AI tools have become part of how B2B professionals find and evaluate vendors. Buyers use them to scope categories, compare solutions, and build shortlists before they ever talk to sales.
But how much of the buying process has actually moved to AI? And what does it take for a vendor to stand out in those responses?
To find out, we surveyed 600+ U.S. B2B professionals and asked about how AI is reshaping the way they research, compare, and make buying decisions.
Methodology
We surveyed 643 U.S. B2B professionals in March–April 2026. After removing 21 respondents who failed a quality check, 622 valid responses remained. Respondents were asked whether they use AI tools for work — 519 (83%) confirmed they do. All findings below are based on those 519 respondents.
- Roles represented: Business executives (VP, director), CEOs, business owners and founders, product managers, marketing directors and managers, operations managers, IT managers, CFOs, CIOs/CTOs, procurement managers, and others.
- Decision-making authority: 54% are final decision-makers. 41% are part of a decision-making group. 5% are evaluators or influencers.
- Company size: 24% work at companies with up to 50 employees. 22% at 51–200. 29% at 201–1,000. 15% at 1,001–5,000. 10% at 5,001 or more.
- Industries: Technology/SaaS (20%), Manufacturing (15%), Professional Services (14%), E-commerce/Retail (13%), Finance/Fintech (10%), Healthcare (9%), Marketing/Advertising (7%), and others.
Key takeaways
- 84% of B2B professionals use AI for work. Of those, 69% do so daily. For vendors, this means their buyers aren’t occasionally experimenting with AI. They’re using it as part of their daily workflow.
- 66% regularly use AI specifically to research vendors and solutions. Another 29% do so occasionally. The vendor research habit has already formed.
- 92% say AI has shaped their vendor shortlist. 45% say it did so significantly. AI isn’t just introducing buyers to new names. It is actively shaping who gets evaluated and who doesn’t.
- Brand recognition barely registers. Only 7% say they notice a vendor in an AI response because they recognize the name. What makes a vendor stand out is how precisely it matches the buyer’s use case. For smaller or newer vendors, this levels the playing field.
- 75% trust AI vendor recommendations. But nearly all verify before committing. Getting mentioned in AI is not enough on its own. Vendors need to hold up under the scrutiny that follows every AI recommendation.
- 89% expect to rely on AI more for work decisions in the future. Fewer than 1% expect to use it less. The behaviors documented here will only deepen.
Let’s look deeper at those findings.
1. The majority of B2B buyers use AI for work every day
84% of the professionals we surveyed use AI tools for work. This isn’t exploratory usage. For many, reaching for AI is as habitual as opening a browser or checking email.
69% of B2B buyers also use AI tools daily, with 95% using them at least once a week.
We also saw that AI work usage is broad. 72% use it to research topics and trends. 63% for writing or editing. 60% for data analysis or summarization.
That habit extends directly into purchasing behavior. 66% regularly use AI specifically to research products, vendors, or solutions for their job. Another 29% do so occasionally.
The takeaway for marketers is clear: Buyers are already bringing AI into the vendor research process, creating a new visibility surface that brands need to understand and measure.
2. ChatGPT and Gemini dominate B2B buyer behavior
ChatGPT remains the most popular platform, with 76% of respondents using it for work and 71% using it for product research.
Google Gemini follows at 62% for work and 61% for product research. Microsoft Copilot reaches 53% and 45%.
Meta AI ranks fourth at 31% for work and 24% for product research — higher than most assume, likely from integration into Facebook and WhatsApp.
Perplexity reaches 22% for work and 18% for product research. Claude reaches 20% for work and 14% for product research. Grok trails at 13%.
While ChatGPT and Gemini should be the first priority for most vendors, they aren’t the whole story.
B2B buyers increasingly move between multiple AI tools, making cross-platform visibility more important than performance in any single engine.
3. AI shows up at every stage of the B2B purchase process
AI isn’t just a top-of-funnel discovery tool in B2B. Buyers pull it in throughout the entire purchase process:
- 72% use AI during early research, scoping the category, or defining what they need
- 48% use it to narrow the shortlist.
- 62% use it when actively comparing vendors
- 45% use it to support the final decision
When buyers use AI specifically for vendor research, the tasks are also substantive.
66% use it to explore possible solutions. 61% compare vendors directly. 59% use it to understand a problem or category more deeply. 55% use it to summarize options. 53% ask for recommendations.
AI is present from the first question about a category all the way through to the final comparison. Vendors need to build outreach strategies and create content to get surfaced and described well at every one of those stages.
4. AI has a direct impact on B2B buying decisions
Most B2B buyers say AI has both helped them discover new brands and shaped the actual vendor selection process:
- 97% say AI has helped them discover new vendors. 44% say this happens frequently.
- 92% say AI has shaped their vendor shortlist. For 45%, its impact was significant.
- 83% say AI influenced their final vendor decision. 32% say it had a major influence.
