SBA · SBA-20 · record R3179

Employee Center AI Search

Small Business Administration · OCIO: Office of the Chief Information Officer

Overview

Development stage: In development or acquisitionSource: a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not high impact: This AI system does not meet the criteria of any of the six pillars that make up High Impact AI in Memorandum M-25-21.
Start date: 2026-01-01 (day precision)Source: 01/01/2026 00:00:00
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Service Delivery
Operational functions: Search and knowledge retrieval Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

Manual processing and analysis is resource-intensive and may lack the speed and consistency needed for effective operations.

Expected benefits

Data-driven predictions, identification of patterns not visible through manual review, improved decision-making accuracy, and optimized resource allocation.

System outputs

AI Search is a non-generative search capability produced by ServiceNow in support of the Employee Center. AI Search application provides a search engine for ServiceNow® Employee Center. Intelligent query features help to quickly find answers.

Technology

AI classification: Generative AISource: Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
System name(s): ServiceNow
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not applicable - No custom code

Sourcing

How it was built: Purchased from vendorSource: a) Purchased from a vendor
Vendor (as reported): AI Search https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/washingtondc-platform-administration/page/administer/ai-search/concept/overview-ais.html
Vendors (standardized): ServiceNow

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not publicly available
Authorization to Operate: Yes
Demographic features: Not applicable - System does not involve individual-level decision-making
Training and evaluation data: Commercial vendor-managed training data. Specific training data sources are proprietary to the vendor.
Federal Data Catalog: Not applicable - Proprietary vendor training data

Governance

8 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingReported in progressSource: b) In-progress

AI impact assessmentReported in progressSource: b) In-progress

Independent reviewReported in progressSource: d) In-progress

Ongoing monitoringReported in progressSource: b) Development of monitoring protocols is in-progress

Operator trainingReported in progressSource: b) Establishment of sufficient and periodic training is in-progress

Fail-safeNot applicableSource: b) Not applicable

Appeal processReported in progressSource: c) Establishment of an appropriate appeal process is in-progress

User and public consultationReported in progressSource: Planning includes direct usability testing during pilot phase, establishment of feedback mechanisms, and consultation with end users and stakeholders throughout development.Flag: free-text answer

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Impact assessment in progress. Will include stakeholder consultation, testing protocols, and establishment of mitigation measures before deployment.