---
sourceDocument: Australia Release Notes
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/release-notes

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Release Notes

ft:clusterId :

    - rn

bundleId :

    - rn


---

# Smart Assessment Engine release notes

# Smart Assessment Engine release notes {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 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 Smart Assessment Engine release notes

The ServiceNow Smart Assessment Engine (SAE) is a customizable tool that lets you create detailed assessment templates to gather information from assessors efficiently.
The Australia release introduces significant enhancements focused on improving collaboration, AI-assisted drafting, embedding assessments, template management, and user experience.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **ServiceNow Otto AI Integration:** Formerly known as Now Assist, ServiceNow Otto provides AI Response Assist, which drafts assessment answers by leveraging prior assessments and attached documents with full source traceability. Users can choose to review suggestions or auto-apply top answers and edit before submission.
* **Embedded Assessments:** Assessments can now be embedded directly within parent records, playbooks, or workspaces, streamlining workflow by allowing responders to work in context without switching screens. Access controls are inherited from the parent record.
* **Template Versioning and Inline Editing:** Template managers can update published templates safely without creating duplicates, preserving audit trails for ongoing assessments. Inline editing enables quick changes to titles, descriptions, and roles with built-in audit tracking.
* **Enhanced Collaboration:** Primary owners can delegate specific assessment sections to subject matter experts (SMEs) for role-based collaboration, maintaining visibility and control over the entire assessment progress.
* **Improved User Experience:** Features such as continuous scrolling within sections, fully hidden conditional questions to reduce fatigue, multi-filter support on question lists, question-level flags and comments, and a dedicated Work Notes tab allow efficient navigation and communication.
* **Assessment Task List Enhancements:** Scope item fields are now visible directly in the assessment task list, providing contextual information without extra navigation.
* **Programmatic Assessment Combining:** Users can automate combining multiple assessments based on custom logic, reducing manual effort in managing related assessments.
* **Security and Access Control Updates:** Template categories now support multiple roles through a multiselect field to manage access effectively.

## Key Outcomes

ServiceNow customers can expect a more streamlined and intelligent assessment process with the Australia release of Smart Assessment Engine. The integration of ServiceNow Otto AI significantly reduces manual input by suggesting accurate answers based on historical data and documents. Embedding assessments and enhanced collaboration features reduce workflow interruptions and improve efficiency across teams. Template versioning ensures that regulatory or content updates are implemented without impacting ongoing assessments, maintaining compliance and auditability. The improved user interface and filtering capabilities help responders focus on relevant questions, minimizing fatigue and increasing assessment quality.

## Activation Information

Smart Assessment Engine is available through the ServiceNow Store. Customers should request installation from the store to access these new capabilities.  
The ServiceNow®
Smart Assessment Engine (SAE)
enables
you to create customizable assessment templates with detailed instructions and questions to gather information from assessors. SAE was enhanced and updated in the Australia release.

## Smart Assessment Engine highlights for the Australia release {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-highlights}

[Australia Patch 5](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/86~p_JZvUlBB3FD_j8roSw "The Australia Patch 5 release contains important problem fixes.")ServiceNow Otto® is the new name for the Now Assist experience in SAE. All Now Assist references have been updated to ServiceNow Otto.{#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-highlights-1}  
[Australia Patch 2](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SG~RVvxPNqIQWrm6Bfkd9A "The Australia Patch 2 release contains important problem fixes.")

* Collaborate inline with question-level flags, question-level comments, and a new Work Notes tab.
* Draft assessment responses automatically with AI Response Assist, which suggests answers from prior assessments and attached documents with full source traceability.
* Embed assessments inside any parent record, playbook, or workspace with the new embedded assessments capability and configurable UI Builder properties
* Update published templates safely with template versioning while preserving auditability of in-flight assessments.
* Streamline the responder experience with continuous scrolling inside sections and sub-sections, fully hidden conditional questions, and multi-filter support on the question list. View scope item fields directly in the assessment task list.
{#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_chv_sch_c3c}  
[Australia Patch 1](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/YA7hULsClAMRpa0n7ju_1A "The Australia Patch 1 release contains important problem fixes.")

* Edit published templates quickly with inline edits and built‑in audit tracking.
* Enable efficient, role-based collaboration by allowing primary owners to delegate assessment sections to subject matter experts (SMEs).
{#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_ubc_rw5_jjc}

See [Smart Assessment Engine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=smart-asmnt-engine-landing-page&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US) for more information.{#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-highlights-4}
Important:  
Smart Assessment Engine is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes.

## New in the Australia release {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__smart-assessment-engine-release-notes-rn-new-features}

**[Australia Patch 2](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SG~RVvxPNqIQWrm6Bfkd9A "The Australia Patch 2 release contains important problem fixes.")**
[ServiceNow Otto for Smart Assessment Engine (SAE)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=servicenow-otto-for-smart-assessment-engine&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.5, responders can use AI Response Assist to draft answers to assessment questions and auto-apply the top suggestion --- drawing from multiple sources with citations instead of starting from scratch.

    * **Previous assessments:** Reuse answers from past SAE and classic assessments, eliminating re-entry across annual refreshes, new regulations, and recurring questionnaires.
    * **Documents:** Generate answers from documents attached to the assessment or pulled from a document management system (DMS). Responders can upload or select PDF, Word, and image files (up to 5 documents, 200 pages each). Responders can also preview documents and trace each answer to a source snippet.
    {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_ai_response_assist_sources} Responders choose suggestion only mode (review each suggestion with Apply or Discard) or Auto-apply mode (the top suggestion is applied to each question automatically). Either way, responders can edit any answer before
    submission.

