Virtual Agent release notes
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Summary of Virtual Agent Release Notes Washington DC
The Washington DC release of the ServiceNow® Virtual Agent enhances user assistance through a conversational interface, allowing the design and implementation of automated conversations. Key updates include the integration of large language models (LLMs), improved testing capabilities, and enhanced functionality in Microsoft Teams and mobile platforms.
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Key Features
- LLM Integration: Create and test topics using LLMs, with features for prompt discovery and variable editing.
- Now Assist: Implement Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversations across Microsoft Teams and mobile channels.
- User Input Controls: New controls like Input Collector and Secure Text enhance user data gathering and privacy.
- Dynamic Notification Actions: Pass multiple notification actions during topic authoring.
- Conversational Analytics: Enhanced dashboard for data visualization and compliance reporting.
Key Outcomes
With the Washington DC release, ServiceNow customers can expect:
- Streamlined creation of conversational topics leveraging advanced AI capabilities.
- Improved user experience through enhanced testing and feedback mechanisms.
- Increased flexibility in managing user input and notification actions within conversations.
- Enhanced compliance and reporting through the Conversational Analytics dashboard.
The ServiceNow® Virtual Agent application provides user assistance through a conversational messaging interface so that you can design and build automated conversations that help users to quickly obtain information and to perform common work tasks. Virtual Agent was enhanced and updated in the Washington DC release.
Virtual Agent highlights for the Washington DC release
- Create and test Virtual Agent topics that use large language models (LLMs) instead of Natural Language Understanding (NLU).
- Test LLM-enabled topics using the additional Prompt discovery and Edit variables tabs.
- Implement Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversations in Microsoft Teams and mobile.
- For LLM topics, use the Input Collector input control in Virtual Agent Designer to gather data using generative AI prompts.
- For LLM topics, use the Secure Text input control in Virtual Agent Designer to gather and encrypt sensitive text, email, and other types of input from users.
See Virtual Agent for more information.
Note:
Performance and the user experience are improved by tracking aggregate in-app activity, including interaction with the app. This tracking is focused
on aggregated technical information rather than personal information.
New in the Washington DC release
- Now Assist in Virtual Agent
- Implement Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversations in Microsoft Teams and mobile channels.
- Test and preview topics in either the mweb or nowassistpanel channel.
- Added enhancements to Now Assist in Virtual Agent.
- Create or manage LLM virtual agents using a new option on the Conversational Interfaces admin console or the new Assistants tab.
- Filter analytics indicators in Now Assist in Virtual Agent Analytics using the new Assistant multi-select filter.
- Enable Genius Results generated by Now Assist in portal search from a link within the Review section of .
- When a user types an irrelevant utterance in the middle of a topic, unified search sees whether there are any results found.
- LLM topic discovery in Virtual Agent
- Create topics that use LLM instead of Natural Language Understanding (NLU).
- Analyze Now LLM responses to utterances while testing LLM topics.
- Get in-depth testing details for LLM topics using the new Topic discovery and Edit variables tabs.
- LLM support in Virtual Agent Designer controls
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- Input Collector user input control:
- Use the new Input Collector control in LLM topics to gather data from users and create instructions with generative AI.
- Drag nodes in and out of the Input Collector instead of deleting and adding new ones.
- Drag nodes from one Input Collector to another if you have multiple Input Collectors on your canvas.
- Use the From and To drop-down lists to reorder inputs from the node on the table view.
- Activate the Confirmation message option in the Input Collector to summarize your inputs. Submit the inputs or restart the input collection process, by selecting Yes or No options, or entering a reply in plain language.
- Secure Text user input control: Use the Secure Text control in LLM topics to gather and encrypt sensitive text, email, and other types of input from users.
- Date Time user input control: Input DD-MM-YYYY format to the Date Time user input for regions using that format.
- Input Collector user input control:
- Dynamically pick Virtual Agent notification actions
- When authoring a Virtual Agent topic, you can pass one or more notification actions as parameters instead of a single, static action. All actions must be predefined for the notification.
- Hide or reveal the Show me everything button
- Set the glide.cs.disable_show_me_everything system property for NLU/Keyword topic discovery. Alternatively, update values found in the default Script Action Utility control in Virtual Agent greeting topics that use LLM topic discovery.
- System properties
- The following new system properties affect AI Search results in mid-topic discovery:
- com.glide.cs.gen_ai.enable_mid_topic_ai_search
- sn_nowassist_va.enable_mid_topic_ai_search_catalog_result
- Washington DC patch 1
- Beginning with Washington DC patch 1, the following features are available:
- Carousel user input control: Use the Carousel user input control in a LLM-enabled Virtual Agent topic to present a prompt and a horizontal series of labeled images.
