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We surveyed over 600 B2B professionals in the U.S. to understand how AI tools are changing the way companies research, evaluate, and choose vendors. The short answer? It’s not a futuristic trend — it’s already daily behavior. And it’s reshaping everything from initial discovery to final sign-off.

The numbers that tell the story

• 84% of B2B professionals use AI for work. Nearly 70% do so every single day. This isn’t casual experimentation; it’s a habit as routine as checking email.
• 66% regularly use AI specifically to research vendors and solutions. Almost everyone else does it occasionally. The vendor-research muscle is already built.
• 92% say AI has influenced their vendor shortlist, and 45% say that influence was significant. AI isn’t just suggesting names — it’s deciding who gets a seat at the table.
• Only 7% notice a vendor in an AI response because of brand recognition. What actually grabs attention is how precisely the vendor matches the buyer’s specific use case. That levels the playing field for smaller or newer companies.
• 75% trust AI vendor recommendations, but almost everyone verifies what they find. Showing up in an AI answer is only step one. You then have to survive the scrutiny that follows.

AI is everywhere in the buying journey — not just the top
Buyers aren’t only using AI for early brainstorming. They lean on it at every stage:

• 72% use it during initial research, to scope a category or define their needs.
• 48% use it to narrow a shortlist.
• 62% use it when actively comparing vendors side-by-side.
• 45% even use it to support the final decision.

And the tasks they give AI are serious: comparing vendors directly, asking for recommendations, exploring possible solutions, and summarizing options. This means your brand needs to be described clearly and favorably at every single one of these moments.

What they’re buying (and how much they’re spending)
The purchases being researched via AI aren’t small. 43% of respondents typically evaluate options in the $1,000–$10,000 range. Another 42% are in the $10,000–$100,000 bracket. Even enterprise deals above $100,000 are on the table for 14%. In other words, 84% are using AI to inform purchases of $1,000 or more. These are deliberate, multi-stakeholder decisions with real money attached.

Which AI tools are they using?
ChatGPT leads comfortably (71% use it for product research), followed by Google Gemini (61%). Microsoft Copilot is used by 45%, and Meta AI — surprisingly — by 24% for research, likely because it’s baked into Facebook and WhatsApp. Perplexity, Claude, and Grok have smaller but meaningful shares. The big takeaway? Buyers hop between multiple AI tools, so visibility across platforms matters more than dominating just one.

AI gets them interested — then they verify everywhere else
When AI recommends a vendor, buyers don’t stop there. 71% visit the vendor’s website. 63% run a Google search. 46% compare the recommendation against alternatives. Many check reviews on G2 or similar platforms. AI may narrow the field, but search, your website, and your reputation close the deal. If your AI visibility is strong but your site looks untrustworthy or your reviews are thin, you’ll lose them at the very next click.

Winning inside the AI response: use-case fit beats brand fame
When buyers scan an AI-generated list of vendors, what makes someone stand out? Over half say it’s a close match to their specific use case. Half say it’s a clear, detailed description. Benefits and outcomes matter (38%). Appearing first or early in the list? Only 36% care. And that brand recognition number is almost negligible. This is a golden opportunity for lesser-known vendors who can describe exactly how they solve a buyer’s precise problem.

Buyers’ prompts confirm this obsession with fit: 61% describe their specific use case, 56% ask for direct comparisons, and many include constraints like budget or required features. Their top frustration with AI recommendations? That they’re too generic (33%). Every gap you can fill — detailed use-case pages, transparent pricing signals, strong third-party coverage — directly addresses what buyers say AI gets wrong.

The future: more AI, not less
89% of B2B professionals expect to rely on AI more for work decisions in the future. Fewer than 1% plan to use it less. The behavior documented here isn’t a passing phase; it will only deepen.

The practical takeaway is clear: AI visibility and traditional search visibility are now inseparable. Buyers use both channels in a fluid loop — AI to discover and narrow, search and your website to validate. Show up well in one but flunk the other, and the deal may vanish. Brands that invest in being both findable and convincingly detailed across AI, search, and their own digital presence are the ones that will earn a spot on those AI-shaped shortlists.