Key takeaway for the CIO: Stop hiring for “genAI experts.” Start developing “agent orchestrators” and investing in upskilling your MLOps team on the specific complexities of multi-agent coordination.
3. The build vs. buy strategy: Where to differentiate
The choice between leveraging an off-the-shelf cloud vendor copilot tool and building a custom, fine-tuned agent is arguably the most critical strategic decision you will face. It’s a decision that must align IT spending directly with your unique business value.
| Decision criteria | Buy (off-the-shelf) | Build (custom/hybrid) |
| Speed to value | Fast (weeks) | Slower (months/years) |
| Task scope | Narrow, contained, single-system | Broad, cross-system, complex workflow |
| Control & IP | Limited control, vendor roadmap dependent | Full control over logic, data and security |
| Strategic goal | Utility function, quick wins, cost reduction | Strategic differentiation, core competitive advantage |
- When to buy (the utility): Leverage off-the-shelf agents — like those offered by your cloud provider or ERP/CRM vendor — for system-specific, non-differentiating tasks. These agents offer speed, native integration and low upfront costs for use cases like generating summaries within a single application or managing simple service tickets.
- When to build (the weapon): Reserve your expensive internal talent for building agents that create unique competitive advantages. If an agent needs to pull data from your legacy manufacturing system, combine it with a real-time market feed and autonomously execute a proprietary trading strategy, you must build it. Custom builds offer the control and deep, cross-system integration required to deliver true business differentiation.
Ultimately, the smartest path is often a hybrid approach, supported by a unified agent platform. You buy the foundational infrastructure and non-differentiating agents, but you build the proprietary logic and specialized agents that connect your unique business processes. According to early adopters and industry leaders, this blended approach is key. Start with simple ‘buy’ options and plan for a ‘build’ component when aiming for meaningful business transformation.
