Important points:
- According to Gartner, buyers are increasingly using GenAI and digital channels for research, but 69% still prefer to validate AI-generated insights with sales reps at key decision points.
- Gartner says top sales teams need to redesign their roles around AI-enhanced workflows so salespeople can focus on judgment, empathy, and helping buyers move forward.
B2B purchasing is becoming more digital, more autonomous, and more susceptible to generative artificial intelligence (AI). Buyers are now using a wide range of digital channels and AI tools to research vendors and products, and many prefer a frictionless, self-service experience over traditional agent-led engagement.
Two new studies presented by Gartner at the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference show that buyers still want human validation at key points in the process and still rely on sales reps to confirm AI-generated insights, reduce uncertainty, build internal support, and strengthen confidence in their purchasing decisions. These findings bring the value of human sellers to the forefront when teams need context, reassurance, and a clear path forward.
This AI shift will have a profound impact on sales organizations, with Gartner stakeholders advocating redesigning roles around AI-enhanced workflows to free salespeople to focus on empathy, judgment, and value delivery. In this AI-driven buying environment, the most effective sellers don’t just serve as a source of information, they become trusted guides who help customers move forward with confidence.
B2B buyer testimonials
A Gartner survey of B2B buyers found that 69% of B2B buyers prefer to validate AI-generated insights with sales reps, as they increasingly use a combination of digital channels, AI, and human interaction throughout the buying process. Buyers reported using an average of seven sources during a recent purchase, and 45% said they used Gen AI primarily to gather information about vendors and products.
At the same time, buyers continue to strongly prefer a low-friction, self-directed purchasing experience. 67% of buyers prefer a salesperson-less experience, and 70% prefer a fully digital, self-service buying experience.
“B2B buyers are accustomed to using digital channels and GenAI to navigate the buying process themselves, but that doesn’t eliminate the role of the seller,” said Robert Blaisdell, vice president of research at Gartner Sales Practice. “Buyers still rely on sales reps to validate AI-generated insights and support decision-making at key stages.”
AI-driven purchasing is on the rise, but trust remains a challenge
As AI becomes more commonplace in the B2B buying process, buyers are also considering the trustworthiness of the information they receive. 51% of buyers say they are more likely to encounter misleading information from GenAI, and 49% say they are more likely to encounter misleading information from a salesperson.
According to Blaisdell, these findings point to a more nuanced buying environment. Buyers want the speed and convenience of digital and AI-assisted research, but they still rely on sales reps for reassurance, context, and decision support. Interaction with human contacts remains the most important source of information as buyers research business problems and needs, identify preferred suppliers, secure internal support, and complete purchases.
For sales leaders, the role of the seller is shifting from being the primary source of information to being a source of validation and trust at key points in the buying process. Rather than maximizing rep involvement at every step of the process, organizations should focus on enabling sellers to engage where they can add the most unique value.
“Sales leaders should not interpret buyers’ preference for digital self-service as a signal that sellers are less important,” Blaisdell concluded. “This is a signal that sellers need to take a different stance and engage buyers to help them verify information, reduce risk and move forward with more confidence.”
How to redesign the sales role in the age of AI
According to another Gartner survey of chief sales officers (CSOs), AI-enabled growth is not just about technology adoption, but also about redesigning the sales role around how work gets done.
Sales leaders must focus on rethinking their roles for an AI-driven environment, aligning those roles with AI-enhanced workflows, and preparing future roles to coordinate AI agents. The need for that transition becomes even more urgent, as Gartner predicts that by 2027, 95% of seller research workflows will be initiated using AI, up from less than 20% in 2024.
Research shows that sales organizations that provide AI-powered next-best solutions to their sellers are 2.6 times more likely to achieve commercial growth. Organizations that prioritize upskilling their sales reps in AI are 2.4 times more likely to achieve significant revenue growth. However, the findings highlight a growing gulf between the rapidly expanding capabilities of AI and sellers’ ability to effectively apply those capabilities to their daily operations.
“The most effective sales organizations don’t just overlay AI on top of their existing ways of working,” said Greg Hesson, senior director analyst, Sales Practice, Gartner. “They are redesigning seller workflows to allow AI to support execution, recommendations, and orchestration, while allowing sellers to focus their time on the moments when human judgment and customer value matter most.”
The role of human oversight remains important
Buyer data reveals that human sellers still outperform GenAI. Buyers were 28 points more likely than GenAI to say a salesperson helped them take the next step in the buying process. Other important findings include:
- Buyers are 32 points more likely to say that their agent gives them confidence in their purchasing decision.
- Buyers were 39 points more likely to say their agents understand their needs.
- Buyers were 21 points more likely to say a representative helped quantify benefits for their organization.
Buyers who spent more time with supplier representatives reported the lowest levels of dysfunction, and purchasing groups with low levels of dysfunction were 13 times more likely to report high-quality transactions.
While AI is well-suited for activities such as account research, personalized messaging, signal monitoring, and next-best actions, sellers remain differentiated in their empathy, judgment, understanding of context, and value framework.
“Sales leaders who win with AI will not ask their sales reps to do everything they did before, but simply do it faster,” Hessong advised. “They are building AI-enhanced roles that give sellers more capabilities to help customers realize value, drive decisions, and achieve better outcomes.”
