Every year, we sit down with Jay McBain, Chief Analyst – Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys about upcoming trends in the tech channel industry. Jay emphasized the rise of generative AI, which is projected to grow to $158 billion by 2028. He also discussed the impact of compliance and regulations on companies globally, particularly in California and Europe. The importance of partner programs and ecosystems was also highlighted, with a focus on meeting the needs of customers, subscription models, and marketplaces.

The future of NVIDIA in the generative AI market was discussed, with McBain predicting that they will not become a trillion-dollar company due to increasing competition. Julian and Jay also discussed the importance of cybersecurity, with a prediction that customers will have to make platform decisions for cybersecurity in 2024, with a suggestion that AI should be integrated as a feature in software products rather than marketed as a standalone product.

The future of emerging technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, RPA, IoT, quantum computing, and augmented reality was also discussed. AI and cybersecurity were predicted to continue to grow, while RPA may be threatened by generative AI. The potential of bots and AI in customer service and call centers was highlighted, as well as the impact of deep fake news on politics. Finally, the importance of partners in driving the tech industry forward was emphasized, especially during challenging times.