Amber Hickman |
Nicole Dezen, chief partner officer and corporate vice president of global partner solutions, has shared the 2024 update on the ‘State of the Partner Ecosystem’.
“Artificial intelligence is a defining technology of our time,” said Dezen in a Microsoft blog post. “Over the past year we’ve begun to see how it can unlock profound possibilities for individuals, organisations and society – and it’s clear that we have only scratched the surface.
“For Microsoft and our partners across industries, AI offers a generational moment to reimagine the capabilities that software and services can provide. Our goal at Microsoft is to innovate and democratise our breakthroughs in AI, and the opportunity for partners is far greater than the sum of AI technologies themselves.”
Dezen revealed some of the new updates to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program that will help partners further utilise AI. These updates include the expansion of AI skilling and events, new benefits packages with product enhancements such as Microsoft 365 developer, and new designations for partners to establish certified AI solutions and find new ways to differentiate themselves.
Dezen also shared that there has been a nearly 250 per cent increase in the number of generative AI-related partners in the last eight months, as well as some of the partners that have been making advances in AI development.
For example, Accenture and Avanade have been working with Amadeus to develop a generative AI-powered interactive assistant. Meanwhile, Blue Yonder is using AI and machine learning to help its customers with end-to-end supply chain management and Sight Machine has been working with manufacturers to make their businesses stronger through Factory Copilot.
“We have seen tremendous progress as partners seize the moment and turn the promise of AI into a reality around the world,” said Dezen. “Today, we have moved from talking about AI to applying AI at scale in ways no one could have imagined just a few months ago. Microsoft is infusing AI across every layer of its tech stack, creating new ways to power organisations and industries, and unlocking new opportunities to deliver transformational value to customers.”