Day One Ready: What New Engineers Actually Need to Know About AI | Engineering Now Unlocked

Starting your first engineering role — or coming back for a return offer — and wondering what AI actually changes about the job? This episode gives you the real answer, from two engineers living it every day.

Jordan Shelton and Cynthia Mathenge sit down with Ian Thurlow (Senior Manager, Data Platform Software Engineering) and Andrew Yan (Software Engineer, Data Foundations) to talk about what day one looks like now, what AI tools actually do for early-career engineers, and what fundamentals still separate good engineers from great ones. If you’re about to start an internship, just got your return offer, or you’re a manager thinking about how to set new engineers up for success — this is the conversation you need before day one.

What you’ll learn
✔ What AI actually changes about day-to-day engineering work (and what it doesn’t)
✔ Why the fundamentals matter more than ever — not less
✔ How to build a network at a company like ServiceNow, even if you start remotely
✔ How to use AI as a sounding board, not a crutch

Chapters
00:00 Introduction — Engineering Now Unlocked
02:08 Meet Ian Thurlow and Andrew Yan
03:03 How AI is changing day-to-day engineering work
04:47 AI as an accelerator, not a replacement
09:04 AI as a sounding board
12:38 Leadership mindset in an AI-first team
13:46 Raising the bar for early-in-career talent 1
5:41 What your first 30 days should look like
17:43 This or That
19:16 Code reviews: the fastest way to learn that nobody talks about
20:57 Building your network — even fully remote
24:24 Ian and Andrew’s Work Advice
27:43 Outro

Guests
Ian Thurlow Senior Manager, Data Platform Software Engineering — ServiceNow
Andrew Yan Software Engineer, Data Foundations — ServiceNow

Hosts
Jorden Shelton Technical Program Manager, AI Engineering & Delivery — ServiceNow
Cynthia Mathenge Business Operations Manager, AI Engineering & Delivery — ServiceNow
Bobby Brill ServiceNow Insights

Links & Resources Learn more about ServiceNow Engineering → https://www.servicenow.com/company/careers/engineering.html

ServiceNow Docs → https://docs.servicenow.com

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Voice AI agent evaluation — why it's fundamentally harder than text, how cascade failures derail conversations invisibly, and ServiceNow's open-source framework to establish industry evaluation standards. Featuring real audio examples showing authentication failures, leaked reasoning, and latency problems.

WHAT WE COVER

TARA BOGAVELLI — Research Engineer, ServiceNow
Leading the open-source voice agent evaluation framework. Explains why existing benchmarks don't measure what matters and what ServiceNow is releasing to establish industry standards.

KATRINA STANKIEWICZ — Staff Machine Learning Engineer, ServiceNow
Cascade model architecture expert. Breaks down STT → LLM → TTS failure modes, named entity transcription challenges, and real audio example analysis.

GABRIELLE GAUTHIER MELANÇON — Staff Applied Research Scientist, ServiceNow
Multi-language evaluation specialist. Reveals why Large Audio Language Models lag behind, the native speaker requirement, and bot-to-bot simulation methodology.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction — The evaluation gap
1:11 ServiceNow's Open-Source Framework Announcement — Tara Bogavelli
2:43 Meet the Researchers
3:43 Voice-Specific Challenges — Tara Bogavelli
5:03 Cascade Architecture: STT → LLM → TTS — Katrina Stankiewicz
7:57 The Named Entity Problem — Katrina Stankiewicz
10:06 Evaluation Metrics: Accuracy vs Experience — Gabrielle Gauthier Melançon
11:23 Bot-to-Bot Testing at Scale — Gabrielle Gauthier Melançon
14:30 The LALM Gap: Why Audio AI Judges Struggle — Tara Bogavelli
16:57 Real Audio Example: Flight Rebooking Gone Wrong
21:58 Breaking Down the Failures — Katrina Stankiewicz 28:30 Wrap-Up & Resources

KEY INSIGHTS

The Cascade Failure Problem: STT → LLM → TTS errors propagate invisibly Named Entity Transcription: The #1 enterprise blocker—names, confirmation codes, emails break authentication Accuracy vs Experience: Perfect task completion means nothing if users hang up due to poor experience LALM Gap: Large Audio Language Models lag behind text LLMs—human evaluators remain essential Latency Kills Conversations: Five-second pauses make users think the call dropped, breaking the experience even when tasks complete Open-Source Framework: ServiceNow releasing evaluation tools, metrics, and bot-to-bot simulation methodology for the industry.

