ServiceNow, recognized as the AI control tower for business transformation, introduced a suite of advanced data capabilities designed to activate autonomous AI through live, governed enterprise intelligence. Announced at the company’s annual Knowledge 2026 event, these innovations aim to eliminate the systemic data fragmentation that has historically stifled AI potential, providing the real-time execution and rigorous oversight necessary for autonomous agents to operate at scale.
We all know that a lot of big business AI programs get lost because of isolated data and lack of control where it really matters, but ServiceNow is doing a great job of changing the whole thing. With Context Engine and Autonomous Data Analytics, ServiceNow is basically allowing AI to have access to a broad spectrum of enterprise signalsfrom assets and workflows to the operational history and organizational policies. This semantic layer not only links the CMDB with external systems but also guarantees that each AI decision has operational context in real time.
“The enterprises winning the AI race are bringing trusted, contextual data directly into the workflows that run the business, giving teams and AI the insights to act with confidence,” said Gaurav Rewari, executive vice president and general manager, Data and Analytics Products at ServiceNow. “That’s what ServiceNow is: the platform where insight meets every workflow, every transaction, every decision, and each one compounds the intelligence that drives the next.”
Also Read: SAP to Acquire Dremio to Accelerate Agentic AI with Unified Data Platform
Engineering Intelligence for the Agentic Era
The Context Engine serves as the foundational intelligence layer, mapping every asset, service, and policy across an organization. This allows AI to move beyond simple recommendations toward full workflow execution. Complementing this is a new vision for Autonomous Data Analytics. Leveraging technology from the recent acquisition of Pyramid Analytics, the system allows users and AI agents to query the entire data estate using natural language to retrieve secure, contextual insights instantly.
To bridge the gap between advice and resolution, ServiceNow launched three interconnected pillars:
- Autonomous Data Governance: This system provides continuous monitoring of the data estate, automatically flagging quality violations and enforcing privacy standards to ensure AI-ready data.
- Workflow Data Fabric with ServiceNow Otto: This feature offers a natural language interface that guides users through the creation of governed data assets.
- ServiceNow Data Catalog: This tool provides end-to-end visibility via automated discovery and lineage tracking, integrating seamlessly with existing enterprise catalogs to provide a unified view of data without requiring a “rip-and-replace” approach.
High-Performance Execution via RaptorDB Pro
To meet the rigorous demands of agentic workloads, ServiceNow is expanding the capabilities of its native high-performance database, RaptorDB Pro. The new Live Perform feature scales analytical processing, while Live Connect allows partners like Pyramid Analytics to access operational data directly, eliminating the need for complex data pipelines. Additionally, Live Archive enables the simultaneous querying of historical and live data from cost-optimized storage.
This execution layer is further bolstered by the Workflow Data Network, an ecosystem that includes partners specialized in data security and observability. Through the new Partner Passport program, customers can utilize existing Data Fabric credits to access solutions from partners like IBM and Boomi under a single agreement.
Bridging the Agent Governance Gap
As AI agents increasingly connect to external services and data sources, a new governance risk has emerged. ServiceNow is addressing this with the ServiceNow MCP Registry, a private repository for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. This registry ensures that agents only connect to vetted, approved services, mirroring the strict access controls typically applied to human employees. Early partners for the MCP Registry include GitHub, Box, and Zoom.
Industry Validation
Leading global organizations are already realizing the benefits of ServiceNow’s data-centric approach:
PayPal “This wasn’t simply a database migration; it was a foundational step in enabling confident, performance-oriented scale and winning back the trust and investment of our business partners,” said Matthew Kritzer, principal platform architect at PayPal. “As a company that moves more than a trillion of dollars in payment volume annually, the ServiceNow AI Platform must be as fast and resilient as the business itself. Today, we’re running Case Management, Cloud Discovery, SecOps, and Now Assist at a scale we once only imagined. Database tasks are twice as fast, and our longest-running operations are five times faster. ServiceNow has become a key part of our enterprise AI and Automation strategy.”
Zespri “For us, the value of the ServiceNow Platform and its AI capabilities is about how people work, not replacing core business systems,” said Tim Lloyd, head of digital operations at Zespri. “It is the digital workflow layer across our ERP and operational platforms and with Workflow Data Fabric, we can connect and act on data across those systems in real time, helping employees collaborate, automate tasks, and resolve issues faster. That focus on employee experience and execution efficiency is delivering real operational benefits across our global business.”
