Technology

SAS expands SAS Viya with governed AI assistants and agentic AI capabilities

Published

2 months ago

April 28, 2026

New AI assistants and agent infrastructure help business and analytics teams move from experimentation to governed, production-ready intelligence

DALLAS, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SAS INNOVATE — SAS, a global leader in data and AI, today announced expansions to SAS® Viya® that advance the platform’s agentic AI features, introducing new AI assistants, agent infrastructure and acceleration tools. Together, these updates build on SAS Viya’s existing AI foundation, helping organizations move from isolated generative AI use cases to governed, production-ready intelligence at scale.

New agentic AI features in SAS Viya help transform isolated Gen AI use cases to governed, production-ready intelligence.

New SAS Viya features include:

SAS Viya Copilot, a family of AI assistants embedded across the analytics life cycle.SAS Viya Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, using the open MCP standard to expose SAS Viya analytics and decisioning capabilities as tools for AI agents.SAS Agentic AI Accelerator, a curated framework for building, governing and deploying AI agents within SAS Viya.

SAS leadership emphasized the importance of human judgment in scaling agentic AI responsibly.

“The role of human expertise in operationalizing agentic AI is not diminished by automation; it’s elevated,” said Jared Peterson, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering at SAS. “With SAS Viya, organizations can pair copilots and agents with human judgment, trusted data and enterprise governance, so AI doesn’t just generate outputs but drives responsible, real-world decisions.”

Embedded – not bolted on – Copilot for data and AI tasks

SAS Viya Copilot is a governed, conversational AI assistant embedded directly into the SAS Viya platform, designed to work alongside human experts inside production-grade analytics workflows. It helps organizations analyze data, build models and make decisions across the analytic life cycle while maintaining enterprise-grade security and oversight.

SAS Viya Copilot integrates Microsoft Foundry to operate inside analytics workflows rather than as a standalone chat interface. It helps data scientists, developers and business analysts generate, explain and act on insights using natural language across both coding environments and interactive visual interfaces.

Current SAS Viya Copilot capabilities include:

General Q&A across core Viya applications, including data discovery, model pipeline development, model management, decision intelligence, and environment management.Code acceleration with AI-generated SAS and Python code, documentation and explanations.Model pipeline guidance with intelligent recommendations, next steps and explainability.Conversational dashboarding with AI-driven data enrichment, natural language dashboard creation and automated insights.Visual investigation with AI-assisted search and AI-powered case and alert narratives.

Over time, SAS Viya Copilot data and AI capabilities will extend across data management, model management and AI infrastructure, enabling consistent AI assistance from data ingestion to deployment.

Unlike many horizontal AI assistants that rely primarily on pretrained LLM knowledge or generic tools, SAS Viya Copilot is designed to execute domain-aware analytics tasks grounded in industry data models, terminology and best practices.

Industry Copilot capabilities available today include:

SAS Asset and Liability Management (ALM) Copilot, which guides analysts through scenario configuration, execution and interpretation for financial risk workflows, translating natural-language inputs into governed analytic models.SAS Health Clinical Data Discovery Copilot, which accelerates clinical data discovery and analysis by guiding users through data exploration, cohort creation and quality investigation using natural language.

SAS plans to expand Viya Copilot for additional industries in 2026, including financial crime prevention in banking, and intelligent planning and supply chain optimization for manufacturing.

From copilots to agents across the SAS Viya platform

While SAS Viya Copilot improves how people interact with analytics, agents allow those capabilities to compound by connecting insights, decisions and actions across systems at scale.

Beyond embedded AI assistants, SAS Viya provides the infrastructure and tools organizations need to build, connect and govern AI agents at scale. These capabilities – available to current Viya users through GitHub – are designed to help transform isolated GenAI use cases into enterprise-ready agentic AI that works across systems, teams and business processes.