[Embedded assessments](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=embedded-assessments&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.X, bring assessments directly into the parent workflow. Embedded assessments run inside host record pages, playbooks, and workflow, letting respondents complete their work without leaving the
    parent context. Configuration is per template category and doesn't require code change. Embedded assessments inherit read access from the parent record---only users with read access to the parent record can read the embedded
    assessment.

[Template versioning](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=template-versioning&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.X, update published assessment templates without copying and deprecating the original. When a template manager publishes a new version, the prior version is automatically retired and future
    assessments use the new version. Template versioning preserves auditability for in-flight assessments while letting template managers publish new versions to reflect corrections, regulatory changes, or annual content refreshes.

    * A version-info bar on every published template shows the current version and exposes a create new version action that returns the template to Draft.
    * A full version history view captures who created each version, when, and which prior version it was branched from.
    * A new Delete template version action is available from the version actions menu.
    {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_j5q_vxp_hjc}

[SAE Enhancements](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sae-template-designer&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   These SAE enhancements are available in version 22.3.X and later:

    * Flag individual questions that need attention with a single click. Flags move through three states---Flagged, Resolved, and Unflagged---and every transition is captured in the assessment activity log.
    * Add comments at the question level so responders, reviewers, and collaborators can resolve clarifications inline instead of relying on email or external tools. A new Work Notes tab next to the Comments tab provides a separate, role-gated conversation for reviewers or administrators.
    * Hide conditional questions that don't meet their visibility criteria so responders see only the questions relevant to them, eliminating Skipped clutter and reducing assessment fatigue.
    * Scroll continuously through questions within a section or sub-section instead of paginating, giving responders an uninterrupted answer flow.
    * Apply multiple filters at once on the question list (for example, Unanswered + Flagged + With comments) to focus on exactly the questions that need attention.
    * View scope item fields directly in the assessment task list so reviewers and assignees can see scope context without opening each assessment.
    * Programmatically create a combined assessment from multiple assessment IDs using any custom logic, removing the need for manual combine actions. For example, combine all control attestations belonging to an entity group into a single assessment.
    {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_e1d_mz4_jjc}

**[Australia Patch 1](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/YA7hULsClAMRpa0n7ju_1A "The Australia Patch 1 release contains important problem fixes.")**
[Collaboration in assessments](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=collaboration-in-assessments&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.X, use granular delegation as a primary owner to assign individual assessment sections to SMEs. Respondents can view the entire assessment for context but can edit only their assigned sections.
    Monitor overall assessment progress and maintain final review and submission capabilities.

[Quick edit for published templates](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-edit-for-published-templates&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.X, edit published templates inline as a template manager, including edits to the titles, descriptions, and reader roles.

## UI changes {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-ui-changes}

[Filtering questions in an assessment](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=filtering-questions-in-an-assessment&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Apply multiple assessment filters at once (for example, Unanswered + AI-assisted). The navigation pane dynamically grays out sections with no matching questions so responders see
    exactly where attention is needed.

[Create an assessment template category](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sae-asmnt-template-category-create&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Starting with version 22.3.X, the Category Role field in the assessment template category form is replaced with the Category Roles
    field.

## Changed in this release {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-changed-features}

[Australia Patch 5](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/86~p_JZvUlBB3FD_j8roSw "The Australia Patch 5 release contains important problem fixes.")

[ServiceNow Otto® name announcement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-ai-implementation-landing&version=australia&pubname=australia-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Now Assist introduced AI on the platform. As that experience has evolved, there's a new name for the experience. ServiceNow Otto® is the conversational AI platform integrated into ServiceNow workflows. It provides agentic capabilities, supports multimodal interactions across web, mobile, and messaging channels, and enables autonomous orchestration for cross-system workflows.

[Large language models on the ServiceNow AI Platform®](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=exploring-large-language-models&version=australia&pubname=australia-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US)
:   The Now LLM Service is no longer the default model provider for new or inactive AI assets. A third-party LLM is now selected by default, while existing configurations using the Now LLM Service continue unchanged. The Now LLM Service is still available for manual selection.

[ServiceNow product tiers](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ai-native-sku-overview&version=australia&pubname=australia-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US)
:   The ServiceNow AI Platform now brings you a new AI experience with three licensing tiers available:

    * Foundation: AI basics to deliver insights
    * Advanced: AI to boost productivity across relevant use cases
    * Prime: Act autonomously with all AI assets, and create your own

    {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__ul_pgy_j1t_r3c}

    Depending on your license, you will have access to certain application features, generative AI skills, agentic workflows, and AI agents.

[Hide conditional questions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sae-q-text-create&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Conditional questions that don't meet their visibility criteria are now fully hidden from the assessment and are no longer displayed as Skipped. Respondents see only the questions relevant to them,
    reducing assessment fatigue and eliminating "Skipped" clutter.

[Create an assessment template category](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sae-asmnt-template-category-create&version=australia&pubname=australia-governance-risk-compliance&ft:locale=en-US)
:   Enables one or more roles to access a template category with the multiselect Category Roles
    field.

## Activation information {#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-activation}

Install Smart Assessment Engine by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/store-release-notes/sn-store-release-notes.html).{#grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn__grc-smart-assessment-engine-rn-activation-1}