Agentic AI untangled: Navigating the build, buy, or borrow decision

Agentic AI is reshaping work and unlocking a multi-billion dollar productivity shift. Learn how to choose the right build, buy, or borrow strategy—and use trust, data, and orchestration to scale AI into real, measurable business value.

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Agentic AI is moving from experimentation to operational reality—fast. But most organizations are stuck at the decision point: Do we build our own agents, buy off-the-shelf solutions, or partner to scale faster?

This paper cuts through the noise with a practical framework to help leaders make the right agentic AI investment—based on value, risk, and readiness.

Ready to move from exploration to execution? Dive deeper into the strategies shaping the future of agentic AI.

Download the paper to get clarity and direction.

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According to our latest AI Pulse Survey, 57 percent of organizations favor a blend of building and buying AI agents, up from 51 percent in the second quarter of 2025.

Swami Chandrasekaran

Global Head of Al & Data Labs, KPMG US

Why this matters now: The agentification moment

Productivity is shifting—don’t let complexity stall your strategy.

The real risk isn’t moving too fast. It’s choosing the wrong model and locking in cost, complexity, or dependency.

Agentic AI is powering a $3T productivity shift, and adoption is accelerating faster than most enterprises expected. The gap between proof of concept and enterprise‑scale impact is shrinking—and competitive advantage is shifting to those who decide correctly, early.

A clear framework to help you choose which path best fits your AI strategy.

Build:

Best when differentiation, control, and data sovereignty matter most. Ideal for organizations with mature engineering teams, strong governance, and long term strategic intent. Trade off: Higher investment and longer time to value—but maximum ownership and advantage.

Buy:

Best for speed, proven capabilities, and fast deployment. Ideal when vendor solutions meet most requirements and internal AI capacity is limited. Trade off: Faster results, but limited customization and potential long term dependency.

Borrow:

Best when flexibility and rapid scale are critical. Ideal for organizations that want to co create agents with partners, sharing risk while accelerating capability. Trade off: Less ownership—but faster learning and reduced upfront cost.

This paper provides a clear, executive-ready decision framework for navigating agentic AI—grounded in real enterprise use cases, not hype.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

Determine when to build, buy, borrow—or combine approaches
Align agent strategy to business value, data sensitivity, and differentiation needs
Avoid common pitfalls like fragmented agent ecosystems, vendor lock-in, and governance gaps
Design agents that scale safely with observability, auditability, and trust built in
Move from experimentation to repeatable ROI

Who should read this:

CIOs, CTOs, CDOs, and AI leaders
Digital transformation and innovation executives
Technology and operations decision‑makers responsible for AI investment
Leaders responsible for governance, risk, and enterprise scaling

If you’re under pressure to move faster with AI—without increasing risk—this paper is for you.

Get the practical framework, real‑world examples, and decision clarity you need to turn AI agents into a competitive advantage.

Download the paper to get clarity and direction.

Download now

This paper introduces:

	A practical agent taxonomy (taskers, automators, collaborators, orchestrators)
	A decision tree that maps agent types directly to build, buy, or borrow choices
	A readiness checklist covering workforce skills, infrastructure, context engineering, security, and governance

The result: Clarity instead of chaos—and decisions that stand up at scale.

We help you unlock lasting value with agentic AI through a trusted, people‑first partnership from strategy through execution.

AI Strategy

Define your agentic AI vision and roadmap.
Build a tailored strategy and business case to drive investment and executive buy‑in.

AI Jumpstart

Accelerate from concept to scale with proven methods.
Rapidly deploy solutions, experiment safely, and scale adoption.

AI Workforce

Empower teams for AI‑driven work.
Augment roles with agents, strengthen governance, and upskill employees.

AI Technology

Build sustainable AI and data foundations.
Streamline integration, speed rollout, and modernize your tech stack.

AI Trust

Deploy AI securely and responsibly.
Manage risk, security, and compliance with a Trusted AI framework