ServiceNow Knowledge + IBM Think 2025: What CIOs Need to Know Now
ServiceNow Knowledge and IBM Think 2025 kicked off this week with similar themes for CIOs. Both events focused on their agentic AI solutions and platforms. Here is the breakdown.
ServiceNow Knowledge 2025
ServiceNow unveiled the following:
New AI Platform and AI Control Tower: AI Control Tower is a centralized hub for managing and governing AI agents, models, and workflows, simplifying deployment while ensuring compliance and security.
New CRM System: ServiceNow discussed its customer relationship management (CRM) system. Infused with AI, this platform automates workflows and enhances customer-facing processes, signaling a broader play in the enterprise software market.
Partnerships with UKG and NVIDIA: Strategic alliances were a big focus. The collaboration with UKG, a human capital management leader, hints at AI-driven HR and workforce management innovations. Meanwhile, partnering with NVIDIA, an AI hardware and software powerhouse, suggests a boost in AI performance, leveraging cutting-edge tech for enterprise needs.
ServiceNow University: To round out the announcements, ServiceNow introduced an educational initiative: ServiceNow University. This program aims to upskill workforces in AI and automation, addressing the growing demand for tech-savvy employees.
IBM Think 2025
IBM's announcements focused on enhancing its Watsonx platform, particularly Watsonx Orchestrate, with new capabilities that simplify AI agent creation, deployment, and management.
As you will see below, the themes are similar to ServiceNow Knowledge.
New tools for agent integration, customization, and deployment: IBM provides resources that allow businesses to build their agents, with options for both no-code and pro-code development, some in under five minutes.
Pre-built domain-specific agents: To accelerate adoption, IBM offers agents tailored for specific functions like HR, sales, and procurement.
Wide-Ranging Integration: The platform will connect with more than 80 popular business applications from major providers like Adobe, AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, and Workday, making it easy to integrate with existing systems.
Smarter Agent Management: New tools will help teams manage and coordinate multiple AI agents working on complex tasks. You'll also be able to track how each agent performs, ensure proper oversight, and monitor their fulllifecycle from start to finish.
Agent Catalog: A new centralized hub, the Agent Catalog in Watsonx Orchestrate, will provide access to over 150 agents and pre-built tools from IBM and partners such as Box, MasterCard, and Salesforce.
What's Next for CIOs
CIOs must actively manage agentic AI agents across disparate systems, and every vendor is competing fiercely to become the centralized platform of choice. When deployed correctly, these platforms give CIOs the necessary visibility to ensure AI agents operate ethically, securely, and comply with regulations.
Vendors will announce partnerships rapidly, each pushing interoperability and seamless integration as a core narrative. That's not a competitive advantage—it's table stakes. Now is the time for CIOs to lead their teams in building the skills required to deploy thoughtful agents that genuinely improve the customer experience.