AI is becoming an active participant in how business buyers discover providers, evaluate options, assess risk, and negotiate value. It can help buyers sort through complex information and uncover meaningful insights. But buyers do not want AI to take over the process. They want it to do more of the work while leaving consequential decisions in human hands.

In Forrester’s Business Buyers’ Insights Survey, 2026, 82% of buyers reported that their purchase included some level of AI functionality, whether they wanted it or not. In 2027, buyers will start taking greater control of AI, not only in what they buy but also in how they buy. They will delegate more work to AI agents while becoming less tolerant of AI functionality that lacks clear value. They will use AI to expand and accelerate their analysis, then turn to people for validation, accountability, and confidence. The result will be a buying process in which machines do more of the work but human judgment matters more than ever.

Three predictions illustrate how this shift will reshape business buying in 2027:

  • Agentic buying will play a role in 75% of B2B purchases. AI agents will move beyond isolated workflow automation and become a measurable part of procurement. Buyers will use agents, either through procurement systems or independently, for bounded tasks such as spend analysis, contract-renewal analysis, supplier discovery, RFI and RFP creation, and information gathering. Fully autonomous purchasing will remain concentrated in high-volume, low-risk, repeatable scenarios. But providers should expect AI agents to conduct significant portions of the buying process, often stopping just short of completing the transaction.
  • Buyers will double their human interactions to validate AI-generated recommendations. AI can identify and compare providers quickly, but it cannot fully determine organizational fit, feasibility, accountability, or acceptable risk. As buyers encounter more AI-generated recommendations, synthetic content, automated outreach, and agent-mediated interactions, they will seek validation from provider experts and trusted third parties. Product experts, customer references, partners, and industry analysts will become increasingly important in helping buyers determine whether an AI-generated recommendation can withstand scrutiny.
  • Risk reviews will delay or block one-third of enterprise AI software purchases. AI may accelerate discovery, but it will lengthen validation. More than half of AI purchases already involve four or more departments, compared with 26% of non-AI purchases, while internal buying teams have expanded from an average of eight stakeholders to 13. Legal, security, compliance, procurement, and technology leaders will demand evidence that a provider’s AI can operate within their governance, audit, and control requirements. Providers that cannot supply credible evidence will struggle to convert buyer interest into approval.

What Should B2B Providers Do?

Providers must prepare to persuade both humans and machines. That starts with making product, pricing, security, privacy, compliance, and performance information accurate, structured, and accessible to buyer agents. But visibility to AI systems will not be enough. Marketers, sellers, and product teams must also strengthen the human network surrounding the purchase. Equip subject-matter experts to explain where AI delivers value and where its limitations remain. Cultivate credible advocates who can validate claims. Provide concrete evidence that helps risk stakeholders evaluate governance and control. Above all, connect AI functionality to validated customer needs rather than adding features simply because the technology makes them possible.

In 2027, AI will help buyers find more options, analyze them faster, and negotiate more effectively. Human experts will help them decide which recommendations to believe and which risks to accept. Providers that can satisfy both forms of scrutiny will be best positioned to earn buyer confidence, defend their value, and tell a story that engages buyers.

Read the full Predictions 2027: Business Buyers report (client access required) to learn more about these predictions and find two additional calls on AI feature sprawl and declining pricing premiums. Schedule a Forrester guidance session to learn how you can prepare your sales, marketing, and product teams to adapt their strategies.

Not a client? Download our complimentary Predictions 2027: B2B Go-To-Market guide, which covers all of our top predictions for the year ahead. And sign up for our public webinar on Thursday, December 3, where we’ll dig into those predictions in greater detail. Additional resources, including blog posts, guides, and webinars, are available on the Predictions 2027 hub.

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