As AI adoption accelerates across industries, organisations face an important decision: how should they incorporate off-the-shelf AI and custom AI into their business strategy? This article guides readers through the characteristics of the two, using real-world considerations such as cost, implementation speed, and data privacy.

In the short time since it entered general availability in 2024, Microsoft Copilot has had a profound impact on business IT. But while Copilot and other AI assistants can offer huge productivity gains, they do require in-depth strategic planning, proactive management, and effective end user enablement to maximise gains while reducing risks to data protection and governance.