- Dynamic choice user input control property sheet: Use the Allow the user to select more than one choice field to allow users to choose multiple choices from the list display.
- Latency feedback system property: The com.glide.cs.message.processing.enabled system property notifies requesters with a temporary latency message whenever the LLM is processing their request in the Virtual Agent web client and Now Assist panel. This system property is off by default and the latency message varies depending on the LLM call.
- Use Virtual Agent API to support Now Assist experience across multiple provider channels. See Enable Now Assist experience in Virtual Agent API for more information.
- Use Bot Interconnect to support Now Assist enabled primary and secondary bot use cases.
- Washington DC patch 3
- Beginning with Washington DC patch 3, the following features are available:
- LLM topic migration: The topic migration workflow in Virtual Agent Designer allows you to convert your existing NLU/Keyword topics into new large language-model (LLM) topics. The topic migration workflow is available to admin and topic_migration_admin roles.
- Dynamic Choice user input control: Using a script, requesters can view their previously selected choice values and also view and search through secondary field data.
- LLM assistant associations: Any topic type can be associated with an LLM assistant. LLM topic blocks and custom controls that are not associated with an assistant, but are used within a topic that is associated with an LLM assistant, now display in the Topics page when filtering by the LLM assistant.
- Now Assist in Virtual Agent guided setup entry point from Virtual Agent Designer: Selecting either Settings or Manage on the Virtual Agent Designer Topics page opens the Conversational Interfaces Guided Setup workflow.
- Assistant drop-down list: The Assistant drop-down list appears in the chat test window when testing from a single topic when the Include topic discovery option is selected or when testing active LLM assistant topics from the Virtual Agent Topics page. When a topic is associated with just one LLM assistant, the Assistant drop-down list defaults to that assistant name. If you have multiple assistants, select which assistant you want to work with using the Assistant drop-down list.
- New Virtual Agent translation table: The Text Translations for Dynamic Translation [sys_cs_dynamic_translation_text] table stores copies of the translations found in the Message [sys_ui_message] table and previously dynamically translated messages.
- Promote or demote Virtual Agent LLM topics: Organize promoted LLM topics by assigning relative order values in the Promoted Skills [sys_cs_context_profile_promoted_skill] table.
- Topic Properties tab: Setup Topics will remain associated with an Assistant in the topic Properties tab.
- Topic creation form: Configure channels in LLM topics under Who can access this topic in the Advanced section of the Properties tab.
- New system property
- The com.glide.cs.field.boolean.show.choice_picker system property determines whether a Boolean node or a Dynamic Choice node with a single value displays to users whenever the Dynamic Choice node only has one single value associated.
- Conversational Analytics dashboard in Platform Analytics experience
- The Conversational Analytics dashboard in Platform Analytics experience now meets the compliance requirements of data regulated market environments, for example, Government Community Cloud (GCC). Platform Analytics provides a unified interface for visualizing multiple data sources. The dashboard contains indicators and breakdowns for rich visualizations and detailed analysis.
- Washington DC patch 4
- Beginning with Washington DC patch 4, the following features are available:
- Create a topic form: Associate LLM-enabled Topics, Setup topics, Topic blocks, Small talk topics, and Custom controls with the Now Assist in Virtual Agent LLM assistant.
- LLM topic testing: Provide feedback to the Now LLM using thumbs-up and thumbs-down controls when testing Text, Static choice list, Dynamic choice list, Boolean, Date time, and Carousel user inputs.
- Insert a header card in a Static Choice or Dynamic Choice control: Toggle the Header card switch in the Advanced properties section of the LLM-enabled Static choice list and Dynamic choice list user inputs, to add photos or YouTube videos.
- Genius Results in chat preview window: Genius Results for LLM topics show skill (topic) discovery, knowledge base (KB) articles, and catalog items in the Analyze test phrases tab of the chat preview window.
- Topic migration updates: On the topic migration workflow's Publish (optional) page, select the LLM topic link to be redirected to that topic in Virtual Agent Designer through a new browser tab or window. Any edits that you make in Virtual Agent Designer are reflected in the topic migration's Publish (optional) page after refreshing.
- Topic migration error log updates: New error messages were added to the topic migration workflow in Virtual Agent Designer and existing error messages were updated.
- NDS cards in Virtual Agent: Next Experience Design System (NDS) cards carousel now appears to requesters in the Virtual Agent whenever multiple results are found from a Genius Result. Feedback with thumbs up or thumbs down is possible on each NDS card.
- Proactive Triggers work with LLM topics: Proactive Triggers can be used with LLM topics if Now Assist in Virtual Agent is set up.
