Frequently asked questions Expand All Collapse All What is Context Engine and what problem does it solve?

Context Engine is the intelligence layer that helps AI agents understand what matters before taking action. It interprets intent, checks permissions and works across enterprise graphs to surface the precise business context for every decision. With Context Engine, AI actions are accurate, compliant and relevant, moving beyond simple retrieval toward trusted judgement at the moment of execution. 

How does Context Engine differ from retrieval augmented generation (RAG)?

RAG improves large language model (LLM) accuracy for question and answer by pulling from unstructured data like documents and knowledge bases. But enterprise AI needs more than question and answer. Autonomous decisions require structured data, historical context, identity, policies and workflow state, none of which RAG handles well. Context Engine expands that foundation across all of it, structured and unstructured, present and historical, so AI agents move from answering questions to taking precise autonomous action.

How does Context Engine support governance and explainable AI?

Context Engine captures every AI decision as a verifiable trace, creating a clear audit trail for governance and compliance. Each record explains what context was used, why an action was taken and whether policies were applied correctly, all to help you manage risk, meet regulatory requirements and confidently deploy AI in mission-critical processes. 

How does Context Engine work with enterprise data and systems?

Context Engine works across your existing systems without requiring a unified data lake. ServiceNow Workflow Data Fabric connects data from across systems without moving or duplicating it, giving Context Engine a live view of your business. Context Engine then uses that federated context—spanning identity, asset, knowledge and workflow data—to guide AI decisions with the full business picture at the moment of execution.