How B2B buyers use AI to shortlist vendors: 2026 data

B2B buyers now use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot to learn about a category, find vendors and narrow their shortlist, usually before they talk to anyone in sales. Three large surveys from 2026 agree on the direction. AI is now one of the most important sources buyers use, it changes which vendors make the list, and buyers then check what AI told them on vendor websites, Google and review sites.

Here is what the data says, and what it means if you market a B2B product or service.

AI and the B2B shortlist, 2026WebVisiblity · Market data

How B2B buyers use AI to pick vendors

94%of business buyers use AI in their buying processForrester

69%say an AI chatbot led them to a different vendor than plannedG2

33%bought from a vendor they had never heard ofG2

Where buyers use AI

1. Scoping the category72%
2. Comparing vendors62%
3. Narrowing the shortlist48%
4. Final decision45%

Semrush, 643 US B2B buyers

AI tools used for product research

• ChatGPT71%
• Gemini61%
• Copilot45%
• Meta AI24%
• Perplexity18%
• Claude14%

Semrush

What buyers do after AI names a vendor

1. 71%Visit the vendor's website
2. 63%Search for it on Google
3. 46%Compare alternatives
4. 38%Check review sites

Semrush

The numbers at a glance#

How many B2B buyers use AI to research vendors#

Use is close to universal. Forrester reports that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process, up from 89% a year earlier, and that twice as many buyers name generative AI or conversational search as their most important information source than any other source.

Other surveys measure more specific behaviour, so their numbers are lower but point the same way:

• 66% of US B2B professionals regularly use AI to research vendors or solutions, and another 29% do so occasionally (Semrush, 643 respondents, spring 2026).
• 82% of software buyers sourced recommendations from an AI chatbot in the last two years (G2, more than 1,000 buyers, 2026).

Where in the buying journey buyers use AI#

AI is used most at the start, when buyers are working out what they need and who offers it. In the Semrush survey, buyers used AI for:

1. Early research and scoping the category: 72%
2. Active vendor comparison: 62%
3. Narrowing the shortlist: 48%
4. Supporting the final decision: 45%

In G2's research, half of the buyers who used AI said it had its greatest impact when they were narrowing and comparing options. That is the moment a vendor either makes the list or disappears from it.

Which AI tools B2B buyers use#

ChatGPT leads in every survey, but it is not the only tool that matters:

• Semrush: ChatGPT 71%, Gemini 61%, Microsoft Copilot 45%, Meta AI 24%, Perplexity 18%, Claude 14%.
• G2: ChatGPT's share rose to 62% in 2026, up from 47% in 2025. G2 also found that 41% of buyers use deep research tools regularly.
• Forrester: 61% of business buyers use private AI tools provided by their employer. Business buyers are twice as likely as consumers to use ChatGPT and four times as likely to use Copilot.

The practical point: checking only ChatGPT gives you part of the picture. Copilot in particular matters more at work than it does in consumer surveys.

How much AI shapes the shortlist#

This is where AI moves money. G2's 2026 AI search research, based on 1,076 B2B decision makers across North America, EMEA and APAC, found:

• 54% named AI chatbots as the top source influencing which vendors make their shortlist.
• 69% said an AI chatbot led them to choose a different vendor than the one they first planned to pick.
• 33% bought from a vendor they had never heard of before.
• 91% said an AI chatbot influenced their choice in their most recent evaluation.

Semrush found the same pattern: 97% said AI helped them discover new vendors, 92% said it shaped their shortlist and 83% said it influenced the final decision. Only 7% said they noticed a vendor because they already recognised the name.

One nuance is worth knowing. In G2's separate 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, review sites (38%) narrowly overtook AI chatbots (37%) as the top source shaping shortlists. The two keep each other in check, and AI tools often draw on review sites when they answer.

Do buyers trust what AI tells them?#

Mostly, but they verify. In the Semrush survey, 75% fully or mostly trust AI vendor recommendations, 22% are neutral and only 3% have low trust. After AI mentions a vendor, buyers:

• visit the vendor's website (71%)
• search for it on Google (63%)
• compare alternatives (46%)
• ask AI follow-up questions (41%)
• check G2 or a similar review site (38%)

G2 found that a review site cited inside an AI answer is the signal that makes buyers most confident, mentioned by 45% of them. And 75% of buyers still use Google during vendor research, so search and AI work together rather than one replacing the other.

What this means for B2B marketing teams#

1. Find out whether AI names you. Ask the questions your buyers ask, on the tools they use, more than once. Our guide on how to measure AI visibility shows a method that holds up.
2. Work on the comparison stage. That is where AI has the most impact. Pages that answer "which is best for a company like mine" and honest comparison pages give AI something clear to repeat.
3. Look after your review profiles. Buyers check them, and AI tools cite them.
4. Make your website easy to verify. 71% of buyers go to the vendor's site after an AI mention. Clear facts, pricing guidance and proof help them, and help AI describe you correctly.
5. Keep doing SEO. Most buyers still check Google, and strong search pages are part of what AI tools read.

If rivals keep being named instead of you, our guide on why AI recommends your competitor explains the usual reasons. To see where you stand today, run the free AI visibility check.

How to read these numbers#

The surveys ask different questions of different people, so their figures are not directly comparable. Forrester counts any AI use in the buying process, Semrush asks about regular vendor research, and G2 focuses on software buyers. Treat each number as one view of the same trend rather than adding or averaging them.

Sources: Forrester, B2B buyers make zero-click buying number one · G2, The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report · G2, 2026 Buyer Behavior Report news · Semrush, How AI tools shape the B2B buying process