ServiceNow launches AI Passport to govern enterprise AI agents
ServiceNow announced on October 15, 2026 that it is adding AI Passport, a cryptographically signed credential that defines an AI agent's identity, permitted actions, accessible systems and accountable owner, issued through its AI Control Tower governance platform and checked as work executes; Nvidia is a design and launch partner, linking AI Passport with its Open Agent Safety Platform, including the OpenShell secure runtime and Sentry security framework. ServiceNow says AI Passport draws on its configuration management database, governance policies and workflow approvals to set limits, and supports pausing, restricting or deactivating an agent; AI Control Tower also adds shadow AI detection, more than 400 vendor connectors and cost tracking, while EmployeeWorks gains a third-generation AI harness, Productivity Assistants and Routines, ToolSmith and a Conversations API. AI Passport, shadow AI detection and AI Cost Management are slated for later this quarter, Operational Resilience for financial services is available now, and the new EmployeeWorks features are in controlled availability; pricing combines seat-based licenses with bundled AI credits called assists.
For enterprises to actually deploy autonomous agents, enforceable permission credentials and cross-vendor governance are becoming a prerequisite.