While AI has been around in various forms for decades, it was the release of ChatGPT-4 in 2023 that really opened the floodgates. The accessibility and ease of use helped it take off, with other tools like Microsoft Copilot quickly following suit, and now GenAI is woven into the very fabric of business as we know it. It’s no longer just hype—it’s a tool boosting countless MSPs’ productivity and revenue.
Channel vendors have been a significant part of the shift as well, with many building AI and automation of various forms into their platforms and products, and even creating educational AI content to get MSPs up to speed. For example, Kaseya introduced its Cooper Intelligence Engine in 2022 and has continued to build on that foundation throughout its platform.
But when you’re surrounded by innovation every day, it can be hard to keep track of how fast things are actually moving. To take a closer look, we’ve compiled a timeline of AI’s progress, viewed through our MSP Success coverage. Here are some of the highlights.
July 2023: MSP Success Has an Eye on AI
Our first ever coverage of Generative AI—and the introduction of our regular “Eye on AI” column. The article covered how AI, ChatGPT, and MSPs can work together, and was filled with mixed reviews from the MSPs interviewed. Attitudes ranged from wariness to adopt too early to enthusiastic invention with AI.
September 2023: Early Adopters Revved Their Engines
This month, we posted our first of multiple articles on how to use AI in marketing; it’s funny to see how much more complex these became. (Here’s one from this summer on creating your own AI marketing agent, for comparison.)
OpenAI also announced the release of ChatGPT for Enterprise, cementing the use of GenAI in the workplace going forward.
November 2023: Security Concerns Arise
In an industry where cybersecurity is always top of mind, it’s no surprise that it didn’t take long for MSPs and security experts to point out the vulnerabilities GenAI brought along with it. Early AI cybersecurity gap concerns included data privacy, a lack of regulatory policies in place, and (correct) predictions that AI would increase the prevalence of cybersecurity and phishing attacks.
December 2023: AI Predictions for 2024
We wrapped our AI coverage of 2023 with this article predicting what MSPs could expect from AI in 2024. Notable forecasts included legal risk concerns, opportunities to help clients scale and streamline with AI, and MSPs automating internal processes like the help desk.
January 2024: AI Continues to Accelerate
In 2023, MSP Success posted nine articles related to AI; in 2024, that number more than doubled, with a whopping 23 AI articles posted.
We kicked off January wondering who would help train and oversee employee AI use in organizations—and noting that MSPs had the opportunity to do exactly that. This also marked a shift in the channel’s general attitude towards AI—from a potential fad to be wary of, to an exciting opportunity to accelerate MSP growth.
February 2024: Distributers Jump on the AI Train
In early 2024, we saw distributors rush to help MSPs monetize Microsoft Copilot. This marked the beginning of the surge of AI-related tools, programs, and educational opportunities distributors would offer MSPs to help them stay competitive in an AI-driven channel.
June 2024: AI Critical to Staying Competitive
By summertime, the channel’s attitude had changed again—AI wasn’t just a growth opportunity and exciting tool, but a crucial component to staying competitive. The concern from MSPs and experts alike was that MSPs who didn’t jump on the AI bandwagon—and fast—would be left in the dust, unable to keep up with AI-powered competitors’ pricing, timelines, and capabilities.
September 2024: Survey Says… The Industry is Automating
This month, we posted the results of our first AI-focused industry survey, centered on AI and automation. The survey found that a mere 15% of respondents weren’t automating anything within their MSP, with most respondents automating everything from data backups to marketing campaigns. The majority of respondents also reported leaning on AI for tasks like client communications, scripting and coding, and marketing.
December 2024: The Birth of AIaaS
The concept of AI as a Service—and the opportunities it offered—joined the conversation. MSPs on the bleeding edge of AI shared how they were packaging the service, sharing the ins, outs, and obstacles of offering it to clients.
January 2025: SMBs Lean on MSPs for GenAI
Our coverage on AI didn’t slow down this year either, with 25 AI-related articles posted so far.
This month, ISG’s research found that wide swaths of SMBs were kickstarting AI initiatives, with two thirds of SMBs’ GenAI initiatives supported by MSPs. This was not only a major opportunity for MSPs to upsell and add value to their clients, but a clear indicator that GenAI was becoming a staple of the broader workforce.
March 2025: AI a Freeway of Opportunity
GTIA’s analysts found that AI was creating major opportunity for MSPs, even outpacing expected revenue growth from cybersecurity in a significant shakeup. More than that, they anticipated AI becoming a new source of MRR for MSPs, not just a one-off project.
May 2025: Spy vs. Spy? Try AI vs. AI
Our coverage of the 2025 RSA conference made it clear that security vendors and MSPs alike were taking a “fight fire with fire” approach to the rampant increase in AI-enhanced cyberattacks—a strategy that likely won’t lose steam anytime soon.
June 2025: AI Agents Shake Up the Channel
At Pax8 Beyond 2025, the distributor pointed out that the rise of AI agents signaled a major shift for the channel. They anticipated this shift would be significant enough to transition MSPs to MIPs, or Managed Intelligence Providers.
September 2025: AI Certifications Enter the Picture
Any MSP worth their salt knows certifications are key for demonstrating and maintaining your expertise. But are AI certifications worth the time for you and your team? Only time will tell…
October 2025: Survey Results Tell All
Just over a year after our last survey on AI and automation, we turned to the channel again to see how MSPs’ attitudes towards and applications of AI had shifted, surveying MSPs’ preparedness for the AI shift.
Comparing the surveys side-by-side is telling. The number of MSPs not using AI internally dropped from 17% in 2024 to just 4% in 2025, and 72% of the 2025 survey respondents deemed AI “very important” to their business strategy over the next 1-3 years. With numbers like that, it’s clear AI has become a crucial fixture in MSP operations.
December 2025: Autonomous Business Around the Bend
Gartner’s analysts predicted that not only was AI here to stay, but that it would end the digital era of business—and usher in the autonomous era. With AI agents becoming more advanced, decision-making power will be the differentiator between an automized business, and an autonomous one.
The Years in Review
Laid out like that, AI and automation have progressed astonishingly fast, even for a channel that moves at warp speed on a regular basis. And with AI advancements ramping up in the tail end of the year, it’s unlikely to slow down anytime soon. Be sure to check back here for more coverage on AI in 2026—we’ll be sure to tell you about the fastballs as soon as they’re thrown.
