Do not build your own CRM

The argument is that AI has revived an old technology mistake: assuming a system is easy to build because a prototype is quick to produce. Production software carries years of accumulated edge cases, exceptions, security requirements, and operational lessons that may not be visible in a simple demonstration. Recreating those lessons takes time and creates risk. The usual rule still applies: invest in software that gives your organization a competitive advantage, and buy specialized tools for everything else. The scarcity of cheap replacements for mature systems is not proof that vendors are complacent; it reflects how difficult their products are to replicate well.

AI does make it sensible to replace some thin, low-risk tools, such as generic writing or meeting-summary software, report formatters, and data-cleanup scripts. But it does not eliminate the economics of specialization: vendors gain access to AI too, and can spread development and maintenance costs across many customers. An in-house system brings ongoing responsibility for outages, bugs, security updates, platform migrations, regulatory changes, and feature requests. It also competes for attention with every other internally built product. Rather than building a CRM or compliance platform such as KYC, organizations should review the vendor market more frequently and consider new competitors as AI accelerates disruption.