Artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage at Knowledge 2025, underscoring its growing importance across the business and technology landscape. This year’s theme, “Put AI to Work for People – Now,” captured both the urgency and opportunity surrounding AI adoption. The enthusiasm is warranted: AI is rapidly reshaping how organizations operate, driving efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage across every industry.

However, amid the excitement, a critical truth is often overshadowed – uncovering the full value of AI requires more than advanced models and compelling use cases. It requires a strong, modern IT foundation. Without the right infrastructure, data architecture, and governance in place, even the most promising AI initiatives can prove a challenge to adopt.

While it’s tempting to start with the destination, such as deploying generative AI (GenAI) for customer interactions or predictive analytics in IT, the journey must begin with foundational readiness. 

Building The Foundation

Our conversations with Knowledge 2025 attendees were focused on the path to transformative AI, where achieving outcomes starts with getting the digital underpinnings right. Organizations looking to realize AI’s potential with ServiceNow must first ensure their IT operations are robust, resilient, and ready for transformation.

Here’s what the foundation entails: 

• Modern IT Infrastructure: Cloud-first architectures and scalable platforms ensure that AI solutions can operate efficiently across the enterprise. 
• Mature IT Service Management (ITSM): A mature, well-optimized ITSM strategy—automating workflows, resolving issues quickly, and improving service delivery—is essential for embedding AI capabilities that enhance user experiences and operational responsiveness.
• Trustworthy Data Management: Clean, governed, and accessible data is the lifeblood of AI. Without trusted data sources, AI models cannot provide reliable insights or outcomes. 
• Integrated Enterprise Applications: AI thrives when it can connect dots across silos. That means ensuring applications—from CRM to HR to operations—are integrated and unified on a common platform.
• Process Automation: Early automation—like routing incoming service requests to the right agents or auto-generating knowledge base articles—lays the groundwork for more advanced AI capabilities by streamlining operations and reducing manual effort. 

By establishing this foundation within the ServiceNow ecosystem, organizations position themselves to not just deploy AI, but to scale it meaningfully. 

The State of Organizations Today

So, where are organizations currently on this journey? 

Many commercial and mid-market organizations are still struggling with the fundamentals of automation, let alone prepared to embrace AI at a mature level. If your company falls into this category, the good news is that you’re not alone – and you’re not late to the game- you just need a roadmap to  address these challenges. Let’s look at a few of the most common starting points: 

• Legacy or fragmented IT systems: Outdated or disjointed systems hinder automation and integration.
• Data Access & Integrity: Data often remains siloed, lacking proper governance, consistency, and visibility across the organization.
• Disconnected workflows: Inconsistent or isolated processes make it difficult to generate cohesive, enterprise-wide insights.
• Isolated AI experiments: While challenging, developing a clear path to AI readiness and a unified AI strategy can significantly differentiate your organization from the competition.

These conditions are typical in the early stages of AI readiness. The differentiator isn’t where organizations begin—it’s how they choose to move forward. 

Moving Toward the North Star

The ultimate goal is to become an intelligent, integrated organization powered by AI and automation across major business functions. Getting there requires deliberate and strategic action. 

Here are a few steps organizations can take now:

1. Assess Your Digital Maturity: Begin by auditing current ITSM processes, infrastructure, and data health to identify areas that need modernization.
2. Establish a Data Governance Framework: Create clear policies and ownership models for data integrity, access, and security.
3. Prioritize Use Cases with Tangible ROI: Start with AI initiatives that deliver measurable improvements—like predictive incident management or intelligent virtual agents.
4. Automate Before You AI: Use automation to reduce manual bottlenecks, which will amplify the impact of AI when introduced.
5. Foster a Culture of AI Readiness: Upskill teams, encourage innovation, and develop a governance model for ethical and effective AI use.

Partner with Navisite, Part of Accenture

Navigating the AI journey isn’t something organizations need to tackle alone. Navisite, Part of Accenture, brings deep ServiceNow expertise, cross-industry experience, and a track record of driving transformational outcomes.

Reading to assess your AI readiness? Contact us today to get your free strategy session booked.