When it comes to enterprise AI, companies often ask themselves one key question: Should we develop our own AI solution, or should we rely on a ready-made product from one of the major providers?
Why companies want to shape their own AI future AI products from major providers such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Google Gemini offer powerful standard solutions, but they come with challenges: high and difficult-to-plan licensing costs, limited customizability, dependence on external providers, and little differentiation from competitors.
The strategic alternative is to develop your own AI platform. An in-house tool not only scales more cost-effectively, but can also be flexibly adapted to internal processes, data, and your own design system. This turns AI into a real corporate asset, rather than just another standard tool.
Make or Buy? The decisive factors Whether it's an in-house development or a ready-made solution, the key is to find the right balance between independence, speed, and user-centricity. Companies should consider the added value their own solution offers over external products. A key advantage of an in-house developed platform is its independence from providers. Companies can use different LLMs simultaneously, comply with their own security and governance regulations, and respond flexibly to price or technology changes.
At the same time, the user experience is crucial. Employees expect an internal AI solution to be just as easy to use, understandable, and trustworthy as ChatGPT, and to have the same familiar features. Companies must therefore also consider opportunities for user feedback and analytics in order to understand and continuously improve the use of the application.
Another advantage of having your own AI solution: reusable components. An internal platform makes it possible to use AI modules in different business areas, support POCs, and maintain a consistent brand identity. After all, only a solution that is "on brand" strengthens trust, adoption, and differentiation—a decisive advantage for large and medium-sized companies.
Your own AI in practice Practice shows that successful companies pursue a clear strategy: they combine in-house development where differentiation or cost efficiency are crucial, and make targeted use of external components where it makes sense. Speed, pragmatic development processes, and flat hierarchies enable rapid iterations. At the same time, internal talent is developed to ensure the long-term development and support of the platform.
Experience also shows that not every innovation has to be invented in-house. Proven patterns, features, and user flows can be adapted. It is important that the platform responds flexibly to the needs of employees, integrates internal data sources, and at the same time maintains independence from providers.
Why CX, UX, marketing, and sales benefit A proprietary AI solution has an impact on virtually all areas of a company. In the area of customer experience, it becomes the central lever for personalized and cross-channel experiences because the company retains full control over data, processes, and touchpoints. For UX teams, having their own platform opens up the possibility of implementing user-centered functions, continuously gathering feedback, and tailoring the AI precisely to the way employees work. Marketing and sales also benefit: content automation, data-driven insights, personalized campaigns, and automated sales processes can be seamlessly integrated into the platform. The ability to link proprietary knowledge and provide customized features creates a clear competitive advantage over standard solutions.
Conclusion: The future belongs to hybrid, company-owned AI platforms Companies today are at a turning point: those who simply purchase AI work efficiently. Those who develop AI themselves are actively shaping the future of their company. The key lies in a hybrid approach: building your own AI ecosystem, integrating multi-vendor solutions, adhering to UX standards, and promoting reusability. This results not only in a single application, but in a scalable platform that combines innovation, brand identity, and entrepreneurial freedom.