AEO ScannerThe state of AI search in 2026: data and trends
How much of buyer research has actually moved to AI assistants? Which categories have shifted fastest? Data from across our customer base.
Mid-2026 numbers: across the categories we track, AI assistants are now the first stop for between 35% and 60% of B2B buyer research, depending on segment. The shift has accelerated in the last 12 months and shows no sign of slowing.
What we measured
To compile this we ran scans across ~150 brands in 10 B2B categories, then cross-referenced with self-reported buyer-journey data from sales teams. The picture below is approximate but directionally clear.
By category — AI search share of buyer research
- Developer tools: 65–75% — highest. Engineers are early adopters.
- SaaS / B2B software: 45–55%.
- Marketing tools: 40–50%.
- HR tech: 25–35% — buyer journeys still heavily LinkedIn / referral-driven.
- Finance and accounting tools: 20–30% — slower to shift; trust signals still come from peers and accountants.
- Consumer SaaS: 50–65%.
By AI assistant
- ChatGPT: ~60% of all AI search traffic in B2B.
- Claude: ~25%, but with much higher representation in technical and enterprise buyers.
- Perplexity: ~10%, growing fastest.
- Other (Gemini, Copilot, others): ~5%.
Three trends that matter
1. The buyer increasingly never sees a SERP
The shift isn't "AI assistants in addition to Google." It's "AI assistants instead of Google for the first 1–3 queries of a research session." Buyers only fall back to Google when the AI assistant didn't give a confident answer.
2. Citation patterns are stabilizing
Twelve months ago, citation sources varied wildly query-to-query. Today there's a much stronger "canonical source" effect: the same 5–10 domains dominate per category. Categories that have stable canonicals are the hardest to break into, but also the most predictable to optimize for.
3. AEO budget is finally appearing in marketing plans
In Q1 2025, almost no B2B SaaS had AEO as a line item. As of Q2 2026, roughly 30% do, typically as 15–25% of the SEO budget redirected.
What this means for you
If you operate in a category where AI search is >40% of buyer research, AEO is no longer optional. Direct competitors who do this well are taking awareness share without you ever knowing — they're winning AI queries you don't even know exist.
Run a baseline scan to see where you stand. The number is almost always more sobering than expected, and the path forward is usually clearer than expected.