Lilly Tech Systems
Advanced
AI Search
Implement enterprise-grade search with semantic understanding, federated data sources, personalized results, and AI-generated answers.
What is AI Search?
AI Search is ServiceNow's next-generation search engine that goes beyond keyword matching. It uses semantic understanding to interpret user intent, searches across federated data sources, and delivers personalized results with AI-generated answer summaries.
Beyond keywords: AI Search understands that "laptop won't turn on" and "computer not booting" mean the same thing. This semantic understanding dramatically improves search result relevance compared to traditional keyword search.
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Semantic search | Understand meaning and intent, not just keywords, for better result relevance |
| AI-generated answers | Synthesize answers from multiple knowledge articles into concise responses |
| Federated search | Search across ServiceNow, SharePoint, Confluence, and other knowledge sources |
| Personalization | Rank results based on user role, department, location, and search history |
| Search analytics | Track search effectiveness, zero-result queries, and knowledge gaps |
Federated Data Sources
- ServiceNow knowledge base: Primary search index with article quality scoring
- Microsoft 365: SharePoint sites, OneDrive documents, Teams messages
- Confluence: Atlassian wiki pages and spaces
- Custom crawlers: Index any website or document repository with web crawlers
- Service catalog: Include catalog items and request forms in search results
Search Configuration
- Search profiles: Define different search experiences for employees, agents, and customers
- Result grouping: Organize results by source, category, or record type
- Boosting rules: Promote specific content types or sources based on context
- Synonyms: Define custom synonym mappings for your organization's terminology
- Access control: Results respect ServiceNow ACLs — users only see what they have access to
Key takeaway: AI Search transforms knowledge discovery by understanding intent rather than just matching keywords. Combined with federated sources and AI-generated answers, it becomes the single entry point for employees and agents to find information across the enterprise.