SAS Viya Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server provides a standardized way to expose SAS analytics, models and decisioning capabilities to external AI agents. By using SAS Viya MCP, organizations can embed SAS’ trusted analytics, governance and domain intelligence into their own agents from the LLM interface of their choice, such as Claude, without duplicating logic or bypassing enterprise controls.

SAS Agentic AI Accelerator enables teams across all skill levels (no-code, low-code and developers) to design and operationalize AI agents with governance and trust. The accelerator provides a curated collection of code, components, interfaces and best practices to help teams build, govern, and deploy AI agents within SAS Viya, moving from experimentation to production in a repeatable, governed way.

SAS Retrieval Agent Manager (RAM) is a no-code solution built on the retrieval augmented generation (RAG) framework that streamlines the process of transforming raw unstructured data into context-aware AI responses. While currently only available as a standalone product, SAS plans to integrate RAM capabilities into SAS Viya, further enabling agents and assistants to ground responses in enterprise context for accurate, trusted decisioning.

Together, these updates position SAS Viya as a governed, enterprise-ready platform for agentic AI, supporting AI assistants and intelligent agents that work together to compound value and turn trusted insights into real-world decisions at scale.

Learn more about SAS Agentic AI solutions.

Today’s announcement was made at SAS Innovate, the company’s global data and AI conference, as SAS celebrates 50 years of innovation. This year’s event is proudly supported by our partner sponsors, including Microsoft, Intel and AWS.

About SAS

SAS is a global leader in data and AI, helping organizations make confident decisions with AI they can trust. For decades, SAS has set the standard for delivering software that drives meaningful impact, incorporating deep industry expertise, transparency and governance. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2026 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:
Jennifer James
Jennifer.james@sas.com
919-531-0858

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SOURCE SAS

Technology

Alcott HR Appoints Michael Pascucci as Director of Strategic Projects

Published

2 hours ago

June 20, 2026

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alcott HR announces Michael Pascucci as Director of Strategic Projects. Michael brings over ten years of experience in HR operations and project management.

Before joining Alcott HR, he held senior roles leading technology upgrades and launching new employee benefits programs. This experience supports Alcott’s initiatives, helping the company grow while putting clients first.

As Director, Michael drives operational excellence at Alcott HR by leading strategic projects. He maintains processes to ensure Alcott stays flexible and personalized during growth. Michael focuses on projects that further enhance client support.

Improving Data Accuracy: Michael connects Alcott’s main systems with partners. Automating these connections streamlines onboarding and enrollment, ensuring benefits and payroll are accurate and secure. This gives clients confidence their information is in good hands.

Creating a Seamless Client Experience: Michael is improving how Alcott manages projects and client renewals. With consistency in these processes, Alcott delivers a seamless, dependable experience, especially during year-end reporting and enrollment.

Building for Growth: By replacing manual tasks with digital solutions, Michael helps Alcott grow with its clients. This allows the team to focus on building relationships and offering expert HR guidance to help clients achieve their goals.

“Michael doesn’t just manage projects, he builds systems that help our team excel,” said Kristen Bartolotta, Sr. Director of Operations at Alcott HR. “His ability to transform complex processes into streamlined solutions has improved our efficiency and enhanced our client service.”

“Working with the talented Alcott team has been a great experience,” said Michael Pascucci. “I’m excited to continue working across departments to improve our processes, boost efficiency, and help the company keep growing.”

Through these efforts, Michael helps Alcott deliver even greater value to clients by driving innovation, strengthening relationships, and ensuring every organization can reach its potential.

About Alcott HR: Alcott HR is an IRS Certified* and ESAC Accredited, Professional Employer Organization that provides a comprehensive range of human resources solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. With nearly four decades of experience, Alcott HR offers customized services that allow businesses to manage their workforce more effectively while staying compliant with state and federal regulations. Their services include payroll, benefits, risk management, and HR support, designed to help businesses grow and succeed.

The IRS does not endorse any particular certified professional employer organization.

