Business process map diagrams from images
Use the ServiceNow AI lens skill to generate a business process map (BPM) diagram automatically by uploading an image of an existing process diagram from any tool.
The image-to-diagram feature in EA Workspace uses the ServiceNow AI Lens platform Now Assist skill to analyze an uploaded image of a business process and re-create it as a native, editable BPM diagram. This removes the need to manually rebuild diagrams that already exist in other
tools.
When you upload an image, AI Lens identifies shapes, pools, lanes, gateways, and the connections between them. It maps recognized shapes to entities in your instance where matching records exist, and creates new records for shapes it can't find a match for, provided you have the appropriate permissions for the tables associated with those shapes. The generated diagram opens in a review state so you can validate, adjust, and then commit it.
In review state
An AI-generated diagram remains in Review state until you accept or discard it. While in this state:
- The canvas header displays an AI converted diagram badge.
- The Share button, Show Version, and the more actions menu are hidden until the diagram is accepted.
- The canvas is fully editable: you can move, resize, add, or remove shapes, change any shape type, or replace a shape with a different shape.
Selecting Accept All transitions the diagram to draft state and closes the reference image pane. New records staged during diagram generation are committed following the standard approval workflow for the respective tables. Selecting Discard permanently deletes the diagram, all associated versions, the artifact, and the uploaded image, and returns you to the diagrams list view.
Canvas layout in review state
After the diagram is generated, the canvas is divided into two panes:
- The upper pane displays the generated diagram with all identified shapes, connections, pools, and lanes.
- The lower pane displays the uploaded source image for reference.
Move the cursor over the divider between the two panes to reveal the Adjust Pane control. Drag the divider to resize either pane without overlap. After the diagram is accepted or discarded, the reference image pane closes and the canvas occupies the full area.
The shapes panel on the left is collapsed by default. Select the toggle to expand it and add shapes manually to the canvas.
How AI Lens generates the diagram
ServiceNow AI Lens processes the uploaded image and performs the following actions:
- Shape identification: AI Lens identifies BPMN shapes such as tasks, sub-processes, gateways, events, pools, and lanes. Shapes in the image that have no equivalent in the EA Workspace shape library are substituted with a generic rectangle on the canvas.
- Grouping: Shapes that appear in a grouped arrangement in the source image are also grouped in the generated diagram.
- Edge and label detection: AI Lens detects connections between shapes and any labels on those connections.
- Entity sync: For each identified shape, AI Lens checks whether a matching record exists in the corresponding table. If a match is found, the shape is linked to that record automatically. If no match is found, a temporary record is staged for the shape, provided you have the appropriate permissions for the tables associated with those shapes. If you don't have the required permissions, records aren't created for the corresponding shapes.
The uploaded image is stored as an attachment on the architectural artifact record.
Replacing shapes and updating linked entities
You can replace any shape on the canvas with a different shape type, or update the record a shape is linked to without changing the shape type. Select the shape to open its data panel on the canvas.
- To change the shape type, select the Shape Type list and choose the correct type from the list. All existing connections and their labels are preserved after replacement.
- To update the linked record without changing the shape type, use the Choose Existing or Create options in the Data panel to re-link the shape to a different record.
After a low-confidence shape is replaced, its orange border is removed and the low-confidence count in the canvas banner is reduced.
Required Now Assist skills
The image-to-diagram feature requires two Now Assist skills to be active: the Create diagram from image Now Assist for Enterprise Architecture (EA) skill, and the ServiceNow AI Lens skill for the platform. When either skill is inactive, the Import image button is hidden on the Diagrams page.
- Create diagram from image (EA)
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Available under in Now Assist Admin. This skill is active by default. To verify or reactivate, navigate to , expand Technology, and select EA. Confirm the Create diagram from image skill card shows Active status. If inactive, select Activate skill on the skill card. For configuration details, see Configure Now Assist for Enterprise Architecture (EA).
- ServiceNow AI Lens (Platform)
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Available under in Now Assist Admin. This skill must be activated by an administrator. AI Lens supports three AI model providers: Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, and AWS Claude. The active provider is configured at the instance level under . For more information, see ServiceNow AI Lens and Configure ServiceNow AI Lens.