Companies, particularly large organizations, often favor a multi-platform approach to protect themselves against unforeseen issues tied to relying on a single provider. This strategy helps diversify risks in case of changes in pricing or terms of use by a provider.

According to Didier Gaultier, Director of AI at Orange Business Digital Services France, many clients follow this path, ensuring them a certain level of strategic flexibility.

However, this flexibility comes at a high cost. In addition to multiple license fees, companies must hire engineers capable of managing several platforms, which increases the complexity of skills management.

Stéphane Roder, CEO of AI Builder, highlights the additional costs associated with this approach, particularly in terms of skill management and data silos.

One of the main disadvantages of the multi-platform approach is the fragmentation of data. Each platform may operate in isolation, creating data silos.

This complicates the sharing of information between departments, hinders synergies, and can limit the full utilization of data. Didier Gaultier points out that this situation can also lead to internal conflicts of interest, with each team defending its technological choices.

On the other hand, adopting a unique platform offers many advantages. This approach ensures better coherence in AI operations management and facilitates data integration across the entire company. The data mesh model is often associated with this, where each department becomes a data provider.

Platforms like VitaminAI offer robust solutions, combining traditional AI and generative AI, thus facilitating centralization and performance optimization. While selecting a unique platform is a complex process involving multiple stakeholders and consultants, it tends to offer optimized performance and simplified management in the long term.

Ultimately, the decision between a unique platform or a multi-platform approach for AI integration depends on the strategic priorities of each company. While the multi-platform approach helps mitigate risks related to dependence on a single provider, it incurs high costs and operational challenges. In contrast, the unique platform fosters better coherence and increased efficiency but requires a stronger trust relationship with the selected provider.

Experts agree on one point: this choice is strategic and should be based on a thorough assessment of the company’s needs, use cases, budget, and risk tolerance.