AI Desktop Actions release notes
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Summary of AI Desktop Actions release notes
The AI Desktop Actions application, introduced in the ServiceNow Zurich release, enables customers to design, configure, and manage desktop actions that automate repetitive tasks across legacy, thick client, and business applications on Windows. These desktop actions are executed by AI agents created in AI Agent Studio, providing autonomous or semi-autonomous automation without complex scripting or APIs. The application integrates seamlessly with Now Assist AI agents and the Now Assist panel for real-time execution and monitoring.
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Key Features
- AI-powered recording (Zurich Patch 10): Record desktop actions using AI that automatically inserts anchors, generates screen context, and fills in action descriptions to improve accuracy and reduce manual effort. Users with the
sndesktopcore.desktopactionuserrole and AI Lens skill enabled can leverage this feature. - Parameter configuration for dynamic values: Create and manage Desktop action parameter records for inputs like credentials or user-specific data, with options to share values across users and mark sensitive data for encryption and runtime decryption.
- Dynamic automation: Automate steps determined by AI at runtime, including web automation via the ServiceNow Web Automation chrome extension and default AI agents/workflows.
- Design and testing enhancements: Use the Design workspace to capture UI interactions, add input/output parameters, and test desktop actions—including screen-level testing and smart sizing options in the Execution workspace.
- Improved usability and management: Features such as the onboarding wizard, recorder toolbar improvements, enhanced error messages, and image canvas screen deletion streamline the creation and management of desktop actions.
- Support for multiple screen resolutions and scaling: Desktop actions run reliably on machines with varying screen resolutions and scaling settings.
- Non-UI block desktop actions: Utilize pre-built connectors (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, PDF, PowerShell, SQL, SSH) to automate actions without UI interaction, expanding automation scope.
- Monitoring and control: Monitor desktop action executions in the Execution workspace and interact with automations requiring human input. Sessions can keep browser tabs open post-action via configurable system properties.
- Installer improvements: Enhanced AI Desktop Actions installer experience ensures prerequisites like Windows Remote User group membership and .NET Desktop Runtime installation are properly configured.
Important Considerations and Requirements
- AI-powered recording requires the ServiceNow AI Lens skill and appropriate user roles.
- Upgrading to the Zurich release requires downloading and installing updated AI Desktop Actions installers, ensuring no active executions or open desktop apps during installation.
- Supports Microsoft Windows 11 with .NET 9.0 runtime v9.0.10 or later; extended monitors are not supported.
- Now Assist AI agents require the Next Experience UI Framework and are supported on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, but not Internet Explorer.
- Activation requires enabling any Now Assist plugin from the ServiceNow Store.
Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
- Streamlines automation of repetitive desktop tasks through AI-assisted recording and dynamic execution, reducing manual scripting and setup time.
- Enhances reliability and flexibility of desktop automation with parameterization, improved anchor detection, and multi-resolution support.
- Provides comprehensive management tools, including design, testing, monitoring, and troubleshooting capabilities, improving operational efficiency.
- Enables integration of legacy systems and applications without APIs, expanding automation across diverse environments.
- Improves user experience with onboarding guidance, real-time execution visibility, and interactive control over AI agents.
The ServiceNow® AI Desktop Actions application enables you to design, configure, and manage desktop actions to automate repetitive tasks. These desktop actions are executed by AI agents created in AI Agent Studio. AI Desktop Actions is a new application in the Zurich release.
AI Desktop Actions highlights for the Zurich release
Zurich Patch 9
- The name of the application is now changed to AI Desktop Actions from Agentic Desktop.
- Use the desktop action to automate dynamic steps that are determined by AI, and automating the recorded steps.
- Get a quick overview of the AI Desktop Actions application by using the onboarding wizard that highlights steps related to recording, refining, testing, and activating desktop actions.
- Use the Show Inputs / Show All buttons in the Test modal to filter required input fields.
- Use the latest LLM version for improved performance.
Zurich Patch 8
- Improved error and informational messages for better guidance and troubleshooting.
