ServiceNow Is Putting Up a New Tollgate for AI Agents

<p>The number of software tollgates is expanding.</p><p>ServiceNow on Monday joined firms such as <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/applied-ai/parasites-saasquatch-salesforce-workday-leaders-take-swipes-ai-rivals">HubSpot and Workday</a> in detailing plans to charge customers that use AI agents to tap data in its apps. During its financial analyst day in Las Vegas, the company unveiled “Action Fabric”, a new layer—effectively a tollgate—that AI agents will have to go through to interact with data in their ServiceNow apps.&nbsp;</p><p>COO Amit Zavery said the company will measure how often customers access the Action Fabric, “meter” that usage, and charge customers for it. The charge is essentially a tax on customers using outside AI agents to interact with their data in ServiceNow’s apps, JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy said in a note to investors. The move is likely to fuel a growing debate about whether software tollgates will help or hinder software firms’ competitiveness long term.</p>