Should firms wait for their practice management software to release built-in AI features, or build their own AI solutions in the meantime?

Several members are frustrated that in-app AI features from practice management platforms are moving much slower than their appetite for AI adoption. One member using Carbon noted the vendor announced an in-app AI assistant ('Kai') that is in a full beta and likely six months away from general availability, so they're instead trying to get access to Carbon's MCP so they can start using Claude directly against their own data now. Another member had a similar experience waiting on Canopy's promised in-app messaging and AI document intake features, which slipped from an original third-quarter target and is only now potentially rolling out; there was uncertainty whether 'Canopy Coworker' has actually been released or just announced. A third member described the same pattern with TaxDome promising an AI document-intake system for December, which they felt was too rushed to adopt at that time, so they built their own system instead and are now reluctant to switch again. The shared view was that software vendors are cautious/slow because they're balancing speed against accuracy and reliability, while practitioners increasingly feel pressure to just build custom solutions (via APIs/MCP) rather than wait, especially since by the time vendors ship a feature, firms' needs may have already moved on. One member also noted that software vendors seem to be reaching out unusually early this year to lock in renewals, speculating it's out of fear that firms will build their own tools instead of renewing.