- Added a Delete button to the image canvas to remove a screen.
- Enabled screen-level testing while designing desktop actions.
Zurich Patch 7
- Use smart sizing in the Execution workspace with the Fit to window and Original resolution options.
- Enable AI agents to securely access SSH parameters by setting up parameter records in the ServiceNow instance.
- Test specific screens within desktop actions without running the entire flow.
- Access application controls during recording with a recorder toolbar.
- Configure the AI Desktop Actions installer experience for settings that are essential for seamless execution of desktop actions.
Zurich Patch 4
- Desktop actions now run reliably on machines with different screen resolutions.
- Design desktop actions of type UI block (UI actions) by capturing user interactions, adding details, and activating them in Design workspace.
- Use default desktop actions of type non-UI block (non-UI actions) that include pre-built connectors to interact with various applications and system components.
- Add desktop actions as tools to AI agents in AI Agent Studio.
- Enable AI agents to interact with legacy systems, thick client applications, and business applications on Windows operating system to perform repetitive tasks.
- Monitor desktop actions being executed by AI agents in Execution workspace in the Desktop-in-Desktop session.
See AI Desktop Actions for more information.
Important information for upgrading AI Desktop Actions to Zurich
Upgrade the currently installed AI Desktop Actions Software Installers (MSIs) by downloading and installing the newer version of the application. Make sure to close the current execution and close the desktop app before staring the installation for upgrade. For more information, see Download AI Desktop Actions installer.
AI Desktop Actions features
- Zurich Patch 9
- Use the new application name
- The product formerly referred to as Agentic Desktop has been rebranded as AI Desktop Actions. All UI labels, navigation elements, and in-product text updated to reflect the new name.
- Automate dynamic steps with desktop actions
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- Use the desktop action to automate dynamic steps that are determined by AI during execution.
- Install the ServiceNow Web Automation chrome extension for AI agent to interact with web applications.
- Use the default Web Automation Agent AI agent and Web Automation agentic workflow to automate repetitive tasks.
- See every click, keystroke, and scroll your AI agent makes in real time, with consent prompts before execution kicks off and timely warnings before your session expires.
- Pause a running AI agent, provide corrective input, and resume. The AI agent replans based on your instructions, keeping execution on the right track.
- Use the onboarding wizard to get the app overview
- Get a quick overview of the application by using the onboarding wizard that highlights recording, refining, testing, and activating desktop actions.
Select Skip intro to bypass the onboarding wizard and go to the home page. Select the Don't show this again option to prevent the wizard from appearing the next time you open the app. After completing the onboarding wizard, select Get started to start creating desktop actions.
- Filter required inputs for testing
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Use filtering options to filter the inputs that are required.
- Show Inputs — Filters the screens with required input fields.
- Show All — Removes the filter and displays all screens.
- Zurich Patch 8
- Improved error and informational messages
- Improved error and informational messages for better guidance and troubleshooting during testing of desktop actions.
- Delete button on image canvas
- Added a Delete button to the image canvas to remove a screen.
- Test button for a screen in the Design tab
- Test screens directly from the design tab while designing desktop actions.
- Zurich Patch 7
- Smart sizing in the Execution workspace
- Smart sizing is now supported in the Execution Workspace with Fit to window and Original resolution options. The Original resolution option allows you to
access different areas of the captured screen more easily.
- Fit to window: Automatically scales the desktop session to fit within the Execution Workspace while keeping it fully visible and readable.
- Original resolution: Displays the desktop session at its original resolution. Scroll bars appear if the desktop session is larger than the Execution workspace.
- Recorder enhancements
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- The recorder toolbar is now floating, making it easier to access application controls during recording.
- The recorder now adds only one screen per unique window during recording by auto-merging and optimizing duplicate screens.
- You can capture maximum of 50 steps using the recorder in a recording session. While auto-capturing steps, a counter now displays the remaining number of steps you can record using the recorder (for example, “35 of 50 max”).
