We recently had an excellent C4 session hosted by our friends at Microsoft, focusing on AI and its impact on the channel. It would be difficult to find a hotter topic right now, as all technology vendors, whether long-established or startups, are clearly in a race to keep up. Large Language Models and generative AI tools have transformed AI from something perceived as obscure and futuristic into something available to virtually anyone.
These are interesting times. In my discussions with many people in the industry at various levels, there appears to be a universal curiosity. From my experience meeting with people and having open dialogue, it seems there are two camps on the customer side. One camp takes a more conservative approach, getting caught up in the debate of what AI is: What is AI? What can it do? Should I start, and how will it help me? The second camp approaches it from the perspective of: It’s already here—how fast can I go, and how do I contain my risk while capturing competitive advantage?
My perspective is that while AI is not new, nor is it singular in how it is defined, the reality is that the ability for machines to ingest data, detect patterns, and predict outcomes appears to be the common thread. If you are not pulling on this thread faster than it is unwinding on its own, time is running out on your ability to avoid ending up on the wrong end of the innovation curve.
This is why the channel is so critical. Vendors are essentially approaching this opportunity from two angles: leading with AI applications to capture share in a market on the cusp of crossing the chasm, and/or leading with AI-centric architectures/blueprints to enable governance and mitigate risk as AI is deployed, keeping the controls ahead of the features that are developing at incredible speed.
The channel is the key to delivering these two vendor trajectories at scale, enabling businesses and communities of all sizes to leverage AI without being hampered by the game of catch-up our industry suffers from: skill and capacity shortages.
The reality is that it is unlikely customers—except for the biggest of the big—will be able to build out AI-skilled teams to develop AI solutions in-house at the pace the market is moving. The channel’s role in delivering the full lifecycle, from consulting to design, delivery, and support, is fundamental to our success. This includes guiding the boardroom to the highest impact opportunities, helping the CIO/CSO map governance to the innovation journey, and driving adoption throughout business and technology processes. This is likely the biggest opportunity for the channel in the past twenty years.
Canada is fortunate to have a highly educated workforce and a rich history of innovation, consistently stepping up to punch above our weight on the world stage. However, we can also be known for taking a wait-and-see approach. When it comes to AI, the world will not wait. Yes, we need to get governance right and take measures to keep technology on the right side of what is good for the world. With the channel, this can be accomplished at scale, and those who do so will be the dominant players in the next phase of the technology evolution.
See you in October!
Mark