Build / Buy / Bend
Build it. Buy it. Or bend what you already have.
You need the capability. You don’t necessarily need to build the software.
Explore three ways to add an AI capability to a company: build it yourself, buy an existing product, or bend the tools you already have. Change the constraints and see when the right answer changes.
Companies often jump from
“We need AI.”
to
“We should build an AI agent.”
There are usually at least three ways to get the same capability. Your job isn’t to choose the most impressive one. It’s to choose the one that makes sense for the business.
BUILD
Custom software designed around your workflow.
Maximum control
BUY
Adopt an existing AI product.
Fastest path
BEND
Combine tools you already own with a lightweight custom layer.
Smallest useful system
Same problem. Three very different systems.