---
id: "action-outsource-general-ai"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ Could You Build a Better Program?"]
tags: ["build-vs-buy", "it-strategy"]
related: ["claim-custom-models-outsourced", "entity-openai"]
speakers: ["Jay B. Barney", "Martin Reeves"]
action: "Outsource general-purpose Gen AI capabilities to specialized providers rather than building custom foundational models."
outcome: "Prevents wasted capital on easily replicable tech and aligns IT strategy with realistic capabilities."
sources: ["spine"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-spine"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-cl-96-ai-no-sustainable-advantage"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2024/09/ai-wont-give-you-a-new-sustainable-advantage"
sourceTitle: "AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainable Advantage"
---
# Outsource General-Purpose AI Development

**Action:** Avoid pouring heavy resources into building custom, general-purpose foundational models. Outsource this to specialized providers such as [[entity-openai-d1]], who have scale and experience — treat foundation models like standard word-processing software.

**Outcome:** Prevents wasted capital on easily replicable technology and aligns IT strategy with realistic internal capabilities.

**Rationale & caveat:** Grounded in [[claim-custom-models-outsourced]]. Note the enrichment qualification: *narrow, domain-specific* fine-tuning on proprietary data embedded in workflows can still be defensible — the 'outsource' rule targets *general-purpose frontier* models, not all in-house model work.