ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott: 90% of firms blind to AI agents

ServiceNow used the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference to frame enterprise AI as a governance problem, not just a capability problem. CEO Bill McDermott drew a sharp line between consumer AI use and enterprise adoption, arguing that companies must manage identity, security, workflows and auditability across complex organizations. Central to that pitch is ServiceNow's configuration management database and context engine.

That framing sets up the company's competitive argument. McDermott said companies deploying disconnected tools face visibility, integration and maintenance challenges, and he cited a figure that 90% of organizations lack visibility into agents in their environments — whether enterprise-provided or employee-provided. He added that isolated AI applications may answer narrow questions but cannot coordinate cross-functional activities in areas like product development, supply chains, sales, fulfillment and customer service.

The stakes for ServiceNow hinge on whether its security expansion through Armis and Veza can translate that argument into unified security operations, identity, asset management and operational technology for customers. The company is pairing the pitch with growth numbers: it says its AI business has grown ninefold in nine months, while agents have generated $1 billion in value and eliminated about 2.5 million hours of employee work.