Important Update -- Rovo Agents are getting a new backend LLM model

[#1]

This article is to announce an upcoming change that will begin rolling out over the next few days.

We’re upgrading the backend model that powers Rovo agents.

What to expect:

• Nothing visible. It’s a backend change only. We’re upgrading the underlying model behind the scenes.

• Configuration stays the same. Agent instructions, skills, knowledge, and permissions don’t change.

• New agents: any agents you build after March 17th (US Date), tomorrow, will use the updated backend model by default.

• Existing agents: An existing agent can be switched to the updated model throughout March. You can swap between the old model and new model to iterate on your agent and make sure it performs as expected.

After March 31st (US Date), any remaining agents still using the old model will be upgraded automatically.

You will see this is live when you notice a purple banner in Studio or in your Agent page announcing the change. 

How to test the improved model

There are two ways to test your agent on the new model

1. Duplicate your existing agent:

   1. From the agent menu, select Duplicate.

   2. The duplicated agent will automatically use the new backend model.

   3. You can run LLM evaluations or manual tests on it to validate behavior.

   4. When you’re confident in the output you can either keep the duplicated agent, or delete it and update the original agent to the new model (you have until the end of March).

2. Use the model "switch" in Studio

   1. Edit an existing agent

   2. In agent details, below the agent’s name and description, look for Swap to new model

   3. Toggle it ON

   4. Either run LLM evaluations or manually test your agent, you can go back into edit and toggle it off, if you want to go back to the old model. However, you’ll only be able to do this until the end of March when all remaining agents using the old model will be upgraded automatically and the toggle will be removed.

FAQs

• Will this change how my agent behaves?

  • For most agents, behavior should remain consistent. Because the underlying model is changing, you may see some differences in multi-turn conversations or how responses are phrased. Validate high-value agents with evaluations or key prompts before switching.

• Can I keep using the old backend model indefinitely?

  • No. Use the 14-day window to test and adjust any critical agents before we upgrade remaining agents.

• Who do I contact if something looks off?

  • Contact Support with the agent link and include “Agent model upgrade” in the description.

• Why are you changing models?

  • We’re constantly evaluating LLM models as they are released. With newer flagship models available, we’ve decided on one that gives the right balance of access to the newest models while avoiding major changes for existing agents.

[hayato yamazaki]

Will this model change affect the side panel Robo that I use when I open a Confluence page?

Will the changes apply to the side panel Robo and the search Robo as well?

[Piotr Smialek]

Does the new model handle anything better? If you were able to test the change and could share the differences with examples, it would be easier to verify the models' performance with customers.

[Stefan Kirchner]

Hello,
Is there an overview or a list of what has been improved/changed?
Thanks.

[Colton_Kosicek]

What is this new LLM model? we are not allowed to use certain LLMs this will force companies to disable AI very quickly if you do not share more details ASAP

[Jensen Fleming]

@hayato yamazaki -- this will impact agents you speak with in Rovo Chat side bar, but not Rovo Chat without an agent. Rovo Chat uses a collection of models and is on a different rollout cycle. 

@Piotr Smialek @Stefan Kirchner  This update has shown: 

• Search / knowledge Q&A

  • Better answer rate and relevance on Search / internal policy questions.

  • More likely to pick the right search queries and tools.

• Overall answer quality

  • Higher accuracy, groundedness, and correct tool choice.

• Service “next steps” / guidance

  • Better instruction following, relevance, conciseness, and personalization.

• Email summarization / replies

  • Higher semantic quality and completeness.

• Latency & verboseness. 

  • Faster total latency when calling the same/fewer tools.

  • Shorter, clearer outputs; similar or better quality; often faster.

@Col -- all of our approved providers are listed here: https://www.atlassian.com/legal/sub-processors#atlassian-group-sub-processors. For transparency, the model used under the hood for this change is Gemini 3 Flash.