10/08/2026
The most common AI question we get right now is some version of "should we buy a tool or build something?"
Here is the sorting exercise we use, and you can run it yourself before you talk to anyone.
Take every AI idea on your list and ask one question about each: would a direct competitor get the same value out of this exact tool?
If yes, buy it. Meeting notes, ticket triage, document summaries, first draft content. Vendors have refined these across thousands of companies and you will not beat them on cost or speed.
If no, that is where a custom build starts to make sense. Usually it is because the answer lives in your own data. A chatbot reading public documentation gives you public answers. A chatbot reading your own repair history can tell a technician what tends to fail next on that unit.
We wrote up the full framework on the blog, including the five questions that settle the decision, where off-the-shelf hits a ceiling, and what custom costs you in year two.
Link in the comments.