LEARN MORE

Website: https://servicenow.github.io/eva/ GitHub:
https://github.com/servicenow/eva Blog Post:
https://huggingface.co/blog/ServiceNow-AI/eva Dataset: https://huggingface.co/datasets/ServiceNow-AI/eva

ABOUT

Hosted by Bobby Brill. ServiceNow Insights podcast explores AI research, real-world applications, and the people building the future of work. #VoiceAI #AIEvaluation #ServiceNow #MachineLearning #OpenSource #ConversationalAI #STT #TTS #LLM #VoiceAgents #AIResearch #Podcast

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AI governance at scale — what it means, how to do it, and what regulations you need to know now. Host Bobby Brill brings together five ServiceNow experts across two conversations for a complete 20-minute briefing on governing AI in the enterprise.

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WHAT WE COVER
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RAVI KRISHNAMURTHY — VP, AI Platform, ServiceNow
Why hidden AI is one of the biggest unmanaged risks in the enterprise — and why governance is an accelerator, not a brake.

PETER WEIGT — Responsible AI, ServiceNow
The innovation paradox: how AI Control Tower makes governance a team sport and breaks down the silos that slow AI deployment down.

SAMPADA CHAVAN — AI Control Tower, ServiceNow
How AI Control Tower was built, what the discovery problem really looks like, and why compliance must be baked into the AI lifecycle — not bolted on at the end.

ANDREA LAFOUNTAIN — AI Legal, ServiceNow
The three regulatory frameworks every enterprise needs to know: EU AI Act, Colorado AI Act, and NIST. Plus: the compliance strategy that scales across all of them.

NAVDEEP GILL — Responsible AI, ServiceNow
The math on enterprise AI compliance — why it's exponential — and how AI Control Tower's automated discovery keeps you ahead of it.

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Introduction
1:23 The Hidden AI Problem — Ravi Krishnamurthy & Sampada Chavan
5:33 AI Control Tower in Practice — Peter Weigt & Sampada Chavan
7:37 The Regulatory Landscape — Andrea LaFountain & Navdeep Gill
14:38 Compliance in Action & Key Deadlines
17:05 Wrap-Up

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KEY DATES TO KNOW
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EU AI Act enforcement: August 2026
Colorado AI Act enforcement: June 2026
NIST AI RMF: Voluntary framework, increasingly referenced by regulators

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LEARN MORE
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ServiceNow AI Control Tower: https://www.servicenow.com
NIST AI Risk Management Framework: https://www.nist.gov/artificial-intelligence

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST
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Hosted by Bobby Brill. A ServiceNow podcast exploring the people, technology, and ideas shaping the future of work.

#AIGovernance #ServiceNow #AIControlTower #ResponsibleAI #EUAIAct #EnterpriseAI #AICompliance #FutureOfWork #NowAssist #Podcast

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What is Agentic AI — and what can it actually do for your business? In this episode of the podcast, host Bobby Brill brings together three conversations with the people building Agentic AI at ServiceNow into one 20-minute briefing.

Whether you're leading a team, managing a platform, or just trying to understand what your company is investing in - this episode gives you the full picture.

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WHAT WE COVER

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RITA CASTILLO — VP of Design, Platform & AI

The clearest explainer of Agentic AI you'll find. Rita walks through the full evolution from scripted automation to agentic systems, what makes agentic different, and how the orchestrator-and-agent hierarchy works at ServiceNow.

AMRUTHA RAMESH — Visiting Researcher, ServiceNow

Amrutha built Agent Ada — a real AI agent designed to turn enterprise data into actionable insights. She explains how Ada understands your goal, adapts to who's asking, and delivers analysis your team can actually use.

ISSAM LARADJI & ANITHA RAGHAVAN — Research Scientist & Product Manager, ServiceNow

How do you know if your AI's insights are trustworthy? Issam and Anitha built InsightBench — a benchmark that uses AI to evaluate AI — to answer exactly that question.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction
1:30 What Is Agentic AI? — Rita Castillo, VP of AI Design
6:00 How Agents Work as a Team
10:30 Meet Agent Ada — Amrutha Ramesh, Visiting Researcher
16:00 Can You Trust Your AI? — Issam Laradji & Anitha Raghavan
21:30 Wrap-Up

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GUESTS

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Rita Castillo — VP, AI Design at ServiceNow

Amrutha Ramesh — Visiting Researcher, ServiceNow

Issam Laradji — Research Scientist, ServiceNow

Anitha Raghavan — Product Manager, ServiceNow

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LEARN MORE

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ServiceNow Agentic AI: https://www.servicenow.com

More episodes:

Narrative Analytics with Agent Ada: https://youtu.be/k1P9o2glq90

InsightBench & AgentPoirot: https://youtu.be/0_ikQQ82qAk

Understanding Agentic AI with Rita Castillo: https://youtu.be/JyFdcQChYLs

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST

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Hosted by Bobby Brill. ServiceNow INsights podcast explores the people, technology, and ideas shaping the future of work.

