AI & AUTOMATION Helping partners speak AI with customers By Martin Vilaboy Large Language Learning For the second year in a row in the annual Telarus technology trends report, released at the technology solution distributor’s 2025 partner summit in Anaheim in August, artificial intelligence (AI) once again ranked as the leading driver of IT investment. And this time it’s with increasing momentum, as 58 percent of IT buyers surveyed identified AI as their top priority for 2025, compared to 53 percent in 2024 and a mere 13 percent in 2023. At the same time, a full 71 percent of technology advisors surveyed by Telarus believe AI will be a source of revenue growth in the next 12 to 24 months, up from the 65 percent who said the same in 2024. Despite the clear importance for both buyers and sellers, many technology advisors simply are not ready to advise on AI. A mere 13 percent said they feel very prepared to sell AI solutions. Nearly half (48 percent) admitted to either struggling to communicate AI’s value to clients or avoiding the selling AI solutions altogether. Nearly one-third (32 percent) said they are not discussing AI with customers or offering AI solutions at this time at all. Advisors we spoke to at the recent Telarus partner summit spoke to a lack of confidence, even trepidation, when it came to talking to customers about AI solutions and value propositions. So perhaps it’s no surprise that much of the conversations at the partner summit centered around what advisors can do to gain confidence and competencies when it comes to leading customers on the AI journey and selling AI solutions. And while, as Telarus chief revenue officer Dan Foster said, “there is no playbook for AI deployment,” findings in the technology distributor’s latest tech trends report provide partners with a strategy of attack, as well as a window into what buyers want to hear and the outcomes they want to see. 12 CHANNELVISION | SUMMER 2025
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