- Screen-level testing
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- Quickly isolate and troubleshoot issues by testing a specific screen within desktop actions without running the entire flow.
- While working on a desktop action, the test values you enter are retained across test runs until you close the desktop action or reset the test values.
- View list of existing desktop actions
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- View list of all existing desktop actions in the Desktop Action module in the ServiceNow instance. View related lists that include Desktop Action application, AI Agents, and Desktop action executions for UI block, and AI Agents and Desktop action executions for non-UI block.
- Improved AI Desktop Actions installer experience
- The installer now guides you through the following two configurations that are essential for seamless execution of desktop actions:
- Option to automatically add the current user to the Windows Remote User group
- Configuration that validates if required .NET Desktop Runtime is installed or not. If not installed, provides a link to download and install the same.
- Zurich Patch 5
- Changes to Now Assist usage measurement
- Starting with Zurich Patch 5, Now Assist usage measurement is transitioning from a 365-day look-back model to a 365-day burn-down model, with usage resetting at the contract anniversary date. For more information, refer to KB KB2704710: Now Assist Usage - Overview & New Measurement Logic.
- Support for different screen resolutions and scaling
- Desktop actions now run reliably on machines with different screen resolutions and scaling. Screen resolution and scaling are consistent across all screens of a desktop actions during creation, saving, and publishing.
- Zurich Patch 4
- Design UI block desktop actions in Design workspace
- Design, configure, and manage desktop actions in the Design workspace that enables:
- Auto-recording or manually capturing screens and defining UI interactions, such as clicking buttons, typing into text boxes, and selecting from drop-down menus.
- Adding details such as name, description, input and output parameters.
- Testing desktop actions before activating them.
- Publishing desktop actions to AI Agent Studio as tools for AI agents to execute.
Example: Filling out fields and submitting a form.
- Use non-UI block desktop actions
- Add default desktop actions of the type non-UI block as tools to AI agents in AI Agent Studio. The non-UI block actions include pre-built connectors that enable your agentic workflows to interact with various applications and system components. These connectors streamline automation by
offering pre-built actions for common tasks, reducing the need for complex scripting.
Each connector focuses on a specific application or system area, providing a collection of related actions. For example, the Microsoft Outlook connector offers actions for email management, while the File and Directory connector provides actions for file system operations.
The following connectors are supported:- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- PowerShell
- SQL
- SSH
- SystemAction
Example: Reading data from Microsoft Excel or emails from Microsoft Outlook.
- Adding desktop actions to AI agents in AI Agent Studio
- Seamless integration with AI Agent Studio has enabled effortless configuration of desktop actions to automate repetitive tasks on applications without APIs. AI agents can reason, plan, and execute desktop actions autonomously and semi-autonomously across legacy systems and desktop applications without complex setups.
- Monitor desktop actions in Execution workspace
- Trigger desktop actions from the Now Assist panel that are executed by AI agents in the Execution workspace. Interact with the automation when human input is required. These automations run in the background and listen for instructions dispatched from the ServiceNow instance. You can continue working on other desktop applications outside Execution workspace.
- Leverage core desktop capabilities
- Automate form filling, application clicks, and Windows OS file handling. Create workflows across legacy systems, thick client applications, and business applications on Windows operating system to perform repetitive tasks.
Activation information
AI Desktop Actions is available with activation of any Now Assist plugin from the ServiceNow Store. For more information about the prerequisites for using AI Desktop Actions, see Configure AI Desktop Actions.
Additional requirements
The following are required to use AI Desktop Actions:
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 11.
- .NET 9.0 runtime v9.0.10 or .NET 9 Desktop Runtime v9.0.10.
- No extended monitors are connected.
You must first install the supported Now Assist version of ServiceNow to be able to use the Now Assist AI agents. For more information, see Install Now Assist AI agents.
You must enable Next Experience UI Framework before you can use the Now Assist panel.
Browser requirements
Now Assist AI agents support various browsers, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Now Assist AI agents aren't supported in Internet Explorer.