Build vs. Buy in the Age of AI Co-Pilots
- Dave Findlay
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
For years, the classic question in enterprise data has been:
“Should we build our own solution or buy something off the shelf?”
Now, with AI-assisted development tools the question is evolving. But the answer isn’t getting any easier.
It’s easier than ever to build. But that’s not the whole story.
There’s no doubt that co-pilots and assistants have lowered the barrier to custom development.
• You can generate boilerplate code in seconds
• You can scaffold pipelines, tests, and documentation faster than ever
• You can go from idea to prototype in a day
So it’s natural to ask:
“If it’s this easy to build, why are we buying anything at all?”
But here’s the thing:
Just because it’s easier to build doesn’t mean it’s easier to maintain.
Just because it’s fast to generate doesn’t mean it’s ready for enterprise use.
And in most cases, the cost to create isn’t the cost that matters most.
What looks like savings may be debt in disguise.
Quick builds can hide long-term responsibilities. A working proof-of-concept doesn’t mean you’re ready to run it at scale.
In a corporate environment, you’re not just building for yourself. You’re building for a team. And for the person who inherits it three quarters from now.
That means you’re accountable for:
• Permissions and access controls
• Logging and observability
• Documentation
• Governance and data quality
• Change management
• Support
All of these take time, tooling, and team capacity. And none of them are free.
How we’re thinking about build vs. buy now
At Fuse, we don’t ask, “Can we build this?” (You probably can. Especially now.)
Instead, we ask:
• Is this something we’re prepared to own?
• Does it give us an advantage we couldn’t buy?
• Will we still want this responsibility six or twelve months from now?
If the answer to all three is yes, then build.
If not, buy it. Integrate it. Focus your energy where it actually gives you leverage.
Final thought
AI is making it easier than ever to build. But in enterprise data, building is only the beginning.
Owning something means maintaining it, evolving it, supporting it, and making sure it continues to deliver value.
Choose wisely. Not based on what’s easy today, but based on what you’re willing to carry tomorrow.
At Fuse, we believe a great data strategy only matters if it leads to action.
If you’re ready to move from planning to execution — and build solutions your team will actually use — let’s talk.
