Exploring AI Search
Learn about AI Search features that enable you to provide consumer-grade search experiences for your users.
AI Search architecture
The AI Search index stores data from ServiceNow AI Platform® records or external sources and makes that data available for users to search in multiple applications. Search query features use ServiceNow AI Platform technologies to improve the search user experience.
AI Search configuration
Search administrators configure AI Search indexing and search settings in indexed sources, search sources, search profiles, and search application configurations.
Index searchable content from ServiceNow AI Platform tables and external sources
Make record content searchable by configuring an indexed source to add it to the AI Search index.
- Enable indexing for child tables of the source table.
- Configure indexing of source record tags, attachments, translated fields, and referenced fields.
- Map source table fields to AI Search index fields for ease of search.
The base system includes preconfigured indexed sources for Knowledge Base articles, Catalog Items, and user records. You can create your own indexed sources to index records from other ServiceNow AI Platform tables.
To learn more about configuring and using indexed sources for ServiceNow AI Platform table records, see Indexed sources in AI Search.
By activating the External Content for AI Search plugin (com.glide.ais.external_content), you can enable indexing and search for record content from external sources. Supported sources include SharePoint collections, Confluence sites, and remote tables. For more details, see Indexing and searching external content in AI Search.
Control access to searchable content using search sources
A search source defines a subset of indexed content that users can search using a search profile. Create search sources by applying filter conditions to content from indexed sources.
Search administrators link search sources to search profiles, enabling precise control of the content that users can search. For details on creating search sources, see Search sources in AI Search.
Define search experience settings in search profiles
Search profiles define search sources and settings for linguistic search query features. Each search profile represents an individual search experience that you want to offer users in a supported ServiceNow AI Platform® application.
- One or more search sources defining content that users can search using the profile.
- Dictionaries of synonyms, stop words, and typo handling auto-correction terms applied to searches using the profile.
- Genius Result configurations applied to searches using the profile.
- Result improvement rules applied to searches using the profile.
Search administrators create search profiles, link search sources to them, configure their settings, and publish them. For information on creating, configuring, and publishing search profiles, see Search profiles in AI Search.
Enable AI Search in supported ServiceNow AI Platform applications
Provide multiple search entry points across your organization by enabling AI Search as the search engine for search applications. The base system enables AI Search as the search engine for global and workspace search, Customer Service Management, Now Mobile, Service Portal, and Virtual Agent .
- Enable or disable typo handling auto-correction for search queries.
- Configure navigation tab and facet filters to enable users to refine search results.
- Limit the maximum number of search suggestions and Genius Result cards the application can display for a search.
- Limit the number of search results the application displays on each result page.
To learn more about configuring and enabling AI Search in supported ServiceNow AI Platform applications, see Search application configurations and Enabling and configuring AI Search in ServiceNow AI Platform applications.
Provide users with powerful and flexible search
AI Search includes search features that help users find the answers they need.
- Powerful query language
Query for indexed terms and phrases. Control query logic with Boolean operators. Match a range of indexed terms using wildcard operators.
For a complete guide to supported query language syntax and operators, see AI Search query language.
- Auto-complete search queries
Display suggestions in the input field as users compose their searches. Suggestions include recent and popular search queries and results as well as entries from the user's personal search history.
Auto-complete suggestions are linguistic features that search administrators configure in search application configurations. For more information on auto-complete suggestion type settings, see Configure an auto-complete suggestion type in an AI Search application configuration.
- Language-sensitive lemma and Unicode normalization of search query terms
Support natural language search by expanding search query terms to match alternate inflections and forms. AI Search supports language-specific lemma normalization for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, French - Canada, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, and Traditional Chinese. It supports Unicode normalization for content in all ServiceNow AI Platform® languages.
Lemma and Unicode normalization are linguistic features that don't require configuration. For more details on normalization behavior, see Lemma and Unicode normalization.
- Expand search query terms using configurable synonyms
Improve search recall by configuring language-specific dictionaries of terms with equivalent meanings or usage. When a search query includes any of these terms, AI Search expands it to include all equivalent terms, providing users with a more natural search experience.
Synonyms are linguistic features that search administrators configure in search profiles. For details on configuring synonyms and synonym dictionaries, see Synonyms. AI Search supports synonym dictionaries for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, French - Canada, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, and Traditional Chinese.
- Remove excessively frequent search terms using configurable stop words
Increase search precision by configuring language-specific dictionaries of frequently appearing terms that dilute search relevancy. AI Search removes these stop words from user search queries to exclude irrelevant results.
Stop words are linguistic features that search administrators configure in search profiles. For details on configuring stop words and stop word dictionaries, see Stop words. AI Search supports stop word dictionaries for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French - Canada, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.
- Auto-correct typos in search query terms
Automatically replace misspelled search query terms with spellings found in indexed content. Typo corrections are displayed above search results. Users can always choose to repeat the search with their original query terms.
