Alex Tatham on the channel’s AI trajectory

What’s working and what’s overhyped? Channel veteran gives his perspective

Veteran channel leader Alex Tatham urges partners to look beyond the AI hype and focus on where it’s already delivering tangible value – especially in marketing – while warning that agent-based AI remains “overhyped” for now.

Speaking to CRN, the former Westcoast MD and current board advisor at QBS Software said the channel is beginning to emerge from what he calls the “trough of disillusionment” around AI.

“You're seeing some real deployments now of AI projects going on,” he says.

“It is not just additional infrastructure. It is actually providing some real business value.”

Tatham highlights marketing as a sweet spot for AI adoption in the channel.

“Marketers want to be famous for some of this work that [AI] can deliver,” he says.

“There’s a super opportunity there. The way to get a project across the line is often via the marketing budget.”

He points to CI Group – a marketing and events agency he is a NED at – as an example of where channel-adjacent firms are successfully running board-level workshops and AI projects focused on business outcomes.

“They’re outstanding at that,” he adds.

But while AI is gaining traction, Tatham believes agentic AI – tools capable of operating autonomously or coordinating multiple tasks on behalf of users – is still “at the top of the hype cycle.”

“I think that’s overhyped at the moment,” he says.

“We haven’t got to the real deployment of those yet.

“Companies are prepared to do proof of concepts – especially if they’re low cost – but you’ve got to satisfy the ‘guardians of the realm’: the CIO, compliance, legal.

“You can't just go wild with the free tools and pretend it's secure.”

Tatham adds confusion around internal AI policies is a growing blocker.

“Most people have an AI policy, but no one knows whether they’re following it or not,” he says.

“And yet everyone is using AI in some way – whether it’s note-taking, search, or content generation.”

He urges partners to step up their advisory role in helping customers deploy AI responsibly.

“If your marketing agency isn’t using AI to its fullest extent – get rid of it,” he says.

“That’s my message to the channel.”