Build or buy? How smaller firms should choose AI tools

Start from the problem. A tool you already pay for is often enough. Ordinary automation, without a model, is enough for some of the copy-paste. Building is the right call when the work is specific to how your firm runs and no product fits.

Leaving it alone is a valid answer. I take no kickbacks, and I don't resell platforms, so the recommendation is not tied to a vendor.

Nearly three-quarters of AI high performers fundamentally redesigned workflows, against a quarter of other companies (McKinsey, August 2026). That study is mostly large organizations, and it shows an association, not proof that redesign causes the result. It is still a useful warning: dropping a chatbot on an unchanged process rarely changes the outcome.