Typo handling auto-correction is a linguistic feature that search administrators configure in search profiles. For details on controlling the set of available auto-correction terms, see Typo handling. AI Search supports derivation of auto-correction terms for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French - Canada, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.
Enable search result refinement filters
AI Search enables users to refine searches by filtering their results. Use navigation tabs to filter results by source, or select facets to apply filters dynamically generated from the result set.
- Filter results by source using navigation tabs
Display pre-defined categories that users can select to immediately exclude unwanted search results.
Search administrators configure navigation tabs in search application configurations. For details on available settings, see Configure navigation tabs in an AI Search application configuration.
- Filter results dynamically using facets
Display field value-based filter selections generated dynamically from the search query's result set. Users can select multiple facet values to narrow their area of focus. Facets only display when they produce results, so users never need to worry about dead ends.
Search administrators define facets in search application configurations. For details on creating and configuring facets, see Create a facet in an AI Search application configuration.
Display relevant and actionable search results
AI Search provides users with clear answers for their search queries.
- Hit highlighting
AI Search highlights search query terms that appear in search results. This highlighting enables users to see which query terms contributed to record matches.
- Display the most relevant results first with machine learning relevancy
AI Search orders search results in decreasing order of relevancy. Machine learning automatically tunes and improves search result relevancy scoring for each search profile based on aggregated user interaction data and A/B testing evaluations of live search traffic.
Machine learning relevancy is automatically enabled and not configurable, though search administrators can exclude specific search profiles from automatic relevancy-model updates. For more details on automatic relevancy score tuning, see Machine learning relevancy in AI Search.
- Display the best answers as actionable Genius Result cards
Configure Genius Results to analyze search query intent and put the best answers first. Search users can read a Knowledge article, view a user's profile or organization chart, or request a Catalog Item directly from a Genius Result answer card.
Search administrators can link Genius Results to search profiles, modify their settings, and create new configurations. To learn more about Genius Results configurations, see Genius Results.
- Boost, block, or promote search results
Define result improvement rules with configurable trigger conditions. A rule can boost search result relevancy based on the search query or user context, or can block or promote specific results for a particular search query.
Search administrators define result improvement rules in search profiles. For details on creating rules and configuring their boost, block, or promote actions, see Result improvement rules. AI Search supports result improvement rules for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, French - Canada, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, and Traditional Chinese search queries.
Content security in AI Search
When indexing records, AI Search preserves their ServiceNow AI Platform® security features. At query time, AI Search filters search query results and displays only records that the user can access.
For more information on how AI Search handles security features for ServiceNow AI Platform table records, see Content security in AI Search.
Internationalization support
AI Search supports indexing and search for all languages offered by the ServiceNow AI Platform®. Search administrators can configure AI Search search features for languages activated in your instance.
For full details on language support in AI Search search features, see Internationalization support for AI Search.
Search features
| Language | Search features supported |
|---|---|
| English | |
| Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, French - Canada, Italian, and Spanish | |
| German and Swedish |
|
| Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese |
|
| Korean |
|
All other ServiceNow AI Platform languages activated in your instance |
Translated content search
- Assign Knowledge article search languages by country
- Improve multilingual search recall by defining a set of Knowledge article search languages for each user country. User searches can match Knowledge articles in any of the search languages specified for their country as well as in the language associated with their ServiceNow AI Platform session.
- Configure globally searchable Knowledge articles
- Define an encoded query to match Knowledge articles that you want to make searchable regardless of the user's session language.
- Configure a fallback language
- Set a fallback language for the user's session language. AI Search returns translated content results from the selected fallback language as well as the user's session language.
- Enable a global fallback locale for translated content
- Configure a global fallback locale to use for all translated content searches. AI Search returns translated content results from the global fallback locale's language as well as the user's session language.Note:The global fallback locale works best if you want to make all English-language records globally searchable.
Use AI Search for global search and configurable workspace search in Next Experience
AI Search is the default search engine for Unified Navigation searches in Next Experience, including global search and configurable workspace search.
For details on AI Search for Next Experience, including configuration steps and a usage guide, see AI Search for Next Experience.
Deflect incidents in Service Portal with the AI Search Assist widget
Improve incident deflection for Service Portal users by displaying the most relevant search results within a record producer.
- An agent, working on an Incident record, can use AI Search Assist to find and attach Knowledge articles, order a catalog item on behalf of the caller, or search for an article and link it to a related incident or problem.
- A user, creating an Incident via the Service Portal, can see related Catalog Items that the user can order. The user can also view related Knowledge articles to help them resolve the issue on their own without involving the service desk operators.
- Incident record producers: Deflect incidents by helping end users resolve issues before they raise an incident.
- Incident forms: Help service desk staff resolve incidents quickly by providing relevant knowledge.
- Incident email notifications: Help end users resolve their incidents themselves without requiring manual intervention from service desk staff.
To learn more about configuring and using the AI Search Assist widget in Service Portal, see AI Search Assist record producer integration for Service Portal.