The Next MSP Evolution Is Managing Intelligence, Not Just Infrastructure

MSPs can build AI services by starting with their own internal use cases, then helping customers assess readiness, clean up data, set governance, and adopt AI in focused workflows. The opportunity extends beyond tool deployment to training, human review, and ongoing management. AI is already showing up in the tools businesses use every day. Employees are testing public chatbots, software vendors are adding AI features, and teams are experimenting with agents to speed up routine work. For customers, the question is shifting from “Should we use AI?” to “Who can help us use it well?” That shift creates a practical opportunity for managed service providers. The work isn't simply choosing a product and switching it on. It means helping customers decide where AI can make a meaningful difference, prepare the data and systems it will rely on, set access and governance policies, train people, and keep deployments useful and accountable over time. At Thrive 2026, AppDirect’s Mariane Louvet, director of ITCloud Provider Management, and David Gibson, general manager of managed services, joined Chris Bomberger, chief technology officer and chief architect at Higher Information Group, for a presentation and fireside chat about the shift to managed intelligence. The discussion paired a…