In this episode of Train to Gain, hosts Erin Raitt and Katie Merrill sit down with Kathryn Rose, founding CEO of ChannelWise and co-founder of the Channel Marketing Association, to unpack what AI literacy really means for the channel. They explore how vendors and partners can move beyond hype and start using AI in ways that are strategic, safe, and genuinely useful.

What We Talk About

• What AI literacy is – and why it’s more than just “using ChatGPT.”
• The difference between AI assistants vs. AI agents (and why most people are actually working with assistants, not true agents).
• Why data quality and structure are make-or-break for successful AI projects.
• How to approach AI training for different audiences: leadership, frontline teams, and partners.
• The adoption gap between channel vendors and partners, and what that means for enablement.
• How Kathryn’s tools, Partner GPT and ChannelGTM.ai, support AI literacy across the ecosystem.

Stories & Real-World Examples

• Kathryn compares today’s AI moment to the early days of social media, when everyone was told to “get on Facebook and LinkedIn” without a real strategy.
• A Fortune 50 vendor thought their team was fully trained on AI—until an assessment revealed that 90% rarely used it.
• A look at the reality of channel life: leaders running at trade show speed, struggling to find time to learn AI, and small partners working in the business instead of on it.
• Kathryn’s favorite use case: using AI as a coach and role-play partner for difficult conversations and sales scenarios, including a “tough love” sales coach that doesn’t hesitate to tell you, “That opener is terrible”—and then helps you fix it.

Key Takeaway

AI won’t magically solve everything—but when you pair good data, clear guardrails, and step-by-step thinking with the right tools, it becomes a powerful assistant rather than a risky shortcut. Start small, pick one use case, and let leadership model how to use AI responsibly so the rest of the organization (and your partners) can follow with confidence.

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