In turn, technology advisors need to bring a deeper product-level understanding of the AI-enabled solutions they represent. “Partners have a pivotal role to play in the AI and platforms landscape,” said Gartner senior principal Arunasree Cheparthi. “Those who position themselves as the economic control plane, deciding which AI capabilities to deploy, monitoring performance, ensuring policies and optimizing costs are set to capture the most long-term value.” Unlike traditional SaaS solutions, which tend to provide a predefined purpose, AI models often are about a capability that customers must adapt to their own businesses. And since every deployment is different, companies need technically proficient advisors who can bridge engineering with customer needs. That doesn’t mean technology advisors need to get deep into the weeds, as an FDE would, or attempt to come across as some type of machine learning engineer. Rather, conversations with customers should focus less on large-scale AI transformation and more on translating AI capabilities into business outcomes, such as productivity or employee efficiency, as well as governance and adoption strategy. AI certification signals that an advisor has validated knowledge rather than just general familiarity, instilling confidence with SMB customers that they are recommending realistic solutions instead of trend-driven ones. Formal AI education helps advisors identify risks earlier and, with some understanding of the customer’s workflows, spot higher-value opportunities. It’s also not uncommon for buying circles to include representatives from multiple departments within a business. In turn, certification classes often include information pertaining to security controls, compliance standards, governance, disaster recovery and ethical standards, arming advisors with answers to questions that could arise from multiple directions. With all this in mind, AI marketplace Palomarr will be hosting a series of training and certification courses at the upcoming CVxEXPO26 this November in Phoenix, Ariz. The 1.5-hour product training sessions within the Palomarr AI Academy will be led by dedicated, expert instructors and conclude with online testing for certification. Each of the breakout rooms of the Palomarr AI Academy at CVxEXPO will have a specific theme such as customer experience or cybersecurity. The product training sessions will cover AI readiness, deployment scenarios, use cases and conclude with a certification quiz. At the end of each session, attendees will receive a badge to show they have been certified in a specific AI category. Attendees also will be able to follow up with corresponding vendors in the expo hall for further information and instruction. “It’s a classroom, but it will be a bit hands-on, as well. These are interactive sessions,” explained Aarde Cosseboom, founder of Palomarr. “You’re going to learn a lot in these sessions, so I wouldn’t anticipate people just sitting in the back of the room on their phones answering emails.” The Palomarr AI Academy takes place all three days of CVxEXPO26 – offering up to 16 individual training sessions for participants to choose from – available at no cost to all CVxEXPO26 registered attendees. o 14 CHANNELVISION | SUMMER 2026 AI capability indicators: Training has become a talent lever Senior leaders need AI training as much as junior staff Received substantial, ongoing AI training (last 12 months) AI skills will matter more than formal qualifications Would change jobs for better AI training 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% SOURCE Emergn survey of senior leaders Senior leaders in my organization need AI training as much as, or more, than junior employees. 67% 16% 17% Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree SOURCE Emergn survey of senior leaders AI capability indicators: Training has become a talent lever Senior leaders need AI training as much as junior staff Received substantial, ongoing AI training (last 12 months) AI skills will matter more than formal qualifications Would change jobs for better AI training 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% SOURCE Emergn survey of senior leaders Senior leaders in my organization need AI training as much as, or more, than junior employees. 67% 16% 17% Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree SOURCE Emergn survey of senior leaders
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