AI Search release notes
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Summary of AI Search release notes
The AI Search application on the ServiceNow AI Platform offers a consumer-grade, enhanced search experience. The Xanadu release introduces improvements to search recall, precision, UI, and semantic search capabilities, enabling users to find relevant information faster and more accurately across various data sources.
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Key Features
- Expanded Content Indexing: AI Search now indexes knowledge block content within knowledge articles, improving search recall. After upgrading to Xanadu Patch 3, administrators must reindex all relevant sources to activate this feature.
- NLQ Genius Results for Multiple CMDB Tables: Search queries that match multiple CMDB tables present drop-down lists to select specific tables for more precise results.
- Japanese Middle Dot (Nakaguro) Support: Search precision is improved for Japanese phrases containing the nakaguro character, preserving term separation during indexing and querying.
- Semantic Search Enhancements: Xanadu Patch 9 introduces support for custom and third-party embedding models via the AI Search RAG application, resulting in more accurate semantic search outcomes.
- Improved User Interface: Service Portal and Virtual Agent display multiple Genius Result answer cards in a carousel format, allowing easier navigation through actionable answers while keeping regular search results accessible.
- Localization of Facet Filters: Facet refinement filters now display in the search user’s language using available translations, enhancing usability for international users.
- Security and Ranking: Late binding security preserves correct click rank signals by accurately reflecting accessible results after security filtering.
Upgrade and Activation Notes
- To fully enable new features after upgrading to Xanadu, perform reindexing of knowledge sources and update the AI Search for Next Experience application to version 4 or later, including applying specific update sets.
- AI Search is enabled by default on the ServiceNow AI Platform but does not support Internet Explorer browsers.
Deprecations
The External Content Q&A Genius Results feature is planned for future deprecation starting with Now Assist in AI Search 8.0 but remains supported currently.
Related Applications
- Advanced AI Search Management Tools: Provides dashboards, reports, and a Search Preview UI for administrators to monitor and test search configurations and security filters.
- Now Assist in AI Search: Combines search with the Now LLM Service to deliver AI-generated answers from Knowledge articles.
- Knowledge Management: Activating the Knowledge Management Advanced plugin enables FAQ content to be returned as Q&A Genius Result answers.
The ServiceNow® AI Search application provides a consumer-grade search experience for ServiceNow AI Platform® users. AI Search was enhanced and updated in the Xanadu release.
AI Search highlights for the Xanadu release
Xanadu Patch 3:
- Expand search recall by indexing content from knowledge blocks.
Xanadu:
- Surface information across multiple CMDB tables with NLQ Genius Results.
- Increase search precision for Japanese phrases that include nakaguro (中黒, middle dot) characters.
- Scroll through multiple Genius Result answer cards in a carousel to select the most actionable answer for your question.
See AI Search for more information.
Important information for upgrading AI Search to Xanadu
Xanadu Patch 3:
- After you upgrade to Xanadu Patch 3 from an earlier release, make knowledge block content searchable by reindexing all your indexed sources that include knowledge articles. For details on reindexing, see Perform a full table index or reindex for a single AI Search indexed source or Perform a full table index or reindex for multiple AI Search indexed sources.
Xanadu:
After you upgrade to Xanadu from an earlier release, perform the following steps to add the Dashboards, data visualizations, and KPIs navigation tabs to global search results in AI Search for Next Experience:
- Update the AI Search for Next Experience ServiceNow Store application to version 4 or later. For update instructions, see Install an update to a ServiceNow Store application.
- Commit the update set provided in the AI Search for Next Experience 4.0 PAR tables update sets (KB1644544) article in the Now Support Knowledge Base. To learn more about update sets, see System update sets.
New in the Xanadu release
- (Xanadu Patch 9) Improve semantic search with third-party embedding models
- Use custom and third-party embedding models supported by the AI Search RAG application to generate more accurate and relevant semantic search results.
- (Xanadu Patch 3) Knowledge block content indexing
- When you index knowledge articles for search, AI Search now includes content from knowledge blocks to improve search recall.
- NLQ Genius Results support searching for multiple CMDB tables
- When your search includes terms that could match multiple CMDB tables, NLQ Genius Result answers display a drop-down list of potential CMDB table matches for each affected term. Use these drop-down lists to select the CMDB tables that you want to surface information for.
- Middle dot support for Japanese
- Increase search precision for Japanese phrases that include nakaguro (中黒, middle dot) characters. When indexing Japanese text or searching in Japanese, AI Search preserves individual terms separated by a nakaguro instead of merging them into a single term.
UI changes
- Service Portal and Virtual Agent display Genius Result answer cards in a carousel
- When a search returns multiple Genius Result answers, Service Portal and Virtual Agent display Genius Result answer cards in a carousel instead of a list. The modified UI lets you scroll through multiple Genius Result answers while keeping your search query's regular results more accessible on the results screen.
Changed in this release
- Facets display refinement filters in the search user's language
- When displaying reference field values as facet refinement filters, AI Search uses field value translations for the search user's language if available. If no translations are available for the user's language, AI Search uses translations for the system language.
- Late binding security implementation preserves correct click rank search signals
- When late binding security removes inaccessible results, click rank search signals correctly reflect the final result ordering.
Deprecations
Starting with the Now Assist in AI Search 8.0 release, the External Content Q&A Genius Results feature is being prepared for future deprecation. It will continue to be supported until it is deprecated. For details, see the Deprecation Process [KB0867184] article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.
Activation information
AI Search is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default.
Browser requirements
AI Search doesn’t support Internet Explorer.
Localization information
AI Search supports international languages. For details of language support by feature, see Internationalization support for AI Search.