AI Agents

    • Define Specialty: Assign a clear name, description, role, and steps for the AI agent. Specify supported LLMs, enable third-party access if needed, and manage long-term memory to help the LLM understand the agent’s purpose.
    • Add Desktop Action Tools: Equip AI agents with desktop and web automation tools by adding defined or adaptive desktop action tools. Clearly naming and describing these tools ensures the AI agent selects appropriate capabilities, enhancing task robustness and quality.
    • Set Security Controls: Define user access via Access Control Lists (ACLs) to control which users can discover or invoke the AI agent. Specify data access permissions to control what data the agent can use during execution. Note that AI agents for desktop actions do not support trigger conditions and must be manually triggered from the system where AI Desktop Actions is installed.
    • Select Channels and Status: Activate the AI agent for use in Now Assist’s Virtual Agent assistant, set processing messages, and choose the channels where the agent can engage with users.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By creating AI agents for AI Desktop Actions, customers can automate complex, repetitive desktop and web tasks without custom coding or backend integrations. This improves operational efficiency, reduces manual effort, and allows seamless collaboration between AI agents and human users for tasks requiring judgment. The flexible configuration ensures security and proper tool assignment, making AI agents reliable and scalable components within the ServiceNow ecosystem.

    Create an AI agent in AI Agent Studio to mimic human-like intelligence while executing desktop actions for repetitive tasks in web and desktop environment.

    Overview of AI agents for AI Desktop Actions

    In the ServiceNow agentic ecosystem, an AI agent is a set of large language model (LLM) instructions and tools that can perform specific tasks. The Now Assist AI agents can perform specific tasks and functions, often using natural language instead of traditional code. For more information, see Create an AI agent.

    AI agents process instructions, generate execution plans, and run desktop actions autonomously and semi-autonomously across legacy systems, thick client applications, and web applications lacking APIs or backend integrations. AI agents can interpret your goal and map them to one or more desktop actions via metadata (capabilities, inputs, and outputs).

    Use AI agents to do the following tasks for your organization:
    • Generate a dynamic execution plan for desktop or web-based tasks
    • Coordinate with other AI agents to complete subtasks
    • Process human input during task execution when required
    • Collaborate with users to resolve issues that require human judgment

    For adaptive desktop actions, an AI agent named Web Automation Agent and agentic workflow named Web Automation are provided by default when you install AI Desktop Actions.

    1. Define the specialty of an AI agent

      Write a clear name and description of the AI agent, define role, and list of steps this AI agent must complete, define supported LLMs, enable third-party access, and manage long-term memory. The LLM analyzes the specific wording that you use to understand the specialty of this AI agent.

    2. Add a desktop action to an AI agent.

      Add a desktop action as a tool to the AI agent to enable desktop and web automations. Tools provide your AI agents with the capabilities necessary to complete their tasks. Providing your AI agents with the appropriate tools help with the robustness and quality of their performance. An AI agent selects a tool based on the tool’s name and description, which must be clearly written.

    3. Define security controls for an AI agent
      Define security controls for who can access the AI agent and what data the AI agent has access to. The Define security controls step is divided into two parts:
      • Define user access: Creates an ACL that determines which users can discover or invoke the AI agent.
      • Define data access: Defines the data that the AI agent has access to once it’s invoked.

      Trigger conditions are not supported for AI agents that execute desktop actions. You must manually trigger these agents from the system where the AI Desktop Actions application is installed.

    4. Select channels and status for an AI agent

      Activate the AI agent to use in an assistant in Now Assist for Virtual Agent and set the processing message. This AI agent can engage with users who initiate an interaction when it’s available for use in channels. Select channels where you want this AI agent to be available to engage with users.