By Stephen Wratten, Product Director, activpayroll
Artificial Intelligence continues to dominate conversations across the business and technology landscape, but within global payroll the focus is increasingly on outcomes. Organisations want to understand how AI can be applied responsibly to improve efficiency, enhance accuracy and support more informed decision making.
At activpayroll, we have been exploring the role AI can play in supporting global payroll teams for some time. Customer feedback has consistently reinforced that AI should not be viewed as technology for technology's sake. Instead, it should solve real challenges, reduce complexity and help payroll professionals focus on higher value work.
In early 2025, we asked our customers how ready they were to realise the benefits AI could bring to global payroll. Almost 60% told us they were either ready as a team, ready and open to learning more, or ready but still somewhat sceptical about the value AI could deliver.
We asked the same question as part of our 2026 customer survey. The results showed a significant shift, with more than 80% of respondents now indicating they are ready to benefit from AI in some form.
This shift is increasingly clear in the conversations we are having with customers. AI is no longer simply a topic of interest; for many organisations, it is becoming an expected part of how work can be simplified, improved and supported. In global payroll, that creates a clear opportunity to apply AI in ways that are practical, trusted and outcome-focused.
Earlier this year, I held a series of one-to-one customer sessions to explore a range of AI concepts and better understand the outcomes that matter most to payroll teams.
Two priorities emerged consistently throughout these discussions:
While these priorities are not new, AI creates new opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy and confidence throughout the payroll lifecycle. These conversations have helped us better understand where AI can deliver the greatest value for our customers and users.
From discussions with customers, payroll professionals and technology leaders, three early opportunities stand out:
Customers have also been clear that any use of AI must be built on strong foundations of security, trust and control.
Through our Customer Advisory Group and ongoing discussions, we consistently hear that AI must respect user permissions, protect sensitive payroll data and deliver reliable support. These principles remain central to our approach.
These customer priorities and principles are helping shape the development of Paige, our Payroll AI Guidance Executive.
Paige has been designed to support global payroll professionals by providing practical assistance, intelligent insights and enhanced visibility across payroll operations. Our objective is to introduce capabilities that solve genuine customer challenges and deliver tangible benefits, rather than deploying AI simply because it is available.
As we prepare to introduce the first Paige capabilities, our focus remains on delivering AI in the right way, at the right time and with outcomes that make a meaningful difference for payroll teams.
While Paige represents an exciting step forward, it forms part of a broader commitment to continuous innovation across the activpayroll platform. Alongside our investment in AI, we continue to enhance our integration capabilities, expand platform functionality and improve the overall customer experience.
Together, these developments are helping organisations simplify global payroll, improve accuracy and gain greater value from their payroll operations.
For us, Paige represents the next step in that journey, one shaped by customer feedback, grounded in practical outcomes and focused on helping global payroll teams navigate the future with confidence.
To learn more about Paige and explore how AI can support your global payroll operations, contact our team to arrange a conversation or product demonstration.