‘We have an opportunity to define our market: GTIA launches AI alliance for the channel

Pax8-chaired initiative will develop standards, accreditation frameworks and best practices for MSPs delivering AI services to SMBs

SMBs have a growing appetite for AI, but many partners are still figuring out how to deliver and govern the technology at scale.

The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) has launched The Managed Intelligence Alliance, a vendor-neutral initiative aimed at helping the channel build and scale AI offerings as customer demand accelerates.

CRN is at Pax8 Beyond EMEA in Copenhagen and was at the launch for the alliance, which is chaired by Pax8. The initiative brings together multiple vendors and partners in an effort to develop standards, accreditation frameworks, research and best-practice guidance around scaling AI across the channel.

Founding members include Microsoft, CrowdStrike, NinjaOne, Cynet, Sourcepass and Rev.io.

Speaking with CRN, Rob Rae CVP of community and ecosystems at Pax8 says the launch comes at a pivotal moment for MSPs, arguing that AI presents a rare opportunity for the channel to help define how an emerging technology can be adopted by the SMB market.

“We're still at the beginning of this journey,” he says.

“Traditionally, in our space, the SMB market and the MSP markets have always been an afterthought.

“If a new technology is invented, or if a new way of looking at technology comes to market, it generally goes to the enterprise first.

“When it comes to AI, we have an opportunity to get a seat at the table globally and define our space.”

Rae believes MSPs are uniquely positioned to lead AI adoption because of their established relationships with SMB end user customers.

“The MSPs own the SMB market.

“SMBs are leveraging this technology. They're not waiting. It's priced appropriately, and it's available to everybody.

“It started in the consumer space, and now with how it has moved on, it is the perfect opportunity for us to have a voice, to be heard, and to be able to define how we want to do business with this technology.”

The alliance comes after the GTIA identified a gap between growing customer demand for AI and the frameworks needed to deploy and manage the technology consistently.

According to the industry group, AI is emerging as a major service category across the channel, but many providers lack established approaches to governance, implementation and ongoing management.

Dan Wensley, CEO of GTIA, says building trust is critical if the channel is to capitalize on the revenue opportunity AI presents.

“AI is creating an enormous opportunity for the channel, but trust must come first,” he tells CRN.

“The industry needs common standards and practical guidance that providers can use.”

Rae added that concerns around AI security and governance have further strengthened the case for a channel-led approach to the technology.

“It's again a great opportunity for us to kind of pull all that back and really define on how we can do this in the appropriate way with MSPs in mind, and do it in a way where everybody's comfortable, and everybody has an opportunity.

“I think it's a perfect time.”

How is the AI Alliance structured?

Behind the alliance sits four core priorities: open specifications, capability standards, accreditation programs and research and intelligence.

For channel partners, the initiative reflects a broader industry effort to define what good and responsible managed AI delivery looks like, before the market becomes fragmented by competing approaches. Specifically, concerns over compliance and governance remain two key challenges MSPs tell CRN when it comes to scaling AI services.

According to GTIA, any standards and accreditation frameworks developed through the alliance will be published openly and free of charge, with members contributing through working groups and research programs.

The organization argues that MSPs will play a critical role in addressing what it describes as the "last-mile" challenge of AI adoption, helping SMBs identify practical use cases and manage deployments responsibly.