--- sourceDocument: Australia Enable AI sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/intelligent-experiences Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Enable AI ft:clusterId : - platai bundleId : - platai workflow : - Platform --- # Exploring AI Skill Kit # Exploring AI Skill Kit {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI 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 Exploring AI Skill Kit The AI Skill Kit plugin for ServiceNow Otto empowers you to create and activate custom AI prompts and skills tailored to your unique business needs. When the base Otto skills do not meet your requirements, this kit provides the flexibility to design generative AI capabilities that augment and enhance your workflows. Show full answer Show less To effectively build custom skills, you should have a solid understanding of prompt engineering and how large language models (LLMs) operate, including their probabilistic output and variability. Skill development involves iterative testing with real data from your instance and refining prompts based on actual results rather than assumptions. ## Prerequisites and User Roles * **Prerequisites:** Update your Otto plugins to the latest version via the Application Manager and assign the `snskillbuilder.admin` role to skill builders. * **AI Developer:** Responsible for creating and refining prompts, configuring skill settings, and requires prompt engineering expertise along with the `snskillbuilder.admin` role. * **Otto Admin:** Reviews and activates published skills for deployment, requiring the `admin` role. ## AI Skill Kit Workflow * **Define the Provider:** Evaluate and select an appropriate LLM, considering benefits and limitations. * **Build the Prompt:** Design prompts informed by your instance architecture and data sources, leveraging LLM fundamentals. * **Test the Prompt:** Use the built-in editor to iteratively test and refine prompts to ensure effectiveness. * **Deploy the Skill:** Publish your custom skill to various ServiceNow touchpoints such as the Otto panel, context menus, Virtual Agent, Flow Actions, or UI Actions. ## Benefits to ServiceNow Customers AI Skill Kit allows you to tailor generative AI to specific workflows, enhancing automation, efficiency, and user experience. Key benefits include: * **Custom Solution Creation:** Build AI-driven skills and workflows that precisely address your organizational challenges. * **Prompt Management:** Develop and manage data-augmented prompts to optimize AI output quality. * **Iterative Testing:** Validate and improve skills before activation to ensure reliability and relevance. * **Flexible Deployment:** Integrate AI skills seamlessly into multiple ServiceNow interface points for broad accessibility. ## Next Steps To maximize the value of AI Skill Kit, explore detailed guidance on configuring and using the tool effectively through ServiceNow documentation focused on configuration and practical application. Use the AI Skill Kit plugin for ServiceNow Otto to create and activate custom prompts and skills for Otto. ## AI Skill Kit overview {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__cf-exploring-parent-overview} Use AI Skill Kit to create custom skills when base system Otto skills don't fit your needs. Custom skills give you greater flexibility with Otto's generative AI capabilities. ## Before you build a custom skill {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__section_before_you_build} Because you create the prompts that drive your skills, you should be comfortable with the fundamentals of prompt engineering and with how a large language model (LLM) behaves. Before you begin, you should understand: * How an LLM produces output, including its probabilistic nature and the fact that the same prompt can produce different results on different models. * How to write, test, and refine a prompt based on the output it produces, rather than on how you expect the model to interpret your wording. * The use case you want to solve and the persona you're building the skill for. {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__ul_before_you_build} Effective skill development depends on testing the prompt against representative data from your instance and refining it based on the results, not on a single example. For the full set of guidelines and the phases of building a skill, see [General guidelines for AI Skill Kit](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5GQOpNWQnpMOj_jQA1un9g "Building a custom skill in AI Skill Kit follows five phases, from scoping the skill to deploying and monitoring it."). For help defining requirements and outcomes before you build, see [Skill scoping guidelines](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/_Tdhs1ejEpiKAfDV0FwvVA "Scope a custom skill before you build it to define its requirements and expected outcomes."). ## Get AI Skill Kit {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__section_xx2_fdh_lcc} To use AI Skill Kit, you must update your Otto plugins in the [Application Manager](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=exploring-application-manager&version=australia&pubname=australia-platform-administration&ft:locale=en-US). For example, update your ServiceNow Otto for ITSM plugin to the latest available release. You must also assign the sn_skill_builder.admin role to anyone who uses AI Skill Kit. ## AI Skill Kit users {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__cf-exploring-parent-users} {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__table_z52_bpp_jcc__entry__2} | User | Description | |-|-| | AI developer | Creates new skills, writes and refines the prompts, and configures the skill settings. This user must have the sn_skill_builder.admin role. Building an effective skill requires prompt engineering experience and an understanding of LLM behavior. | | Otto admin | Reviews and activates published skills so that they're available at the configured touch points. This user must have the admin role. | [Table 1. AI Skill Kit users] {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__table_z52_bpp_jcc} ## AI Skill Kit workflow {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__cf-exploring-parent-workflow} The following diagram shows the user journey for AI Skill Kit. Figure 1. User journey for AI Skill Kit Define the provider : Understand the benefits and potential downsides of each large language model (LLM) that you're considering using. Build the prompt : You must have an understanding of the architecture of your instance and be able to define where input data should come from. You should also have an understanding of LLM fundamentals to build an effective prompt. Test the prompt : AI Skill Kit enables you to test your prompt from the editor. Deploy the skill : AI Skill Kit enables you to deploy your skill to the ServiceNow Otto panel, ServiceNow Otto Context Menu, Virtual Agent, Flow Action, or a UI Action. ## AI Skill Kit benefits {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__cf-exploring-parent-benefits} AI Skill Kit enables you to design your own custom generative AI functionality that you can then deploy to the ServiceNow platform. Custom skills can augment workflows with generative AI to increase effectiveness and efficiency. {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__table_cv2_bpp_jcc__entry__3} | Benefit | Feature | Users | |-|-|-| | Create custom solutions by building a custom skill or workflow. | [Create a skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/LKwxb28v59W_28ULmgLTkg "Create a custom skill for Otto. Custom skills extend the generative AI capabilities of Otto to fit your own use cases.") | AI developer | | Create and edit prompts for skills and configure where you want to bring in data from to augment your prompt. | [Create a prompt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9Sb9G2tHYaTxJEgUaEZX0g "After you create a custom skill, create a prompt. The prompt defines the instructions that the skill sends to the LLM and the skill inputs that it uses.") | AI developer | | Test and iterate on your skill before activating it. | [Test a prompt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/iFT3SY_7Wm85oXlh0N7ndg "After you create a prompt for your custom skill, test it before you finalize it to verify that it returns the expected results.") | AI developer | [Table 2. AI Skill Kit benefits] {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__table_cv2_bpp_jcc} ## What to explore next {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__cf-exploring-parent-links} To learn more about configuring and using AI Skill Kit, see: * [Configuring AI Skill Kit](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/j8TgoswBjMNMyHEWK06NaQ "Configure prompts and skills for AI Skill Kit.") * [Using AI Skill Kit](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zjedDTAlAC5Sq07Upy86BA "Use AI Skill Kit to create and publish prompts and custom skills for Otto.") {#exploring-now-assist-skill-kit__ul_dv2_bpp_jcc}