Every AI roadmap conversation eventually reaches the same fork: buy a point solution, build something custom, or some combination of both. Here’s the framework we walk clients through.
Buy when the workflow is generic. If the process you’re automating looks essentially the same at every company in your category — generic customer support triage, basic meeting notes — an off-the-shelf tool will almost always be faster and cheaper than a custom build, at least to start.
Build when the workflow is your competitive edge. If the process touches proprietary data, a differentiated customer experience, or deep integration with systems no vendor has pre-built connectors for, custom development protects both the quality of the outcome and your ability to iterate on it without waiting on a vendor’s roadmap.
Consider a hybrid when you’re validating first. A common pattern we recommend: pilot with an off-the-shelf tool to validate the use case and build internal buy-in cheaply, then invest in a custom build once you know exactly what “good” looks like and where the generic tool falls short.
The question that overrides all of this: who owns the data, the model behavior and the integration surface a year from now? If a vendor’s roadmap, pricing changes or shutdown risk could strand a process that’s become mission-critical, that’s usually the signal to build — even if it costs more up front.