SAP announces free AI agents for HR and Payroll

• £0 / €0 additional software cost - Joule agent runtime is free for eligible SAP customers until 31 December 2026
• Eight hours to first activation - Zalaris fixed-scope starter gets Joule live in your environment fast, with no obligation to proceed further
• All SAP environments covered - SAP SuccessFactors, RISE, hybrid, ECC on-premises, and SAP-based payroll platforms. Activation requires BTP and IAS in place; Zalaris readiness programme available where not yet implemented
• Proven operational experience - Joule agents are already live in Zalaris’s own managed services operations

Oslo, Norway- 28 May 2026 - Zalaris, one of SAP’s leading HR, payroll, and SAP SuccessFactors partners, today announced rapid activation services for SAP Joule AI agents following landmark announcements at SAP Sapphire 2026 that significantly expand customer access to AI capabilities across HR and payroll operations.

Zalaris is uniquely positioned to help organisations move quickly. As one of the few SAP partners already operating Joule AI agents in live managed services delivery - running across its own HR and payroll operations for clients across Europe and Asia Pacific - Zalaris brings practical, production-grade experience that most partners cannot yet offer. Zalaris has deployed Joule assistants within its own RISE with SAP environment, built proprietary agents on Joule Studio, and developed country-specific AI capabilities across payroll and HR service delivery. When Zalaris activates agents for a client, it is drawing on what it has already learned operating them at scale - not piloting them for the first time.

SAP has confirmed that Joule AI agent runtime is free for eligible customers until 31 December 2026, while Joule Studio 2.0 design-time access is free through the end of 2026. For the first time, AI agent access now extends across SAP SuccessFactors, RISE with SAP, hybrid, and eligible ECC and on-premises environments.

Customers operating SAP-based payroll platforms can also leverage the same underlying SAP technology to access these capabilities. Across all environments, activation requires SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and Identity Authentication Service (IAS) to be in place. Where these are not yet implemented, Zalaris provides a fast-start readiness programme to establish them, creating a clear path to agent activation from any starting point.

The newly available AI assistants are designed to automate common HR and payroll interactions, including payroll enquiries, HR policy questions, service requests, and employee self-service support. Organisations deploying these capabilities are already seeing significant reductions in repetitive Tier-1 support activity, allowing HR and payroll teams to focus on more strategic and employee-focused work.

“SAP just changed the economics and timing of AI adoption for the entire install base. For the first time, organisations can begin building operational familiarity with AI before completing a full cloud migration. The bridge between on-premises today and the next generation of AI-enabled cloud HR now runs through Joule, and organisations that move early will build momentum, workforce confidence, and practical AI capability long before many competitors even begin.” - Mike Ellis, EVP Global Consulting, Zalaris

What is now available

The following AI capabilities are now available to eligible SAP customers through existing SAP commercial entitlements:

Note: Activation of Joule AI agents and assistants across all SAP environments requires SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and Identity Authentication Service (IAS) to be in place. These are prerequisites for agent connectivity regardless of commercial entitlement. For organisations that do not yet have BTP and IAS implemented, Zalaris offers a fast-start readiness programme to establish this infrastructure as the first step - unlocking agent access without requiring a full migration programme first. Zalaris complimentary AI Entitlement Assessment confirms which capabilities are available in your specific environment and what readiness steps apply.

The value at stake

Industry analysis of agentic AI in HCM indicates that organisations deploying Joule AI assistants across HR and payroll operations may achieve:

• Up to 50% fewer pay-statement enquiries
• 30% faster time-to-hire
• 24% higher HR case deflection
• 39% fewer HR data errors
• 17% lower regrettable attrition
• Figures are illustrative of potential outcomes and will vary by environment, scope, and baseline.

SAP customers including PostNL, American Honda, and Frit Ravich are already reporting significant operational improvements through AI-enabled HR and payroll processes. PostNL reduced payroll processing time by 90% - from five days to four hours - while expecting an 80% reduction in payroll enquiry support costs.

A game-changer for ecc and on-premises customers

For the thousands of organisations worldwide still running SAP ECC or on-premises SAP HCM, the Sapphire announcements represent a major shift in how AI adoption can begin.

Until now, many organisations believed meaningful AI capability would only become available after a complete move to SAP SuccessFactors and cloud infrastructure. SAP has now confirmed that select Joule AI capabilities can operate across hybrid environments for ECC and on-premises customers that have committed the majority of their landscape to SAP Cloud ERP via RISE with SAP.