The practical implication is that AI visibility is becoming an essential business investment. If AI influences discovery, shortlists, and final vendor selection, its impact extends directly to the pipeline and revenue.
At the same time, buyers are aware of AI’s blind spots. 66% say they have spotted vendors absent from AI results. 26% say this happens frequently.
The good news is that AI visibility isn’t fixed. Brands can influence how often they appear by improving their authority, content, and overall digital presence.
5. AI is informing five- and six-figure B2B purchases
B2B buyers are using AI to research vendors across every major category. And the budgets on the table are substantial.
43% are typically evaluating purchases between $1,000 and $10,000. 42% are evaluating purchases between $10,000 and $100,000. 14% are in enterprise territory above $100,000.
That means 84% of respondents are using AI to inform purchases of $1,000 or more. These are deliberate, multi-stakeholder decisions with real budget consequences.
The types of solutions being researched via AI span the full B2B landscape.
Agencies and service providers top the list at 51%, followed by SaaS/software tools (46%), marketing tools (45%), infrastructure and technical tools (44%), and enterprise platforms (43%). Buyers also research B2B financial and legal services via AI in 25% of cases.
At the same time, AI use isn’t uniform across buying teams. Only 39% say most stakeholders in their company actively use AI during vendor research. 52% say adoption is mixed.
This creates information asymmetry within buying committees. The person who found you via AI may not be the final decision-maker, and their colleagues may be exposed to different information.
Being visible in AI is necessary. But being able to prove your value through other channels is still essential.
6. After AI recommends a vendor, buyers verify across multiple channels
B2B buyers trust AI when researching vendors, but it’s not the only research channel they resort to — often, it’s one of many.
On the one hand, 75% of respondents fully or mostly trust AI vendor recommendations. 30% trust them fully. 45% mostly. 22% are neutral. Only 3% express low trust.
On the other hand, an AI recommendation isn’t typically the end of the evaluation. It’s the trigger for a more focused investigation.
When AI mentions a vendor:
- 71% visit that vendor’s website
- 63% search for the company on Google
- 46% compare the recommendation against alternatives
- 41% go back to the AI with follow-up questions
- 38% check reviews on G2 or similar platforms
- 14% ask colleagues
At the same time, 75% still use Google or other search engines as part of their vendor research.
The sequence has just changed: 41% now start with AI and validate via search. 35% start with search and turn to AI for synthesis or comparison. 20% switch between both throughout.
Buyers are now using both channels for the same decision: AI narrows the field, search validates the answer.
A vendor with strong AI visibility but a weak website, poor reviews, or limited search presence can lose the buyer at the very next step. Strengthening your overall digital presence helps you both earn AI visibility and convert the buyers it sends your way.
7. Use-case fit matters more than brand recognition or position in AI answers
When AI returns multiple vendors, what determines which one a buyer pays attention to? Our data shows that framing is much more important than more traditional “ranking” factors.
When B2B buyers see a brand mentioned in an AI response, they notice it if:
- The vendor closely matches their specific use case (53%)
- The description is clear and detailed (50%)
- It highlights clear benefits or outcomes (38%)
Only 36% say they pay attention if the brand appears early or is mentioned first. And just 7% say brand recognition influences whether they notice a vendor.
In B2B, buyers are focused on fit, not just familiarity or who appears first in the answer. A lesser-known vendor with a precise, use-case-specific presence in AI can outperform a well-known one. This is a real opportunity for smaller vendors.
Buyers’ prompting behavior confirms this:
- 61% describe their specific use case or problem when researching vendors in AI
- 56% ask for direct vendor comparisons
- 45% include constraints like budget, required features, or compatibility
- 43% refine their query through follow-up questions
The frustrations buyers report tell the same story from the other side.
33% say AI recommendations are too generic for their specific use case. That’s the top complaint, and it maps directly onto what makes a vendor stand out.
28% say responses lack depth or accuracy. 27% say they don’t reflect real pricing or contract structures. 27% flag credibility concerns. 25% say AI missed vendors they knew were relevant. 30% report no major issues.
Each frustration is a gap vendors can close. Use-case pages, documented outcomes, accurate pricing signals, and strong third-party coverage address precisely what buyers say AI is getting wrong.
Vendors who fill those gaps don’t just show up more; they help address users’ concerns more effectively.
Future-proof your AI search visibility
B2B buyers are using AI throughout the entire buying process: to discover options, compare solutions, narrow the shortlist, and validate their final choice.
89% expect to rely on AI more for work decisions in the future. 45% say significantly. 44% say slightly. Fewer than 1% expect to use AI less.
While they still rely on search engines and vendor websites, AI shapes which vendors they consider in the first place.
The key takeaway? Both AI visibility and traditional search visibility are now essential for discovery, whether you’re selling to businesses or consumers. Our recent consumer study found the same pattern.
Semrush helps you stay on top of this trend. You can track how your brand appears in AI responses across Google and leading LLMs, monitor competitor visibility, and take action to improve recommendations, mentions, and overall visibility.