#AgenticAI #ServiceNow #AIAgents #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #EnterpriseAI #DataAnalytics #NowAssist #MachineLearning #Podcast

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Your dashboards show you what's happening. Process mining shows you why — and what to do about it. In this episode, Bobby Brill sits down with Dan Grady to demystify process mining: what it is, how it works within the ServiceNow platform, and why organizations using it are uncovering years of hidden inefficiency they never knew existed.

Dan walks through real customer stories — from a double approval process for printer toner that was costing 2 days per request to a single form-field change that saved 7 years of manual work per month — and explains how process mining moves you from raw data to actionable insight faster than any traditional approach.

Dan Grady has a technology career that spans over 25 years. The last 10 spent at ServiceNow. In his current role as Director of Product Management, he is focused on helping customers identify process improvement opportunities through the use of ServiceNow's Process and Task Mining solution. Outside of the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 girls, public speaking, bad NY sports teams, a good happy hour deal, and storytelling.

Whether you're new to ServiceNow or a seasoned admin, this episode will change how you think about your workflows.

🔗 Get started with Process Mining: https://www.servicenow.com/community/process-mining-article/servicenow-process-mining-formerly-process-optimization-faq/ta-p/2309083

📄 Learn more about ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/

🎓 ServiceNow Docs YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjE37R-Y4DTq7kUWPO83Wg

Chapters
0:00 – Introduction & Dan Grady's Background
1:13 – What Is Process Mining? (The X-Ray for Your Business)
2:08 – Why Dashboards Alone Aren't Enough
3:56 – From Raw Data to Actionable Insights
4:59 – The Printer Toner Story: Removing a Step, Saving Two Days
6:01 – The Spaghetti Bowl: Visualizing Your Processes
7:34 – The "47 Years" Moment That Shocks Every Customer
8:43 – Finding Automation Opportunities with Process Mining
10:49 – Best Practices: How to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed
12:35 – Getting Started: First Steps on the Platform
15:11 – Real Customer Use Cases (Approvals, Routing & More)
17:59 – Why You Never Stop Needing Process Mining
20:50 – The Analytics Stack: Operational Reporting → Platform Analytics → Process Mining
22:45 – Closing & Where to Learn More

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The Human in the Loop | Ethical AI with Di Le
ServicveNow Insights Podcast - hosted By Bobby Brill

What does it actually mean to build AI responsibly? Not the buzzword version. The real version. In our latest episode, I sat down with Di Le — AI Ethicist and Human-Centered AI Strategist at ServiceNow — and she broke it down in a way I hadn't heard before.

Most people use Ethical AI, Responsible AI, and Human-Centered AI interchangeably, and Di breaks down exactly where each one lives and how they apply to building AI that aligns with our societal values. Fairness. Transparency. Bias. Beyond evaluation and technical talking points, these are also design decisions with real consequences for real people — and operationalizing them is harder than most organizations want to admit.

One line from Di that stopped me: "People have crossed oceans and built monuments in honor of our capability to think. And I just want people to preserve that and not surrender it so freely." That's the episode in one sentence.

To learn more about Ethical AI and reseatch from Di Le and more - https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=sighci2025

https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=sighci2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhVY-85A-Wk&t=5s

ServiceNow Insights Podcast 🎧 The Human in the Loop — now available wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:00 – Introduction & Di Le's Background
1:35 – Is Ethical AI Just About Preventing Skynet?
2:22 – Responsible AI vs. Ethical AI vs. Human-Centered AI
6:34 – Why All Three Are Deeply Interconnected
8:39 – When "Amazing" Tech Goes Wrong: The Adobe Example
10:07 – Fairness, Transparency & Accountability Explained
12:06 – The Mug Factory: Understanding Bias in AI
14:52 – Transparency & Interpretability in AI Design
16:48 – Keeping Humans Genuinely in the Loop
18:06 – Accountability & Human Oversight
20:39 – Why Bias Isn't a Bug You Can Just Fix
22:30 – How ServiceNow Approaches Responsible AI
23:11 – Why Di Chose ServiceNow (The Origin Story)
27:09 – One Thing Everyone Should Do With AI 28:38 – Closing

