Using AI agents in Virtual Agent topics

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Using AI Agents in Virtual Agent Topics

    AI agents in ServiceNow's Virtual Agent enable users to automate tasks such as retrieving information from Knowledge Base articles. Utilizing the AI Connector utility, customers can integrate AI agents to enhance their Virtual Agent interactions and improve task efficiency.

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    Key Features

    • Custom Skills: AI agents can be configured to perform specific tasks based on user input.
    • AI Connector Utility: This tool allows users to select and define tasks for AI agents, enabling seamless integration of AI capabilities.
    • Output Mappings: AI agents provide structured output, including execution plans and messages, which are returned to the chat for user reference.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing AI agents, customers can expect:

    • Streamlined information retrieval from Knowledge Base articles.
    • Automated responses that enhance user experience in Virtual Agent chats.
    • Detailed execution plans that outline task objectives, execution states, and messages for transparency.

    To utilize an AI agent, customers should access the AI Connector utility, choose the desired AI agent type, and define the specific task. This functionality supports improved service delivery and operational efficiency within ServiceNow.

    Use an AI agent custom skill to have it perform a task passed to it, such as compiling info on a KB article.

    There may be AI agents installed with the Now Assist application that are not used in use cases. To learn how to see all agents that are available to you, see Find AI agents.

    An AI agent performs a task that you pass to it inside the AI Connector utility in Virtual Agent Designer. For more information on the AI Connector utility, see AI Connector utility.

    For example, you can use the AI Agent in the AI Connector utility to get all data on a Knowledge Base article. The AI Agent provides the article if it is available or notifies you if it can't find it. The agent also provides data on the consolidation itself by way of its output mappings.

    To see which AI agents are installed on your instance, see Find AI agents.

    To use the AI agent, select it from the Skill type drop-down list in the AI Connector utility, then select the AI agent's type from the Select AI agent drop-down. For example, to have the AI agent consolidate a knowledge base article, select KB content consolidation AI agent.

    Define the task for the AI agent by placing a value in the Task input mapping variable. You can define a condition, or enter a script or command. For example, enter return KB00090; to have the AI agent retrieve that knowledge base article and consolidate its information into a reply in the Virtual Agent chat.

    The AI agent's output mapping properties are automatically defined when you select the AI agent type. All output mappings are returned in the chat when the AI agent completes the task.

    Select the AI agent and its task type inside the AI Connector utility.
    Table 1. AI agent output mapping properties
    Variable Description
    Execution plan ID ID number of the execution plan.
    Execution state Current state of the execution plan.
    Objective Intended task for the execution plan.
    State reason Reason for the execution plan's current state.
    Messages List of messages sent through the execution plan.
    Execution tasks List of tasks in the execution plan.
    Execution tools List of tools in the execution plan.

    When the AI agent performs its job, it generates the full plan showing the input and output mappings. Each plan shows the objective, all tasks performed for the objective, and any messages sent or tools used in the plan. All plans are listed in the Execution Plan [sn_aia_execution_plan_list] table.

    Execution plan for consolidating KB00090.