<description> &lt;p&gt;Most AI projects do not fail outright. They just can't scale. That distinction matters more than most organizations realize.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In this episode of Decision Loop, Christine Babington is joined by Richard Davis, CEO and co-founder of Inference Group, to discuss a decision facing many enterprise leaders: whether to build AI capabilities in-house, buy off the shelf, or take a blended approach.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Richard draws on hands-on experience leading AI programmes to unpack why so many AI initiatives stall at the pilot stage, touching on data readiness, governance, and the hidden costs of in-house builds. He also shares a framework for deciding which AI capabilities your organization should own and which are better left to specialist vendors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you lead AI investment decisions in retail, manufacturing, or supply chain, this episode will sharpen your thinking on one of the most consequential decisions in enterprise AI right now.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Follow Decision Loop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Chapter Markers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(00:00) - Introduction and icebreaker: what would you automate with AI?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(03:22) - What triggered the build vs buy debate in enterprise AI?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(05:14) - Why 70% of AI projects fail to scale&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(09:52) - How to evaluate whether to build, buy, or blend&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(12:18) - Lifetime costs and the maintenance challenge&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(13:31) - The blended approach: knowing what to own&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(14:21) - Examples from Octopus Energy and Ocado&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(17:21) - Where enterprise AI is heading in the next one to two years&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;(19:06) - Key takeaways and wrap-up&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;🔗 Useful Links&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Christine Babington LinkedIn:&lt;a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/christine-babington-smith" target="_blank"&gt; https://uk.linkedin.com/in/christine-babington-smith&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Richard Davis LinkedIn: &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/richadavis/" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/richadavis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;RELEX Solutions Website:&lt;a href="https://www.relexsolutions.com/" target="_blank"&gt; https://www.relexsolutions.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; </description>

Decision Loop: AI for Retail & Manufacturing Leaders | Presented by RELEX Solutions

RELEX Solutions

Why it's a Blend of Build and Buy with AI | Richard Davis, Inference Group

APR 15, 202620 MIN
Decision Loop: AI for Retail & Manufacturing Leaders | Presented by RELEX Solutions

Why it's a Blend of Build and Buy with AI | Richard Davis, Inference Group

APR 15, 202620 MIN

Description

<p>Most AI projects do not fail outright. They just can't scale. That distinction matters more than most organizations realize.</p> <p>In this episode of Decision Loop, Christine Babington is joined by Richard Davis, CEO and co-founder of Inference Group, to discuss a decision facing many enterprise leaders: whether to build AI capabilities in-house, buy off the shelf, or take a blended approach.</p> <p>Richard draws on hands-on experience leading AI programmes to unpack why so many AI initiatives stall at the pilot stage, touching on data readiness, governance, and the hidden costs of in-house builds. He also shares a framework for deciding which AI capabilities your organization should own and which are better left to specialist vendors.</p> <p>If you lead AI investment decisions in retail, manufacturing, or supply chain, this episode will sharpen your thinking on one of the most consequential decisions in enterprise AI right now.</p> <p>Follow Decision Loop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <p>(00:00) - Introduction and icebreaker: what would you automate with AI?</p> <p>(03:22) - What triggered the build vs buy debate in enterprise AI?</p> <p>(05:14) - Why 70% of AI projects fail to scale</p> <p>(09:52) - How to evaluate whether to build, buy, or blend</p> <p>(12:18) - Lifetime costs and the maintenance challenge</p> <p>(13:31) - The blended approach: knowing what to own</p> <p>(14:21) - Examples from Octopus Energy and Ocado</p> <p>(17:21) - Where enterprise AI is heading in the next one to two years</p> <p>(19:06) - Key takeaways and wrap-up</p> <p><b>🔗 Useful Links</b></p> <p>Christine Babington LinkedIn:<a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/christine-babington-smith" target="_blank"> https://uk.linkedin.com/in/christine-babington-smith</a></p> <p>Richard Davis LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/richadavis/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/richadavis/</a></p> <p>RELEX Solutions Website:<a href="https://www.relexsolutions.com/" target="_blank"> https://www.relexsolutions.com/</a></p>