Three quotes that tell the AI partner story of XChange UK 2026

IT leaders shared their stories on how they’re thinking about and implementing AI-driven strategies during CRN UK’s flagship event

What an event this year’s XChange UK was.

CRN UK’s editorial team were in Birmingham – deputy editor Kelsey Rees and reporter Paul Ferretti have reflected on their top quotable moments from two days of partner content.

XChange UK marked its fourth show as our flagship boardroom channel leader event.

Conversations over two days saw 70 partner executives gather to discuss what is shaping the channel landscape right now.

Our fantastic advisory board boardroom leaders were fully briefed to help partners have a truly collaborative experience, share their top challenges and aspirations for the year ahead alongside their peers.

Top of the agenda was AI reinvention in the channel.

This dominated not just the main stage, but also the boardroom breakouts across days one and two.

Overall, XChange UK 2026 dug into how AI is changing services delivery: the operational and margin pressure, security responsibility, and how partners can scale sustainably.

Here are some of the top takeaways from our speakers.

‘Excessive use of AI is the new digital waste’

That was the warning from Richard Eglon, CMO at Nebula Global Services during a session exploring the environmental impact of AI.

As AI moves from experimentation to mainstream deployment, Eglon argued that sustainability is shifting from a reporting exercise to a frontline operational issue for the channel.

With AI infrastructure driving huge increases in energy consumption and data centre demand, he explained that organisations risk deploying the technology simply because they can.

For partners, however, balancing AI innovation with sustainability could become a competitive advantage.

Customers are increasingly scrutinising how digital services are delivered and looking for providers who innovate responsibly.

‘Systems can be up, but work can still be down’

Tim Russell, chief technologist for modern workspace at CDW, argued that the channel must rethink how it measures IT performance in the era of SaaS, hybrid work and increasingly complex digital workplaces.

Traditional metrics such as uptime or server health are no longer enough if employees still struggle to get work done, he said.

Instead, partners should start measuring the actual user experience - or digital employee experience (DEX) - at the endpoint rather than simply monitoring infrastructure health.

‘Remember you need to be the editor of what AI has given you’

Debra Cairns, MD at Net-Defence, offered a note of caution amid the excitement around GenAI.

While channel organisations are rapidly deploying AI to boost productivity and automate internal processes, Cairns stressed that human oversight remains essential.

Partners must ensure AI supports, rather than replaces, the human judgement and customer relationships that define successful channel businesses.

More from the XChange series

Missed out on XChange UK?

You can still register to attend XChange EMEA, taking place on 22-23 June in The Netherlands.

Click here to visit the website and here to secure your free place.

We’ve got more great content coming.