Key Takeaways
- TrustRadius’s 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report found that 63% of buyers used AI during their purchase journey, yet 94% fact-check its responses at least some of the time.
- Product demos, free trials, prior experience and user reviews still rank as the most influential resources, showing that AI speeds research without replacing trusted human validation.
While artificial intelligence (AI) has become a mainstream part of the software buying process, buyers continue to rely on trusted human validation before making purchasing decisions
That is the key takeaway from TrustRadius’ 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report, reveals a widening gap between how buyers evaluate software and how vendors market and sell it. The findings suggest that AI is changing how buyers discover software, but not the factors that ultimately influence purchasing decisions.
The survey of nearly 2,500 technology buyers and technology vendors found that 63% of buyers used AI during their purchase journey, making AI one of the fastest-growing research resources. However, adoption has not translated into unquestioning trust as 94% of buyers who used AI said they fact-check its responses at least some of the time, underscoring that AI is accelerating research and not replacing critical evaluation.
Buyers Use AI for Research but Still Verify What It Says
While AI tools and AI search continue to gain adoption, buyers ranked product demos, free trials, prior experience, and user reviews among the most influential resources when selecting a vendor.
“Buyers are using AI to move faster, not to think less,” said Rajat Bhatnagar, SVP of Growth at HG in a statement. “They want speed, but they still want the efficiency of AI synthesis and the confidence of verified sources, and those two things have to coexist.”
Human Validation Still Carries More Weight Than AI Output
The 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report is based on a global survey conducted in January 2026 of professionals involved in technology purchasing decisions over the previous year. It is one of the industry’s largest annual studies of B2B software purchasing behavior.
The findings suggest that AI is changing how buyers discover software, but not the factors that ultimately influence purchasing decisions. While AI tools and AI search continue to gain adoption, buyers ranked product demos, free trials, prior experience, and user reviews among the most influential resources when selecting a vendor.
AI tools, or tools with AI features, made up 59% of the purchases our buyers made in the past year. Analyst reports were only used by 13% of buyers to make their purchase decisions, a 63% decrease since 2022, and 75% of buyers who purchased an AI tool say that it has lived up to their expectations. Additionally, 83% of buyers shortlisted three or fewer products.
AI Search Growth Is Shifting Attention Toward Generative Engine Optimization
The report identifies an emerging shift from traditional search engine optimization to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as buyers increasingly rely on large language models to synthesize information.
Yet the research indicates that AI-generated recommendations are heavily influenced by trusted third-party content— including customer reviews, independent publications, and peer experiences— making brand credibility more important than ever. To that end, 63% of buyers used AI to research their software purchase. 94% fact checked. And 74% of buyers use reviews to inform their purchase decisions.
Click here to access TrustRadius’ 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report full report.
