Combined Now Assist in AI Search release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated May 4, 2026
  • 6 minutes to read
  • Consolidated page of all release notes for Now Assist in AI Search from Zurich to Australia.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Now Assist in AI Search release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Zurich to Australia.

    Tip:
    If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

    Important information for upgrading Now Assist in AI Search to Australia

    Before you upgrade to Australia, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    No updates for this release.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    New features

    Between your current release family and Australia, new features were introduced for Now Assist in AI Search.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Zurich Patch 8
    Configure disambiguation
    If a search is broad or unclear, Now Assist in AI Search may ask follow-up questions before answering. This disambiguation step helps clarify what the user is looking for and is configurable.
    Zurich Patch 4
    Automatic activation for Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results
    When you use Guided Setup to activate the Now Assist panel, Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results are automatically activated for relevant search profiles.
    Hybrid search
    Hybrid search blends keyword search and semantic vector search to offer a blend of superior search recall and contextual relevance for knowledge article, Catalog Item, external content, and topic retrieval searches.
    Configure AI Search as the source for Ask Now Assist suggestions
    Admins can configure the system to use AI Search as the source for Ask Now Assist suggestions, enabling suggestion term highlighting and more flexible search operators in enhanced chat.
    Zurich Patch 1
    New third-party AI model provider options available for all Now Assist applications
    Google Gemini and AWS Claude are available for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Australia, some changes were made to existing Now Assist in AI Search features.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Zurich Patch 5
    Changes to Now Assist usage measurement
    Zurich Patch 4
    Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversational prompt auto-complete suggestions
    Auto-complete suggestions for Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversational prompts are only returned from the search user's domain. Suggestions are disabled if they match any exclusion rule entry from the Search Suggestion Exclusion List [sys_search_suggestion_blacklist] table. The system scores suggestions based on how search users interact with and rate their Genius Result responses, and preferentially displays higher-scored suggestions.
    Zurich Patch 1
    Semantic vector search indexing includes Catalog Item short descriptions
    Semantic indexing now indexes short descriptions from Catalog Item source records to improve search recall and make field indexing more consistent between legacy (keyword) and semantic indexing.
    Now Assist Q&A Genius Results
    The Now Assist Q&A Genius Results feature is in maintenance mode. This feature will have no new enhancements but will have continued support. Similar and improved functionality is available in the newer Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results feature. For more details on this feature, see Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results.
    Now Assist Actions Genius Results
    The Now Assist Actions Genius Results feature is in maintenance mode. This feature will have no new enhancements but will have continued support. Similar and improved functionality is available in the newer Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results feature. For more details on this feature, see Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results.
    Microsoft SharePoint Online login prompts in Knowledge Graph user citations
    If you're not logged in to Microsoft SharePoint Online, Knowledge Graph user citations in Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Result answers now prompt you to log in. When logged in, you can check any user citation in a Genius Result answer to see the list of files the cited user has shared with you in Microsoft SharePoint Online.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Australia, some Now Assist in AI Search features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    No updates for this release.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Australia, some Now Assist in AI Search features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    No updates for this release.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate Now Assist in AI Search.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Now Assist in AI Search is installed when you install any of the following licensed applications from the ServiceNow Store.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Now Assist in AI Search we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    No updates for this release.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Now Assist in AI Search we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    No updates for this release.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for Now Assist in AI Search, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for Now Assist in AI Search we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Now Assist in AI Search supports Dynamic Translation in Now Assist Genius Results. For details, see Dynamic Translation for Now Assist Q&A Genius Results and Dynamic Translation for Now Assist Actions Genius Results.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for Now Assist in AI Search we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Zurich

    Zurich Patch 8
    • Search can prompt users with clarifying questions for broad queries, improving intent matching and control.
    Zurich Patch 5
    • Review changes to Now Assist usage measurement.
    Zurich Patch 4
    • Simplify setup with automatic activation of Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Results for search profiles when you use Guided Setup to activate the Now Assist panel.
    • Increase search precision and contextual relevance for knowledge article, Catalog Item, external content, and topic retrieval searches with hybrid search.
    • Improve the enhanced chat experience by configuring the system to use AI Search as the source for Ask Now Assist suggestions.
    • Provide more focused auto-complete suggestions for enhanced chat that honor the search user's domain restriction and the exclusion list for unwanted suggestions.
    Zurich Patch 1
    • Use Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude on AWS as AI model providers for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI.
    • Improve search recall and accuracy with semantic vector indexing of Catalog Item short descriptions.
    • Prompt users to log in to Microsoft SharePoint Online as needed to see files shared with them when viewing Knowledge Graph user citations in Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Result answers

    See Now Assist in AI Search for more information.

    Australia

    No updates for this release.