In 2026, There Are 4 Ways to Build an AI Agent. Here's How to Choose (opens in new tab)

In 2025, the default assumption was: if you want an AI agent, you build one. Pick a framework, wire up your tools, own the stack. The instinct was to build — almost automatically, regardless of whether it was the right call. That assumption is worth questioning in 2026. Not because building is wrong, but because it's now one option among four. And defaulting to it without asking which path actually fits your situation is how teams spend weeks on infrastructure that didn't need to be theirs. T...