Why the channel is vital in the AI leadership race

AI infrastructure: leaders and laggards 

A key focus of the AI opportunities action plan is ensuring the right foundations in place to unlock AI’s potential - whether that’s powering new business services, streamlining operations, or improving public services. However, AI readiness varies widely across industries and sectors. 

Some organisations are already cloud-enabled, with strong security frameworks, a clear network strategy, and the right data infrastructure to make AI effective. One central government department we’re working with is shifting towards intelligent service operations, aiming to move from reactive insights to fully orchestrated systems that predict and prevent issues before they arise. This is a major leap forward for a government department.  

On the other end of the spectrum, many organisations, particularly in local government and small businesses, are in the early stages of this journey. Some have started moving to the cloud but still rely on legacy applications, fragmented databases, and on-premise infrastructure that lacks the security required for AI adoption at scale. 

The channel is instrumental in helping organisations at both ends of the spectrum ‘unleash’ the potential of AI. Many small businesses either don’t yet see how AI applies to them or simply don’t know where to begin. Meanwhile, larger organisations are investing heavily but often lack clear use cases, leading to disappointing results. For many it’s difficult to measure results beyond small improvements in personal productivity. However, that doesn’t heavily impact the bottom line.  

This is where AI literacy is key. By demonstrating how AI can enhance human roles and guiding businesses through practical, incremental steps, channel partners can bridge the gap ensuring AI investments deliver real, measurable value.  

The data bottleneck 

Then there’s the data challenge. AI initiatives often stall not because of a lack of funding or technology, but because organisations struggle to identify who owns and understands the data in the first place. Without clear accountability, it’s difficult to make decisions on access, retention, or even whether certain datasets can be used at all.  

This requires a mindset change where data is not just collected but actively managed and structured for AI use. Organisations, therefore, need to have the right people involved, who understand the importance of data ownership, while ensuring security, compliance, and accessibility. This will ensure AI can be deployed effectively rather than getting stuck in bureaucratic or technical bottlenecks. 

The people problem  

The UK has faced a talent shortage over a decade, and it’s only widening. According to recruitment firm Hays, 95% of employers looking for tech talent have encountered a skills shortage over the past year.  

Part of the challenge is that the UK isn’t the most attractive market for AI talent. Rival locations such as the US and Dubai offer significantly higher salaries, often with added incentives for skilled AI professionals. The average salary for an AI engineer in the US is $160,757, whereas for the UK, it’s £57,000.  Factor in taxes and living costs, and it’s no surprise that top talent – and the next wave of AI entrepreneurs – are looking elsewhere. 

To stay competitive, we need to make the UK an irresistible place to work. This goes beyond salaries and tax incentives, important though these are. We need to invest in, train and retain the talent we already have.  

Changing roles 

AI roles are evolving. Just five years ago, most AI professionals were focused on training models. Today, the demand is shifting towards applying and fine-tuning existing models. 

This change means that AI isn’t just for data scientists anymore. With the right training, IT workers, analysts, and multiple other roles can upskill and transition into AI-related roles. While the AI opportunities action plan lays out several initiatives to attract, train, and retain the next generation of AI scientists, there are fewer details on how we can help existing professionals reskill and evolve.   

This is where industry must step up. We need to actively support employees in transitioning to new roles, equipping them with the right skills to adapt through this transition. We’re addressing this by integrating AI training into our mandatory learning programme, in the same way as cyber security and data protection, to ensure our teams are AI-literate and ready for the future. 

Collaboration across the ecosystem 

It’s not just human resources and infrastructure where the channel plays a vital role. We are the trusted advisors with a broad view across multiple organisations. We don’t just understand the technology requirements – we also see the mindset shifts, challenges, and real-world success stories that can help drive AI adoption.   

Encouragingly, we’re already seeing deeper collaboration between the public and private sectors. Government leaders we speak to are actively looking to industry for insights, and best practices, while businesses are engaging with government on regulation, ethics, and investment. 

Ultimately, both share the same goal - delivering better services efficiently, whether that’s for citizens or customers. And, as channel players, we can help by creating a positive ecosystem where ideas, use cases and lessons can flow freely.  

AI opportunity knocks 

The AI opportunities action plan will reshape the channel landscape in ways we’re only beginning to understand. There are still big unknowns, such as how vendor pricing models will evolve, how AI access will be structured, and what this means for long-term channel strategies. But one thing is clear: the government is ramping its rhetoric on AI and that could unlock opportunities in areas where investment was previously too risky or costly. 

As a collective, we have the opportunity to embrace this shift and help our customers do the same so that the UK’s goal to be an AI-leading nation is more than just ambition but becomes reality.