This means organisations can begin their path to AI agent deployment against their existing SAP landscape - automating payroll enquiries, HR service requests, and employee self-service interactions - while progressively preparing for broader cloud transformation. Where BTP and IAS are not yet in place, Zalaris establishes this infrastructure as the first step: a defined, fast-start engagement that creates the conditions for agent activation without requiring a full migration programme.

Importantly, this gives organisations direct operational exposure to the next generation of AI-enabled SAP experiences before committing to a full migration programme. HR teams, service operations, and employees can begin building familiarity and confidence with AI-enabled ways of working during the transition, not after it.

For many organisations, that operational experience will accelerate cloud transformation decisions. Zalaris’s activation and advisory programme is designed with this in mind, helping customers activate immediate AI value while progressively preparing for SAP SuccessFactors as the long-term destination.

“ECC customers have been told for years that AI is a cloud-first story. SAP has just changed that. The bridge between on-premises today and SuccessFactors tomorrow now runs through Joule, and organisations that activate now will approach migration with operational familiarity, workforce confidence, and momentum rather than from a standing start.” - Mike Ellis, EVP Global Consulting, Zalaris

Eight hours to first value: The Zalaris activation starter

Zalaris has designed a fixed-scope activation starter that gets base-level Joule AI agents live in a customer’s existing SAP environment in approximately eight consulting hours. The starter includes functional and technical activation support, requires no commitment to proceed to further engagement, and is available across SAP SuccessFactors, hybrid, ECC, and SAP-based payroll environments.

The activation starter is designed as a low-risk first step for organisations wanting to understand what free SAP AI agent access means for their environment before making broader investment decisions.

Critically, Zalaris is already running Joule AI agents within its own managed services operations, supporting real HR and payroll service delivery across its global delivery centres.

“We activated Joule agents in our own operations before taking this capability to market. Clients are getting a partner that has already operationalised these capabilities internally, including the activation, governance, operational readiness, and service optimisation considerations that come with AI adoption.” - Mike Ellis, EVP Global Consulting, Zalaris

Activate your AI strategy: The Zalaris programme

Zalaris supports customers through a phased approach to SAP AI adoption:

Start: Activate included Joule assistants

Rapid activation of eligible SAP-delivered Joule assistants available within existing SAP commercial entitlements. Zalaris eight-hour starter gets the first agents live immediately. A subsequent survey-led readiness assessment identifies the highest-value scenarios for each organisation and produces a quantified business case.

Expand: Extend and optimise AI usage

Configuration and grounding of prioritised assistants within organisation-specific policies, workflows, data structures, and terminology. Extension of standard agents into organisation-specific workflows. Zalaris AI-accelerated implementation methodology - including CodeBot automated build and AI-generated test scripts - reduces go-live time and cost at every stage.

Run: Build, govern, and operate autonomously

Custom agents designed and built on the SAP Business AI Platform for industry- and organisation-specific scenarios. Transition into Zalaris Care managed operations, where Joule assistants and agents run HR and payroll end-to-end under a single SLA - with autonomous query resolution, live workforce insight, and continuous optimisation.

Register your interest

Zalaris is accepting expressions of interest from organisations wanting to understand which Joule AI capabilities are available within their SAP environment and how to activate them quickly.

Every organisation that registers will receive a complimentary AI Entitlement Assessment from a Zalaris consultant covering:

• which Joule AI assistants are available within their current SAP environment and commercial entitlement
• activation prerequisites and governance considerations
• recommended next steps - from the eight-hour starter through to a full AI strategy roadmap

Find out what is available in your SAP environment and register your interest: Accelerate Your Path to AI-Enabled HR and Payroll - Zalaris

Contact:
Mike Ellis, EVP of Zalaris Global Consulting 
Contact

About Zalaris

Zalaris is a global SAP Partner offering a wide range of SAP-based HR & Payroll solutions and services. Our core focus is our SAP Qualified Partner-Packaged Solution PeopleHub, a comprehensive HR and Payroll cloud solution. PeopleHub is optimised to meet the specific needs of our customers. With flexible and robust smart-shoring options and capabilities, we deliver comprehensive, high-quality consulting services that offer excellent value for money and lower risks. 

To learn more, visit zalaris.com/consulting