Custom AI agent or generic AI tool—which does the business need?

When a generic tool is enough

Use a general tool for occasional drafting, brainstorming, summarising or analysis where a person supplies context and reviews every result.

When a custom agent may be justified

Consider one when work is recurring, digital and measurable; requires approved business knowledge; needs defined permissions; and must escalate exceptions consistently.

Compare the operating requirements

• Knowledge: temporary prompt context versus approved organisational sources
• Continuity: one-off assistance versus an ongoing responsibility
• Authority: a person executes every step versus bounded permitted actions
• Exceptions: ad hoc review versus defined escalation
• Evidence: isolated outputs versus traceable actions and outcomes

Choose the smallest solution that can safely produce the required result.