With Knowledge wrapped up for another year, it’s time to take stock. What were the main headlines again? (There were quite a few!) And what were the key takeaways for those in attendance?
From first-timers to veterans, and MVPs to partners, this year’s Knowledge attracted over 25,000 attendees from the global community, all coming together for ServiceNow’s flagship conference. So what did they make of it? Let’s find out, shall we…
The Big Reveals
Knowledge kicked off with Bill McDermott’s highly anticipated keynote, which raced through an extensive list of announcements – including the launch of Action Fabric and Otto, a major expansion of Autonomous Workforce, acquisition-driven security updates, and a bunch of new partnerships.
Any big-budget event is bound to face questions about style over substance, but did Knowledge get the balance right, and did everybody find value in ServiceNow’s larger than life updates? (Backstreet Boys puns very much intended!)
Solution Architect and MVP Ravi Gaurav saw a clear demonstration of how ServiceNow is “evolving from a workflow platform into an Enterprise AI Operating System”.
“The most impactful announcement for me was AI Control Tower because enterprises now need centralized governance for AI agents across platforms like AWS, Azure, SAP, Oracle, and Workday.”
Describing Knowledge as “a blast”, CTA and MVP Mahathi Veena said that the AI conversation at this year’s event “felt much more practical this time”, with vibe coding catching her attention, alongside conversations around the latest AI announcements.
“For me, it feels like we are moving into a space where AI is not just helping us do work faster, but becoming a meaningful part of how work happens. At the same time, as AI becomes more capable, trust, visibility and governance become just as important as innovation itself.”
Platform Architect and MVP Harneetsingh Sital recognized that while there’s inevitable work to do before customers will feel all the benefits, recent acquisitions show a strategic path forward.
“The announcements and current acquisitions are [going] in the right direction for making the platform the next AI ‘front door’ and making the current workflows more agentic. I personally feel the journeys to customers are still a bit away than what the world is seeing in ServiceNow, partially due to governance. The Moveworks, Armis, and Veza acquisitions are definitely making way for the agentic world in the next few years.”
The launch of Otto stood out for several attendees. Described by Platform Owner and MVP Atul Grover as a “game-changer”, Otto is the new kid on the block, harnessing Now Assist, Moveworks, and ServiceNow’s broader AI experience in one interface.
“ServiceNow Otto is shaping up to be a game-changer for businesses across industries.”
Atul Grover
Ravi shared these sentiments, describing Otto as a major highlight: “It feels like ServiceNow is building a unified AI front door where users can interact naturally and trigger end-to-end workflows across systems.”
For cybersecurity expert and MVP Nick Sessa, security was the name of the game; Nick described ServiceNow’s recent Armis acquisition and push into the operational technology (OT) space as “heavily underrated”.
“They’re on track to be a powerhouse for OT vulnerability response as the product matures. Beyond that, acquiring Armis has onboarded a ton of experts in the security space who understand the reality of customers using their tools. This makes a feedback loop that is only going to make all the SecOps products stronger over time.”
Top Sessions
With three packed days, attendees had some decisions to make. How many sessions could they squeeze into their agendas, and where did they see the most value? For some, it was hands-on workshops and in-person demos. For others, it was conversations and connections that had the most impact.
AI Control Tower
“The AI Control Tower and new AI-related subscription announcements are important milestones for the platform,” said Atul.
Ravi had the same view: “Sessions around AI Control Tower and Autonomous Workforce also stood out because they addressed a real enterprise challenge: how to manage AI safely, securely, and at scale.”
Now on Now
“It wasn’t a session, it was a Now on Now booth, and my interaction with the person was really amazing,” said Harneet. “I got a real in-depth understanding of how AI Control Tower works, the ins and outs of MCP servers, how agents are discovered, and pre-requisites to the implementation.”
CreatorCon
As a firm favorite on the Knowledge agenda every year, it’s no surprise that CreatorCon has been listed as a top highlight.
“CreatorCon was my favourite session for two reasons. First, it helps me understand what’s new and what’s coming next for developers and citizen developers. Second, seeing three MVPs on stage sharing their insights on AI and the community was truly inspiring.”
Atul Grover
Hackathon
For Mahathi, the hands-on Hackathon was another big highlight.
“We built Women Beyond Walls: Where Education Has No Walls around a simple idea – using technology to create more supportive, accessible, and empowering experiences for women. What made the experience stand out was how much we were able to do in just 8 hours. From brainstorming to building to pitching, everything moved very quickly, but there was a clear sense of direction throughout.
“We were also honored to receive an Honorable Mention for the project, which felt really rewarding after such an intense build.”
Top Takeaways
How about those lasting impressions and key takeaways beyond the buzz of the event – the lessons that will stick around long after the Backstreet Boys’ last song…
The Harmony of Humans and AI
For Mahathi, Harneet, and Ravi, consistently centering humans amidst the AI-infused announcements was a key part of ServiceNow’s messaging.
“My biggest takeaway from Knowledge 2026 was that while AI is changing how we build and work, people still shape the experience around it,” said Mahathi.
“ServiceNow is positioning itself as the neutral control layer connecting people, workflows, systems, and AI agents together,” said Ravi. “The future is not just AI assistants. It is autonomous AI specialists working alongside humans with enterprise controls in place.”
Harneet agreed: “Agentic workflows and autonomous agents are coming your way to help you focus on things that actually require human knowledge. How fast you adopt will define your success.”
Trust in AI Governance
Governance was another big theme for attendees, and something ServiceNow has been keen to weave into every announcement.
“My biggest takeaway is that governance will become more important than just AI capability itself. AI models are becoming commoditized, but orchestration, trust, governance, observability, and execution are becoming the real differentiators.
“The conference reinforced that the ServiceNow ecosystem is entering a completely new phase where AI, automation, architecture, and governance skills will become extremely valuable for architects, developers, and consultants.”
Ravi Gaurav
Nick shared similar feelings about the importance of governance and security, especially in relation to effective and efficient AI adoption.
“Security and governance are top of mind for all customers as they rapidly adopt AI. ServiceNow has positioned themselves to provide unique value to customers on this journey through AI control tower, Veza, and Armis all contributing to a single pane of glass view. I think there will be a renewed focus on platform security and foundational data quality in 2026 as customers start adopting more AI features.”
Catch Up With On-Demand Content
We appreciate that for most people in the ServiceNow ecosystem, an in-person trip to Las Vegas isn’t on the cards – depending on where you’re based, it’s a long way to go and a hefty price tag to boot.
Fortunately, many of the highlights are available on demand. Whether it’s the keynote’s big reveals or the top moments from CreatorCon, you can catch up here.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to Harneet, Ravi, Mahathi, Atul, and Nick for sharing their thoughts about Knowledge 2026. There certainly seemed to be a lot of excitement from the community. I’ll leave you with these parting words from Atul:
“It’s not too late to start your AI journey. Start small, don’t over plan, and celebrate small wins. AI is for everyone – this is the right time to learn and embrace it.”