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AI is transforming how businesses operate and how early-career talent grows. In this episode, UTG Unlocked, Mark Stockford (GVP, Global Cloud Operations) and Alyssa Gerhart (former intern, now full-time employee) share how AI is reshaping work at ServiceNow—from strategic impact to day-to-day execution. Our guest hosts Jorden Shelton and Cynthia Mathenge guide the conversation and explore real AI use cases like Unity, RAG-based duplicate detection, and intent detection, while emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and strong fundamentals.

In this episode, designed not just for recent interns, you’ll learn how AI is expanding career paths, how teams like Global Cloud Services power innovation behind the scenes, and what interns and early-career professionals can do now to grow: stay curious, use AI intentionally, seek mentors, and don’t just consume—contribute.

UTG is the engine behind the scenes here at ServiceNow — enabling innovation, maintaining production environments, supporting internal teams, and driving operational excellence. It connects strategy to execution by combining engineering, cloud operations, and technology operations to deliver stable, high-performing systems that allow the business and customers to succeed.

For more information about the Early Careers program visit - https://careers.servicenow.com/early-careers/

00:00 Welcome & What ‘UTG Unlocked’ Is All About 
02:50 Meet the Panel: Mark, Alyssa, Jorden & Cynthia 
04:29 Segment 1: How AI Is Impacting the Business (Customers vs. Employees) 
06:26 Skills That Matter in an AI-Powered Workplace 
09:52 Real AI Use Cases: Unity, Agents, and Faster Ops 
13:57 AI and Career Growth: New Roles, New Paths, Partnering with AI 
18:56 Advice for Early-Career Talent: Stay Curious, Build, Contribute 
20:41 Segment 2 Kickoff: Rapid-Fire Fun
28:50 Pulling Back the Curtain: What is GCS
30:37 GCS as a Superhero: Operating in the Shadows Like Batman 
31:35 The Hidden Work: Solving Customer-Created Problems & Root-Cause Hunting 
33:37 Alyssa’s Journey: Intern to FTE, Mentorship, and Scaling Developer Productivity 
35:38 What’s Next: Emerging Tech on the Radar (AI to Quantum Computing) 
37:15 Closing Takeaways: Keep Learning, Use AI Wisely, Ask Questions, and Give Back 
40:12 Final Words & Where to Learn More

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Exploring Leadership and AI with Anand Tharanathan

In this engaging episode of our podcast, we delve into the world of leadership and Artificial Intelligence with Anand Tharanathan, GVP of Product Research and Insights at ServiceNow. Anand shares his journey from an individual contributor to a leadership role, emphasizing the importance of empathy, mentorship, and learning from failure. He discusses his unique perspective on leadership drawn from his experiences in sports and how this has influenced his professional growth.

Anand also provides insights into the rapidly evolving field of AI, comparing it with human automation and highlighting the importance of keeping the human element in the loop. He addresses the challenges and nuances of designing AI systems that enhance human capabilities rather than replace them. Additionally, Anand discusses how to strike a balance between being product-centric and people-centric, and the crucial role of adaptability in navigating technological advancements.

Towards the end of the conversation, Anand outlines a framework for effectively using AI and advises on avoiding common pitfalls when integrating AI into new products. This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in leadership, AI, and the future of technology. Join us and gain valuable insights from industry experts!

Guest - Anand Tharanathan, GVP of Product Research and Insights at ServiceNow
Guest Host - Apurva Korde

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:24 Discussing UX Research and AI
01:18 Leadership Journey and Insights
03:45 The Role of Mentors and Managers
09:59 Design Leadership vs. Conventional Leadership
13:56 Balancing Product and People-Centric Leadership
17:55 Adapting to Rapid Technological Changes
18:56 Navigating the AI Revolution
19:14 Staying Calm and Curious in the AI Era
20:45 Insights from a Tech Leader on AI
21:42 Designing Human-Centric AI Experiences
26:32 The Importance of Human in the Loop
31:24 Frameworks for AI Use and Misuse
34:25 Building AI-Powered Products
36:37 Balancing AI and Business Goals
38:45 Concluding Thoughts on AI

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