To buy or to build: a balancing art

Whether to buy or the build the data and artificial intelligence technologies in the media organizations can be an art of balance, said media and data practitioners at the 8th Data & AI Media Conference in London 1 -2 November.

Robin Govik, Chief Digital Officer at MittMedia, said the Sweden-based media group has everything developed in house with 30 engineers working on data and AI technologies.  He said as they are never going to be done with catching up the ever-developing technologies, it’s much better to build than to buy as it give them strategic flexibility. He added a lot of the implementation were started in a controlled and small environment and then expanded to a larger scale.

Fiona McKinnon, Managing Director of Pangaea Alliance, an advertising network for premium publishers, said that it’s important to take into consideration of what you are going to do with the technologies instead of blindly rushing into embracing any and finding the right partners is crucial. “You don’t need to feel like you need to catch up. What’s important is finding the right partnership that works for your needs,” she said.

Lauren Dick, Head of Emerging Platforms of MailOnline, said the decision of whether to buy or to build relies heavily on the money and resources you have and it’s a constant balancing art. She also added that as an industry, they don’t have a common denominator or a standardized way to do things. But they are not against finding common grounds or share recourses so that everyone can benefit in the long run.

These speakers participated on a panel discussion at the 8th Data & AI for Media Conference. The conference is for media and data practitioners who are seeking to earn revenue and expand audiences by leveraging data and artificial intelligence. The 2-day event features a powerful format of general sessions with top-notch speakers, plus interactive, small-group breakout sessions called “huddles.”