Buying guide
AI consultancy or an in-house AI team?
Build in-house when AI is a permanent core capability you can staff. Use a partner when you need a production system sooner than you can hire, or to learn what team you need.
Start with how long the need will last
For a CTO or operations leader deciding how to staff AI work, the first question is whether AI will be a permanent part of the product or operation, or a set of specific systems. A permanent capability usually needs permanent people. A defined system with a clear end may not justify a new team.
Compare time to a working system
Recruiting experienced AI and data engineers can take months, and a new team then needs time to learn your data, systems and controls. An experienced partner can often start sooner. Compare the realistic date for a system in production under each option, not the date the first person starts.
Count the whole team, not one hire
A production AI system needs more than a data scientist. It needs data engineering, software engineering, platform and security work, evaluation and someone who owns the operating process. A single hire without that support often produces prototypes that do not reach production.
Consider a combined model
Many organisations use a partner to build the first system while they recruit. The partner's engineers work alongside your people, document decisions and hand over the system as your team grows. This works best when the handover is planned from the start and your own engineers take part in the build.
Decide what you must own
Whichever route you choose, keep ownership of the data, the code and the knowledge of how the system works. Agree access, documentation and exit terms with any partner before work starts. The aim is a capability your organisation can run and change, not a dependency on one supplier.
Take the next step
Explore the approach and evidence
Practical guides
Discuss your decision problem
Bring an example of the current process and the decision you need to improve. We can help define a useful first release and assess whether a build is the right next step.
