In Q3 2025, PeopleCert collaborated with Accredited Tool Vendors (ATVs) – members of the PeopleCert ATV Program – and ITSM.tools on research to better understand where artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities have been added to IT service management (ITSM) tools and what the future of AI in ITSM tools holds. The full PeopleCert AI in ITSM Tools report is available to download here.
This article presents some of the report’s findings on the current state of AI inclusion and where AI in ITSM tools is heading in ITSM process (or ITIL practice) terms.
Who Took Part in the ATV AI in ITSM Study?
While a full picture of the ATV tools landscape can be found at https://atv.peoplecert.org/tool-vendor-accreditation/, the eleven ATVs that took part in the report were:
- Atlassian
- DCON
- Freshworks
- InvGate
- ITOMIG
- ManageEngine
- Matrix42
- OMNINET
- OpenText
- Proactivanet
- SysAid.
This involved completing a PeopleCert questionnaire on AI use across 14 ITIL practices and providing soundbites on AI adoption.
The possible questionnaire responses were:
- Yes, this is a commercially available out-of-the-box feature (available)
- This feature is under development and will be available soon (development)
- We are currently experimenting with this functionality in implementation projects (experimenting)
- No, this functionality is not available (not available).
The soundbites are included in the full AI in ITSM Tools report.
Where AI Is Already Making an Impact in ITSM Tools
Current AI “Champions” by ITIL Practice
The top five management practices for current AI additions in ITSM tools were:
- Incident management
- Service request management
- Knowledge management
- Problem management
- IT asset management, Measurement and reporting, Monitoring and event management, and Service catalog management (tied).
Most of these management practices were expected, given the practices’ relative adoption levels in organizations, i.e., they’re the most commonly adopted practices, and the opportunity types offered by generative AI in particular. For example, the high position of Knowledge management stands out, despite the practice’s relatively low adoption success levels before the advent of AI.
Where AI in ITSM Is Headed Next
Top Areas for AI R&D Investment
Looking ahead, the top management practices for AI “R&D” investment (the development and experimental area percentages combined) were:
- Service configuration management
- IT asset management
- Problem management
- Measurement and reporting
- Change enablement.
Interestingly, Service configuration management had the highest percentage level for experimentation, with the customer value of the possible AI capabilities within this practice likely being the main reason.
AI “Underdogs” in ITSM: Where Adoption Lags Behind
While the current AI “champions” might be somewhat predictable, analysis of the aggregated data provided interesting insights into AI-investment “underdogs” and how investment patterns might change in line with technological evolution and its resulting effects on ITSM tools.
Practices with Low AI Investment
The relatively low placement of the highly adopted change-enablement practice was surprising. While the exact reason is unknown, the impact of DevOps and Agile practice adoption on traditional ITSM change management/enablement demand is a plausible explanation.
Three underdogs were also identified in the lower-adopted ITIL practices:
- Relationship management
- Service financial management
- Supplier management.
A likely explanation is that these practices are currently served by other systems or tools rather than the corporate ITSM tool.
Service Quality Areas Missing Out on AI
Looking across all three ATV response areas (availability, under development, and experimental), there were three additional “underdogs” related to service quality and proactivity that unfortunately scored highly for unavailability:
- Availability management
- Capacity and performance management
- Service level management.
While these areas might see AI investments elsewhere – for example, in Monitoring and event management, as well as Measurement and reporting – it’s concerning that these stalwarts of IT service delivery best practices appear to be receiving relatively low AI investment in ITSM tools.
Changing AI Focus Areas in ITSM Tools
The earlier top fives for current and “R&D” AI investment offer one perspective on how AI investments are expected to change over time. However, another standout deserves attention.
While the service catalog management practice ranked joint fifth in current AI capabilities, its percentage for “under development and available soon” is among the lowest. The exact reason is unknown, but a possible explanation is that ongoing innovation in AI’s use in ITSM will render the concept of (static) service catalogs obsolete. This reasoning is also highlighted in one of the ATV “The future of AI in ITSM” soundbites.
Conclusion: From AI Differentiator to Table Stakes
Your IT organization may or may not currently use the AI capabilities available in your corporate ITSM tool(s).
The PeopleCert report indicates where AI capabilities that support ITSM practices have been integrated and will continue to be integrated into ITSM tools. However, just because AI capabilities are available, it doesn’t mean they are being utilized for a variety of reasons.
But are your organization’s competitors using them? After all, for some organizations, the perceived value of AI in ITSM will provide an immediate “green light” for its use. AI may currently be an ITSM differentiator, but how long will it be until it becomes “table stakes”? Personally, I don’t see it being too far off.
Ultimately, given the current evolution of the ITSM tool market, it’s no longer a question of whether your organization will utilize embedded AI capabilities. Instead, it’s a matter of when.
You can download the full AI in ITSM Tools report here.
Further Reading
Stephen Mann
Principal Analyst and Content Director at the ITSM-focused industry analyst firm ITSM.tools. Also an independent IT and IT service management marketing content creator, and a frequent blogger, writer, and presenter on the challenges and opportunities for IT service management professionals.
Previously held positions in IT research and analysis (at IT industry analyst firms Ovum and Forrester and the UK Post Office), IT service management consultancy, enterprise IT service desk and IT service management, IT asset management, innovation and creativity facilitation, project management, finance consultancy, internal audit, and product marketing for a SaaS IT service management technology vendor.