UI changes
- Virtual Agent Designer UI changes
- Various Virtual Agent Designer changes to support LLM topic discovery and Now Assist components.
- Differentiate user inputs versus bot response controls on the canvas with updates to their icons.
- Set up the ability to skip an input using the advanced option found under Hide or skip this node in user input controls. Select Skip in an NLU or LLM conversation, or input an utterance such as Skip this question in an LLM conversation.
- Conversationally filter a choice or choices from a Dynamic Choice list node in an LLM conversation by entering an utterance in the chat window instead of the search bar.
- Test LLM topics on the flow designer and main Virtual Agent Designer topics page using the new drop-down menu options, including testing in Now Assist panel and Microsoft Teams.
- Use the Components and Variables tabs on the Flow tab palette to view conversational controls and variables.
- Use the new Helpful resources tab on the Flow tab property sidebar to access Virtual Agent Designer product documentation, and get a guided tour and video links for LLM-enabled inputs.
- Use the new Promoted option in the Sort by drop-down list on the Topic page to sort LLM topics that have been promoted.
- Take a guided tour of LLM-enabled components offered by a dialog box that appears on the Flow tab canvas when you create or edit an LLM topic. Control settings for this dialog box using the LLM_INTRO_MODAL_ENABLED option in the Designer User Preferences [sys_cb_user_preference] table.
- Use the Topic actions icon
on each card in the topic page to promote topics associated with an LLM assistant, demote a promoted topic, or delete a topic. - Hover on the upper half of a card on the Topic page to read the description found in the topic's Properties tab, or hover on category tags on a card on the Topic page to see the full list of categories associated with that topic.
- Various controls: Advanced optional toggles on control property sheets show an enabled icon (
) when activated. - Update labels in the Virtual Agent Designer Properties tab so that both LLM and NLU topics have the same Topic description field label.
- Use the Internal name and Display name fields while creating or editing a topic since the Name field was removed. Internal name for topics, small talk topics, and setup topics reflects its business purpose. The value entered in the Internal name field displays on the Virtual Agent Designer Topics page and must be unique across the platform. The value entered in the Display name field displays to requesters when they interact with Virtual Agent. The display name must be unique for either NLU/Keywords or LLM model type.
Changed in this release
- Now Assist in Virtual Agent changes
- Improved flow and enhancements for the Now Assist in Virtual Agent guided setup:
- Assistants tab contains a list of each Virtual Agent and the ability to create new ones.
- Skills for each Virtual Agent can be activated or deactivated.
- A skill can be deactivated across the entire instance.
- Each Virtual Agent can be associated with a search profile other than the default Virtual Agent search profile.
- The chat experience has advanced configurations that can replace the default setting.
- Promoted topics can be defined in Virtual Agent Designer (VAD) and reordered within the setup.
- Web client public page default change
- Changed the public page defaults for new customers from Active is True to Active is False for the following pages:
- $sn-va-web-client-app
- sn_va_web_client_app_embed
- System property changes
- The following changes were made to improve the conversational catalog experience:
- glide.cs.runtime.max_silent_fields: The default value was changed from 150 to 600.
- glide.cs.runtime.user_input_max_length: The default value was changed from 10240 to 409600.
- Virtual Agent Designer user input controls
- The Additional instructions for LLM field was removed from all LLM-enabled user input controls in Virtual Agent Designer in Washington DC patch 1 and added back in Washington DC patch 3.
Removed in this release
- The What is the reason AI is collecting inputs from the user? field was removed from the Input Collector control in Virtual Agent Designer.
- The Topics category with the topic description was removed from the Prompt discovery tab in the Virtual Agent Designer chat preview window.
Activation information
Virtual Agent is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is available with activation of the Glide Virtual Agent plugin (com.glide.cs.chatbot), which requires a separate subscription. For details, see Activate Virtual Agent.
Note:
The Glide Virtual Agent plugin initially installs the Topic Recommendations and Conversational Analytics apps. Subsequent updates to these apps must be installed from the ServiceNow Store.
ServiceNow® Virtual Agent Lite is a subset of the Virtual Agent platform that is available to ServiceNow® IT Service Management (ITSM) customers. It doesn't require activation and works with ITSM Virtual Agent Lite conversations, which are also available to ITSM customers.
Additional requirements
Now Assist in Virtual Agent requires a license for at least one Now Assist product:
- Now Assist for Customer Service Management (CSM)
- Now Assist for HR Service Delivery (HRSD)
- Now Assist for IT Service Management (ITSM)
Browser requirements
Virtual Agent supports various browsers, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. For more information, see Browser support.
Localization information
The ServiceNow® Localization Framework is integrated in Virtual Agent.