AI Desktop Actions

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated October 12, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of AI Desktop Actions

    ServiceNow AI Desktop Actions enables customers to automate repetitive desktop and web tasks by designing, configuring, and managing desktop actions. These AI-powered agents can autonomously or semi-autonomously execute multi-step workflows across legacy systems, thick client applications, and web environments without requiring APIs. This automation supports conditional logic, adapts in real-time to UI changes, and includes error detection and recovery capabilities, helping streamline operations and allowing human workers to focus on tasks that require judgment.

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    Types of Desktop Actions

    • Defined Path Desktop Actions: These involve recording or capturing a fixed sequence of steps using the AI Desktop Actions Windows application. The AI agent executes these steps exactly as recorded, making them ideal for repeatable tasks with consistent processes and predictable UI elements.
    • Adaptive Path Desktop Actions: Designed for web-based tasks, these actions are configured by describing the desired outcome at a high level. The AI agent dynamically generates an execution plan and adapts to changes in UI elements, suiting tasks that require flexibility and decision-making.

    Getting Started and Configuration

    Customers can learn key concepts, configure AI Desktop Actions for their environment, design automations for legacy applications lacking APIs, and create custom AI agents using advanced multi-agent reasoning frameworks. The AI Desktop Actions application provides tools to execute automations through these agents efficiently.

    Important Considerations

    • Availability of AI model providers and certain AI features may vary based on customer location, data center region, regulatory environment, and licensing. Customers should consult the ServiceNow Knowledge Base for current availability.
    • AI Desktop Actions uses AI and machine learning, which may not always produce fully accurate or appropriate outputs. Customers are advised to thoroughly test automations, maintain human oversight, and avoid relying solely on AI outputs for critical decisions, especially in sensitive domains such as healthcare, finance, or security.
    • Data processed by AI Desktop Actions is transferred from customer instances to centralized ServiceNow environments or third-party cloud providers, governed by ServiceNow’s internal data policies and compliance standards.
    • ServiceNow collects input, output, and editing data from the application to improve AI technologies. Customers can opt out of data collection if desired.

    Resources

    ServiceNow customers can access resources such as the Workflow Automation community, Known Error Portal, and Customer Service and Support for assistance with AI Desktop Actions.

    ServiceNow® AI Desktop Actions enables you to design, configure, and manage desktop actions that automate repetitive tasks in your desktop and web environment. AI agents can autonomously and semi-autonomously process instructions, generate execution plans, and run desktop actions across legacy systems, thick client applications, and web applications without APIs.

    • Automating multi-step desktop or web tasks that involve conditional logic, so agents can focus on work that needs a human touch.
    • Adapting to changes in application state and UI in real-time, reducing the need to maintain rigid scripts.
    • Helping detect and recover from errors by evaluating context and trying alternative approaches when something doesn't go as expected.

    Types of desktop actions

    There are two types of desktop actions: defined path and adaptive path. Both enable AI agents to automate tasks on behalf of users, but they differ in how steps are designed and executed.

    Defined desktop actions for desktop and web-based tasks (deterministic)
    With defined path desktop actions, you record with AI or capture a fixed sequence of steps in the AI Desktop Actions Windows application. The AI agent executes these predefined steps in order without deviation.

    Best for: Repeatable tasks with consistent steps and predictable UI interactions.

    Adaptive desktop actions for web-based tasks (probabilistic)
    With adaptive path desktop actions, you describe what task you want to accomplish at a high level in the tool configuration for web-based tasks. The web-based tasks include performing tasks on web applications or websites. The AI agent processes the request, generates an execution plan, and dynamically determines the specific steps needed to complete the task.

    Best for: Tasks that require flexibility, decision-making, or adaptation to changing UI elements.

    For more information, see When to use adaptive vs. defined path desktop actions.

    Get started

    Important:
    • Not all model providers are available for customers with in-country SKUs, and some AI products/features are currently unavailable for in-country customers. For more information, see the KB1584492 article in the Now Support Knowledge Base. Be sure to check for model provider availability updates in future releases.
    • Some AI products/features are currently unavailable for customers in the FedRAMP, NSC DOD IL5, or Australia IRAP-Protected data centers, self-hosted customers, or in other restricted environments. For more information, see the KB0743854 article in the Now Support Knowledge Base. Be sure to check for availability updates in future releases.
    • Some AI products/features are currently available only for customers in some regions. Be sure to check for availability updates in future releases.
    • Some AI products and skills are not available in Regulated Markets. For more information, see KB2593939: Regulated Markets AI Products/Skills Not Available. Be sure to check for availability updates in future releases.

    Helpful resources

    AI limitations

    This application uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, which are rapidly evolving fields of study that generate predictions based on patterns in data. As a result, this application may not always produce accurate, complete, or appropriate information. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that this application has been fully trained or tested for your use case. To mitigate these issues, it is your responsibility to test and evaluate your use of this application for accuracy, harm, and appropriateness for your use case, employ human oversight of output, and refrain from relying solely on AI-generated outputs for decision-making purposes. This is especially important if you choose to deploy this application in areas with consequential impacts such as healthcare, finance, legal, employment, security, or infrastructure. You agree to abide by ServiceNow’s AI Acceptable Use Policy, which may be updated by ServiceNow.

    Data processing

    This application requires data to be transferred from ServiceNow customers' individual instances to a centralized ServiceNow environment, which may be located in a different data center region from the one where your instance is, and potentially to a third-party cloud provider, such as Microsoft Azure. This data is handled per ServiceNow's internal policies and procedures, including our policies available through our CORE Compliance Portal.

    Data collection

    ServiceNow collects and uses the inputs, outputs, and edits to outputs of this application to develop and improve ServiceNow technologies including ServiceNow models and AI products. In addition, this application will collect information about scripts (and associated script records) in which ServiceNow Otto for code generation is called. Customers can opt out of future data collection at any time, as described in the Now Assist Opt-Out page.

    For more information, see the Now Assist documentation.