According to the G2 2026 AI Search Insight Report, 51% of B2B software buyers now start their research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google, up from 36% seven months ago. Additionally, 69% of B2B software buyers ended up choosing a different vendor than they originally expected, and 33% purchased from a brand they'd never even heard of because of what an AI chatbot recommended. The report notes that 33% of buyers open with category comparison queries, 31% start with competitor-based prompts, and 8 in 10 said AI accelerated their purchasing decision. G2 is cited across more than 115 million software category searches in AI from March–June 2026, with Google AI Mode leading and ChatGPT ranking fourth.