George
George and Now Assist: how they differ and fit together.
Now Assist is ServiceNow’s built-in generative AI. George is a separate AI colleague from GlydePath that works inside ServiceNow from outside it. They do different jobs, and many teams will want both. This page sets out the differences plainly, including where Now Assist is the better fit.
Last reviewed 11 November 2026. Figures are stated in AUD where they are money.
The short answer
- Now Assist adds AI features to ServiceNow products you license from ServiceNow, such as summaries, search and the virtual agent.
- George carries out multi-step work as a colleague: triage, knowledge, catalog builds, CMDB review, CSDM design and development, with a person approving changes.
- They are not alternatives for the same job. George is designed to work next to Now Assist, not instead of it.
Side by side
Statements about Now Assist are taken from ServiceNow’s documentation and community pages listed under Sources. Features and licensing change, so confirm with ServiceNow.
| ServiceNow Now Assist | George | |
|---|---|---|
| Provided by | ServiceNow. It is a product family within the ServiceNow platform. | GlydePath Consulting Pty Ltd, as a service on top of a customer’s ServiceNow. |
| Where it runs | Inside the ServiceNow platform, using ServiceNow’s AI services. | As a separate service on AWS in Sydney that reaches into the customer’s ServiceNow instance over OAuth. |
| How it is licensed | Sold by ServiceNow, for example as part of ITSM Pro Plus or Enterprise Plus packages, and metered in “Assists”. | A separate GlydePath service. It is not part of a ServiceNow SKU. |
| What it covers | Built-in AI features across ServiceNow products, such as the Now Assist panel, AI Search and Virtual Agent, and summarisation of cases and incidents. | Multi-step work across five roles: service desk analyst, catalog designer, CMDB manager, CSDM architect and ServiceNow developer. |
| Who it acts as | Works within the user’s session in the product the feature belongs to. | In chat, the signed-in person, using their own credential, so ServiceNow access rules decide the result. Autonomous work uses integration users. |
| Building and changing configuration | Mostly assists and generates content inside the product; custom skills can be built with ServiceNow’s tooling. | Builds catalog items, flows, actions and stories on development instances. Changes reach UAT only as update sets, and George does not change production configuration. |
| Approval | Depends on the feature and how the customer configures it. | A person approves changes before they are saved. The default mode shows a confirm card for every write. |
| Channels | Inside ServiceNow interfaces. | A web console, a ServiceNow portal widget, Microsoft Teams, and the ServiceNow integration queue. |
| AI models | ServiceNow’s own NowLLM by default. ServiceNow documents that other models can be used for many out-of-the-box skills. | Model-agnostic through one gateway: Claude (directly and through Amazon Bedrock), OpenAI, Gemini and others, chosen per organisation, with an option to bring your own key. |
| Availability by environment | ServiceNow documents that some Now Assist features are not available in every environment, for example Australian IRAP-Protected data centres, in-country SKUs and regulated markets. Check with ServiceNow. | Runs on AWS in Sydney. ISO/IEC 27001 certification is on the roadmap for early 2027. |
When Now Assist is the better fit
- You already license the relevant ServiceNow package and want AI features inside the screens people already use.
- You want summaries, AI Search and a virtual agent that ServiceNow supports and upgrades with the platform.
- You need everything to stay within ServiceNow’s own platform boundary.
When George is the better fit
- You want an AI colleague that does multi-step work, such as building a catalog item or reviewing the CMDB, not only content inside one screen.
- You want changes built on development instances and approved by a person before they are saved.
- You want to work in Teams, a web console or your portal, with the person’s own ServiceNow access deciding what is seen.
- You want to choose the AI model and keep control of cost with caps per person and per organisation.
- You do not want to depend on a particular ServiceNow AI package to get started.
Using both
- George includes a skill for configuring ServiceNow’s generative AI features, including AI Search.
- George’s production-capable operations refuse to write to ServiceNow AI-product tables, so George does not alter Now Assist’s own configuration data.
- When George is introduced, we check what is already installed, such as AI Search, Predictive Intelligence and Now Assist, and position George next to it.
Questions to ask of any AI for ServiceNow
- Who does it act as: a shared service account, or the signed-in person?
- Who approves changes, and can it change production?
- Where is data processed, and which models are used?
- What does it log, and who can read the log?
- How is cost capped, per person and per organisation?
- Which ServiceNow licences, packages or roles does it depend on?
- What assurance does the provider hold today, and what is on its roadmap?
George’s answers to these are in the technical specification and the FAQ.
Sources for Now Assist statements
More about George
George is a service from GlydePath Consulting Pty Ltd. ServiceNow and Now Assist are trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. GlydePath is not affiliated with or endorsed by ServiceNow.