The new alliance will develop shared specifications, capability standards, accreditation programs, and research intended to help MSPs deliver AI services responsibly.
The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) is forming a new Managed Intelligence Alliance to establish standards and governance for managed AI services as solution providers race to add the technology to their portfolios.
Announced at GTIA ChannelCon 2026 in San Diego, the alliance is scheduled to begin forming during the third quarter. Its work will center on four pillars: open specifications, capability standards, accreditation programs, and industry research and intelligence.
The accreditation programs will be developed with the Consortium for Responsible IT Services, or CRITS, a separate initiative from GTIA and Texas A&M University’s Global Cyber Research Institute. The consortium is developing an industry-led self-regulatory framework for IT services.
MSPs will help shape managed AI standards
MJ Shoer, chief community officer at GTIA, told Channel Insider that the alliance is designed to give every GTIA member an opportunity to influence how responsible and secure AI services are delivered.
“The Managed Intelligence Alliance gives every GTIA member a seat at the table while the standards and frameworks around responsible and secure delivery of AI take shape,” Shoer said.
GTIA plans to seek member feedback as those frameworks develop. Shoer said he hopes hundreds of members will be actively involved within the next year, although he emphasized that developing mature standards will be a multiyear effort.
“We will have established standards and frameworks coming out of both the consortium and the Managed Intelligence Alliance,” Shoer said of his goal for the initiative. “Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves, get to work, and get some output out there for members to comment on and help shape.”
Pax8 backs a vendor-neutral framework
Pax8 is serving as the alliance’s initiating member. Ryan Walsh, chief strategy officer at Pax8, said the company brought the managed intelligence concept to GTIA because the need for common standards extends beyond one vendor’s partner ecosystem.
“GTIA was built to take that signal and then do something that nobody else could do, which is represent everybody,” Walsh said.
That vendor-neutral structure could help distinguish the alliance from the growing collection of vendor-specific AI programs and certifications.
Walsh reiterated GTIA’s promise to its members that MSPs will have the opportunity to shape and comment on proposed standards and access training at no additional cost beyond their annual membership fees.
Alliance targets the gap between AI adoption and governance
Renee McCloden, senior director of vendor strategy and programs at Pax8, said MSPs remain at widely different stages of AI adoption. Some need basic readiness frameworks, while more advanced providers are already implementing agentic technologies.
“What does the framework look like? What does readiness look like? How do I evaluate where I’m at?” McCloden said. “Once we get that evaluation, then we can architect a transformation plan and work collaboratively on that.”
The governance gap is becoming more pressing as AI adoption moves faster than formal business policies. Citing Pax8’s recent SMB research, Walsh said 61% of surveyed businesses were actively using AI, while only 23% had an acceptable-use policy in place.
What the initiative could mean for MSP services
For MSPs, the alliance’s impact will depend on whether its work translates into practical guidance providers can use with customers. Shared readiness frameworks, service standards, and accreditation could give MSPs a clearer way to assess AI environments, build repeatable offerings, and demonstrate that those services address security, data governance, and responsible-use concerns.
GTIA members will also have an opportunity to shape those expectations before they become entrenched across the market. If the alliance succeeds, participating MSPs could gain more than another certification.
They could help define what trustworthy managed AI looks like—and establish a stronger role for the channel as businesses move from experimenting with AI to managing it as a core part of their IT operations.