When a custom build makes sense
A specialized document process, internal decision tool or unusual integration may need more than configuring a standard agent. The first question is whether a tailored application can solve a valuable, repeatable problem with the information available.
Potential work includes document intelligence, decision support, predictive analytics, computer vision and specialized internal tools. Feasibility, data requirements and evaluation differ across these tasks, so they should not share an unexplained flat project price.
Give the pilot a decision to resolve
A pilot needs a bounded use case, representative inputs and agreed acceptance criteria. Evaluation should include incorrect outputs, uncertain cases and the cost of human review, not only impressive successful examples.
The pilot result can support a production proposal, a revised approach or a decision to stop. A pilot agreement does not automatically commit the client to production.
Production is a separate operational responsibility
A production phase can include interfaces, connectors, permissions, exception handling, observability, documentation and team handover. These requirements are agreed alongside model behavior rather than postponed until the end.
Compute, storage, monitoring and ongoing support depend on the deployed architecture and workload. They are explicitly quoted for the system. Custom AI does not necessarily mean training a new foundation model from scratch.
Questions about this service
Do we need our own trained model?
Not necessarily. A standard model with retrieval or application logic may be suitable. Fine-tuning or specialized models are considered when evaluation and the use case justify them.
How do you price a custom project?
Discovery identifies the deliverables, data, integrations, acceptance criteria and deployment requirements. Pilot and production fees are quoted against their agreed scopes.
What happens if a pilot does not meet the criteria?
The agreement defines evaluation and next decisions. A failed criterion is a reason to revise or stop, rather than label an incomplete pilot production-ready.