AI search Is Becoming Part of Buyer Research

The Stat

G2’s 2025 Buyer Behavior Report found that 79% of software buyers say AI search has changed how they conduct research. In the same research, 29% said they now start research with AI search more often than Google.

While that doesn’t mean buyers are abandoning traditional search, review sites, peer conversations, or vendor websites, it does suggest that AI search is becoming part of how buyers get oriented earlier in the process.

The shift is important because AI search does not behave like a traditional list of links. It can summarize a category, compare vendors, surface risks, and suggest what a buyer should investigate next.

Why it matters

Early research is where buyers start forming the first version of the market.

They are trying to understand what options exist, which companies belong in the conversation, what claims sound credible, and what concerns are worth checking. If AI is helping with that work, then it may also influence how buyers interpret the category before they reach a company’s website or talk to sales.

For marketers, this means that showing up is only part of it. The company also needs to be described accurately, compared fairly, and supported by sources buyers trust. Reviews, customer stories, analyst commentary, product documentation, community discussions, and third-party mentions all become part of the information environment AI systems can draw from.

The upshot

AI search is becoming part of how buyers make sense of a market early in the process, not simply another source of traffic. Companies still need to be findable, but they also need enough clear, credible information in the market for AI systems to understand where they fit and why they belong in the buyer’s consideration set.