If the problem you are facing is specific, it will most likely have to be your AI solution. But not every company has time, budget, or its own engineering team to develop from scratch. Then what's the right move?
There are three main approaches to introducing AI into a company, and the safest way to choose the right one is to test it before you invest. This is exactly what EDIH Adria enables.
Three approaches, three levels of control
- Customized (custom) solution. Models, data pipelines and infrastructure are built around your processes and remain in your possession. You get the highest level of control and accuracy for specific cases, but with greater initial investment, strong data bases and longer development.
- Almost (off-the-shelf) solution. A prebuilt tool, for example to classify documents, chatbots or convert speech to text. It is quickly introduced and cheaper, but if your case is also a bit out of standard, expect limitations in data format, model customization and output logic.
- Customized off-the-shelf solution. It starts from a finished model that is further adjusted (fine-tuning) to your data and business logic. It is faster than development than zero and more relevant than general tools; asks for some internal knowledge and enough data to make the adjustment pay.
Comparison at a glance:
How to choose an AI solution?
The decision depends on:
- your data (the more complex and unique they are, the less chance the ready-made tool will work),
- your resources (do you have a team or partner that can develop and adapt models) and
- use case (should it be for many companies or just you).
Clean data, a common problem and a small team – the finished product is probably sufficient. Specific niche and technical team – custom. For everything in between is most often the best customized ready-made model.
The problem is that the answer is often not seen from paper. This is why there is a pre-investment test.
EDIH Adria: check before you invest
EDIH Adria Services are free for users, and the path usually looks like this:
- Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) – a mandatory first step showing where you are and whether your data is ready for AI.
- Bootcamp – helps to define more precisely what you would actually like to test.
- Test Before Invest (TBI) – Central service. TBI for digital transformation test the application of existing technologies in your business, and TBI for new products and services develops a prototype for IT companies that build a new solution.
- Fast-track TBI – novelty from 2026, testing on existing solutions of the new EU AI infrastructure.
- In addition: education, developing a digital transformation project; and Financial capacity assessment to finance implementation.
Velebit AI expertise in the service of EDIH users
Through these services, EDIH Adria users can benefit from the team experience Velebit AI-I, which has been developing AI and ML solutions for various industries for more than a decade:
- When choosing an approach: an assessment of your data, use case and resources shows which of the three approaches is realistic for you, before you spend your budget.
- In TBI for new products and services: from defining the scope and strategy of data management to architecture, model experimentation and prototypes – i.e. the first steps of custom development, without full risk.
- In TBI for Digital Transformation: Check if the ready-made solution can solve your problem or needs to be further adjusted with your data, for example for the classification of products in e-commerce or recommendation systems.
- After testing: a clear recommendation as far as possible, with an estimate of time and cost, and support in applying for funding for implementation.
Start with small steps, scale quickly, but do not waste time on tools that will not grow with you. If you want clarity about what kind of AI is really needed for your business, the first step is free.
Show interest in EDIH Adria services and check your AI solution before investing.
