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Research · 6 min read · 3 sources

How buyers use AI before they talk to you

The short answer

Most expect to use it while they buy. Forrester's 2024 research found almost 95% of buyers expected to use generative AI in their buying process within 12 months. In Gartner's 2026 research, 67% of B2B buyers prefer buying without a sales rep, yet 69% turn to sales reps to validate what AI told them.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Veracity · Every figure links to its source
From the Veracity launch film. The buyer pushes back with an option of their own. "Let me loop in my SE" is struck. Veracity's answer comes with a line to say, a question to ask back, and the files it came from.
01 / Buyers and AI

How many B2B buyers use AI to buy?

Most expect to. In its State of Business Buying, 2024, released in December 2024, Forrester found that almost 95% of buyers expected to use generative AI in their buying process within the next 12 months.1

Gartner's 2026 research shows where that leaves the sales rep. 69% of B2B buyers turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights.2

Buyers, AI and the sales rep
Forrester 2024 and Gartner 2026. Each bar runs from 0 to 100%.
Buyers who expected to use generative AI to buy within 12 months (Forrester, 2024)
~95%
B2B buyers who turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights (Gartner, May 2026)
69%
B2B buyers who prefer a buying experience without a sales rep (Gartner, March 2026)
67%
0%50%100%
Three findings from three releases. Each bar comes from its own survey of its own buyers, so the three don't add up to one journey. "Almost 95%" is Forrester's wording, so that bar is drawn at 95.
02 / Do they want a rep?

Do B2B buyers still want to talk to a sales rep?

Many would rather not. In Gartner's March 2026 release, 67% of B2B buyers said they prefer a buying experience without a sales rep.3 In May 2026, Gartner reported that 69% of B2B buyers turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights.2

67%prefer a buying experience without a sales repGartner, March 9, 2026
69%turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insightsGartner, May 20, 2026

Put together, the call you do get may be a check. The buyer may have read about you and asked an AI tool first, and want to know if the answer holds up. That rewards answers you can back up, with the source named.

03 / When they bring an AI answer

What should you say when a buyer brings an AI answer?

Find out what they were told before you answer it.

Instead of
Honestly, those AI tools get a lot wrong.It argues with the buyer's homework and gives them nothing to check.
Ask
You mentioned you already asked an AI tool about this. What did it tell you that you want checked?One open question on their own fact. Now you know which answer you need to back up.

Then answer from something you can point to. When a buyer asks a technical question or pushes back, Veracity answers from your own documents (PDF, Word, text or Markdown) and names the files it used. Numbers it can't find in a source are removed. When your docs don't have the answer, it says so instead of guessing. And it never tells you to say "let me loop in my SE."

Veracity's answer mode: a line to say, Python scripts work fine initially, but custom builds carry a heavy maintenance burden as custom code and single-developer reliance accumulate; a question to ask back, How long would it take your engineers to script and audit that?; and the three documents it came from: Competitive_Positioning.md, Platform overview and Security_Trust_Center.md
An answer card in the Veracity app. A line to say, a question to ask back, and the three documents it came from, named on the card: Competitive_Positioning.md, Platform overview and Security_Trust_Center.md.

Read more on technical answers from your own docs, during the call.

04 / Research them back

How do you prep for a buyer who has already done their research?

They may have read about you. Read about them too. Before every call, Veracity searches the web about your prospect's company and reads their website. It pulls recent, checked news about the account into your call prep, and researches the people you're meeting by title and industry: their role, their pains and the KPIs they answer to. That briefing reaches every question you get.

When the call starts, an opening question is ready, built from your prep, the research and your earlier calls with the account.

The research line in the Veracity app during a call: Research live, Harvestline Foods, 52 facts, checked 2m ago
A Veracity opening question card marked Instant: You mentioned 300 plants submit monthly data into GCP, where does that process break, and who manually cleans the data?
Research and the opening question in the Veracity app. Top, the research line on a live call: Harvestline Foods, 52 facts, checked 2 minutes ago. Below, an opening question about where the buyer's monthly process breaks.

Doing it by hand? Read how to prep for a sales call in 15 minutes, or see pre-call research that carries into the call.

05 / On your next call

What should you do differently on your next call?

  • Ask what AI told them. 69% of B2B buyers turn to reps to validate AI-generated insights, so ask: "What did it tell you that you want checked?"2
  • Answer from a source you can name. Have your docs open, and say which one the answer comes from.
  • Open with what you learned about them. 67% would rather buy without a rep, so make the first question one built on their company's own facts.3
  • Ask an AI tool about your own product first. Almost 95% of buyers expected to use generative AI to buy.1 Type the question a buyer would type, and read the answer before your call.

For who else is in the deal, read how many people decide a B2B purchase.

06 / Sources

Where every number comes from

Each figure is quoted the way its publisher states it. All three sources were checked on October 29, 2026.

  1. 1
    Forrester. "Forrester: To Master B2B Buying Mayhem, Providers Must Prioritize Buyers' Needs." Press release on The State Of Business Buying, 2024. December 4, 2024. forrester.comUsed for: almost 95% expect to use generative AI in their buying process within the next 12 months.
  2. 2
    Gartner. "Gartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated Insights." Press release. May 20, 2026. gartner.comUsed for: 69% turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights.
  3. 3
    Gartner. "Gartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Experience." Press release. March 9, 2026. gartner.comUsed for: 67% prefer buying without a sales rep.
07 / Questions

Questions, answered

In Forrester's State of Business Buying, 2024, almost 95% of buyers said they expected to use generative AI in their buying process within the next 12 months.
Many would rather not. In Gartner's 2026 research, 67% of B2B buyers said they prefer a buying experience without a sales rep, and 69% said they turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights.
Ask what it told them first: "You mentioned you already asked an AI tool about this. What did it tell you that you want checked?" Then answer from a document you can name.
Research them back. Before every call, Veracity searches the web about your prospect's company, reads their website and pulls recent, checked news about the account into your call prep, so an opening question is ready when the call starts.
Keep reading
Data postDiscovery call statistics: what the research saysEvery figure on buying groups, stalls, AI and follow-ups, in one place.Read → FeatureTechnical answers from your own docs, during the callEach answer names the files it used.Read → FeaturePre-call research that carries into the callThe account, the people and the news, ready before you join.Read →

Be the rep they check with.

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