Media Contact:
Sarah Zulawski
Marketing Specialist
szulawski@alcotthr.com
(716) 241-8893

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alcott-hr-appoints-michael-pascucci-as-director-of-strategic-projects-302805721.html

SOURCE Alcott HR

Technology

Alcott HR Appoints Michael Pascucci as Director of Strategic Projects

Published

2 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Through these efforts, Michael helps Alcott deliver even greater value to clients by driving innovation, strengthening relationships, and ensuring every organization can reach its potential.

The IRS does not endorse any particular certified professional employer organization.

Media Contact:
Sarah Zulawski
Marketing Specialist
szulawski@alcotthr.com
(716) 241-8893

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alcott-hr-appoints-michael-pascucci-as-director-of-strategic-projects-302805721.html

SOURCE Alcott HR

Technology

Vaultzy and Miracle University Pilot Demonstrates AI-Powered Document Management for Students. Expansion Planned for California Foster Youth Programs

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2026

A successful student pilot demonstrates how secure digital records and AI guidance can help them access education, employment, housing, and life opportunities

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Vaultzy, an AI-powered document management and life assistant platform, today announced the successful completion of a pilot with Miracle University, demonstrating how secure digital records and intelligent guidance can help students overcome barriers to education, employment, and economic mobility.

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, noted, “Never expired. Never lost. Your vital documents, all in one secure place.”

For many students, particularly those facing economic hardship or life disruptions, lost identification, unavailable transcripts, and scattered paperwork can delay enrollment, employment, housing applications, financial aid, and access to public services. Vaultzy was created to address this challenge by providing a secure, user-controlled platform for lifelong document management.

Beyond document storage, Vaultzy recently launched the first version of its AI-powered Life Agent. The platform allows users to interact with their personal records and receive guidance related to major life transitions. By understanding what documents a user has available, the Life Agent can help identify requirements and next steps for education, employment, healthcare, government services, financial planning, and other important milestones.

The pilot was conducted in partnership with Miracle University, a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students who have left the traditional education system earn their high school diplomas and achieve academic and career success. The initiative focused on helping students digitize, organize, and securely manage their most important records while introducing them to emerging technologies that can support their long-term success.

“Our mission is to help students overcome barriers and unlock their full potential,” said Dr. Kadhir Raja, Founder of Miracle University. “Students need access to their documents, confidence in managing important life transitions, and guidance on what comes next. Vaultzy helps bring all of these together, empowering students to navigate education, employment, housing, and other life opportunities with greater confidence and independence.”

The pilot demonstrated the importance of giving individuals lifelong access to trusted records while providing the tools and guidance needed to use them effectively. As California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, noted, “Never expired. Never lost. Your vital documents, all in one secure place.”

Looking ahead, Vaultzy plans to continue expanding its AI-powered capabilities. “We envision a future where every individual has a trusted AI companion that not only safeguards their records but also helps guide them through life’s most important transitions,” said Avanti Ramraj, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Vaultzy.

The success of the Miracle University pilot is helping inform broader discussions with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, and public-sector leaders interested in modernizing how individuals manage and access trusted records while receiving guidance through important life transitions. One of the most promising opportunities is the potential application of Vaultzy within programs serving foster youth, seniors, and other underserved populations.

About Vaultzy

Vaultzy is an AI-powered document management and life assistant platform that helps individuals securely store, manage, and share important records throughout their lives. Combining secure document management, document intelligence, multilingual assistance, and agentic AI capabilities, Vaultzy is building the infrastructure for lifelong document ownership and trusted digital identity.

About Miracle University

Miracle University is a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students overcome educational barriers and achieve academic, personal, and professional success. Through mentorship, education, and community support, Miracle University equips students with the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to transform their futures.

Media Contact
Anupriya Ramraj, Vaultzy, 1 510-255-0657, contact@vaultzy.ai, www.vaultzy.ai

Twitter, LinkedIn

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/vaultzy-and-miracle-university-pilot-demonstrates-ai-powered-document-management-for-students-expansion-planned-for-california-foster-youth-programs-302805103.html

SOURCE Vaultzy