Index

Custom tools

Blog

Things worth knowing, with the sources attached.

Writing about AI and software for people running small businesses. Every post links to the documents it is drawn from, at the foot of the page.

  1. A dark gray background displays orange and white text reading "Build or buy software? It depends on your competitive advantage" with four dark button labels below listing "Standard tasks", "Your edge", "Total cost", and "Workaround costs", along with the Fabricaite logo in the bottom left corner.

    Build or buy software? When off-the-shelf is the better choice

    Buy off-the-shelf for standard work, build where you truly differ. Costs, timelines, code ownership and how to test custom software before you commit.

    • custom software
    • off-the-shelf software
    • build vs buy
    • small business
    • software costs
    • MVP
  2. A dark charcoal banner with the headline "What is the best LLM to use?" in white and amber, a strapline about there being no single winner, and four rounded tiles on the right with one lit amber.

    Which LLM Should Your Business Actually Pay For?

    ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot? A plain English guide to what each one is good at, what it costs per user, and how to test before you commit.

    • llm
    • chatgpt
    • claude
    • copilot
    • data privacy
    • small business ai
  3. Two document outlines side by side on a dark ground. An amber dimension mark measures the width of the right-hand one.

    How long does an AI provider keep what you send it?

    Retention is two questions wearing one word, and providers answer them in different documents. What Anthropic and OpenAI say, checked August 2026.

    • AI
    • Data protection
    • Contracts
  4. Three boxes on a dark ground showing where liability lands. On the left, the AI vendor, whose terms say the service is provided as is. In the middle, highlighted in amber, your business, which used the output and carries the claim. On the right, the customer, with an amber arrow running back from the customer to your business.

    When AI Gets It Wrong, Your Business Pays the Bill

    Air Canada's chatbot lost in court. Here's why liability lands on the business that used the AI output, what insurance misses, and how to cut your exposure.

    • ai liability
    • risk management
    • professional indemnity
    • uk business
    • ai governance
    • chatbots
  5. Two document outlines side by side on a drawing grid. The right-hand one is picked out with an amber dimension mark measuring its width.

    The privacy policy is probably not the document that applies to you

    The consumer privacy policy and the commercial contract say opposite things about training on your data. Only one of them is the one you are under.

    • AI
    • Data protection
    • Contracts