Why it's a Blend of Build and Buy with AI | Richard Davis, Inference Group
From Decision Loop: AI for Retail & Manufacturing Leaders | Presented by RELEX Solutions by RELEX Solutions
April 15, 2026 · 20 min · Season 1 · Episode 3
About this episode
Richard Davis discusses the decision-making process for building or buying AI capabilities in enterprises.
Most AI projects do not fail outright. They just can't scale. That distinction matters more than most organizations realize. 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. 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. 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. Follow Decision Loop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Chapter Markers (00:00) - Introduction and icebreaker: what would you automate with AI? (03:22) - What triggered the build vs buy debate in enterprise AI? (05:14) - Why 70% of AI projects fail to scale (09:52)…
People in this episode
Host: Christine Babington
Guest: Richard Davis
Topics covered
- AI capabilities
- build vs buy
- enterprise AI
- data readiness
- governance
- cost evaluation
Keywords
- AI projects
- scalability
- enterprise leaders
- blended approach
- investment decisions
- supply chain
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Inference Group, Octopus Energy, Ocado
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