Forget Build vs. Buy: Why CEOs Are Choosing ‘DIY AI’ Solutions

CEOs often get the nickname “Chief Decision Maker” because they are regularly expected to make judgment calls about the future of their business. One of the most common is whether to build software or “buy” it. From solving workplace-level challenges to implementing organization-wide transformation, it’s on them to determine whether their organization will create something from the ground up or purchase an existing offering from a vendor.

SMB CEOs Have Historically Been Forced to Buy

For many small and midsize business (SMB) CEOs, “build” has historically been out of reach. They typically lack the resources, expertise, and time required to start from scratch; they also can’t afford the risk of investing in something that may not ultimately work. As a result, most are stuck defaulting to “buy.”

This leaves them locked in the constraints of what’s already available, rather than allowing them to develop a strategic and nuanced solution. And while customizing off-the-shelf offerings may seem like the easiest answer to this problem, this too comes with its own set of cons: high costs, project delays, and end products that often still fail to fully meet the business’s needs.

The good news? There’s a third option to the “build” or “buy” paradigm: “DIY AI.”

Introducing a 3rd Option

As it evolves, AI is democratizing capabilities that were once reserved for large enterprises with sophisticated IT departments and massive technology budgets. One of the biggest benefits to SMB CEOs is that AI enables businesses of all sizes to tap into business application development. They no longer need dedicated functions or extensive investment to design, test, and implement new digital solutions.

Instead, the advantage goes to those who have the right people on staff who both know the business and understand the technology. These individuals can apply workflow and design thinking to build solutions that are fully customized to the business.

And while “DIY AI” business applications will likely never compete with the scale of enterprise business apps, they aren’t meant to. Instead, this approach takes a bottom-up, micro-application mindset, enabling businesses to create targeted solutions in hours or days rather than weeks or months.

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Individual Automation in the Workplace

Individual automation is the next frontier of business application development. To date, most workplace technology has been designed at the organizational level. In the past, SMB CEOs purchased applications to standardize processes across departments or the entire company. However, DIY AI is enabling employees to build tools for themselves today — automating repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows, and improving personal productivity in ways that were previously impossible.

All it takes is a digitally engaged worker using the AI platform of their choice to build the applications they want, need, and will use.

Creating an agent, vibe coding, or building a bot are all within the reach of today’s workers. And while this doesn’t diminish the importance of workgroup and workforce organizational AI initiatives, individual automation is the fastest path to organization-wide productivity gains.

In practice, it will require time and training for workers to reach a level where they feel comfortable building their personal business apps. It will also necessitate a culture that encourages people to experiment, fail fast, and try again. But once employees reach that level of competency and confidence, individual automation can unlock a new wave of productivity gains across the workforce.

The DIY AI Builder as a Workforce Advantage

Individual automation also brings the concept of the builder into play. Builders are employees with advanced AI fluency who can rapidly create applications and automations for others. They can bypass others’ learning curves and quickly build highly customized individual or small-group apps based on defined requirements. Workers can then operate the app while the builder moves on to the next task, helping drive transformation across the business at scale.

Organizations are adopting AI at very different speeds. Some are still experimenting at a basic level, while others are rapidly building portfolios of applications and automations. But the most strategic organizations are those that recognize individual automation as a key driver of AI-powered productivity gains. They are fostering environments that empower employees to “DIY” their own solutions — and reaping the benefits across the business.

This story first appeared in Inc.

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