Forrester: B2B companies to lose $10 billion due to uncontrolled AI

B2B companies are racing to add AI everywhere. Meanwhile, buyers are losing confidence in AI-powered decisions. The disconnect is about to cost billions. Forrester's latest prediction is stark. B2B organizations face $10 billion in losses by 2026. The culprit? Ungoverned generative AI use. Here's what's happening: • 19% of buyers report decreased confidence in AI-generated information • Current governance approaches aren't working • Companies keep integrating GenAI without proper controls The irony is clear. As AI becomes more common, human expertise becomes more valuable. By 2026, Forrester predicts 75% of enterprise B2B companies will increase budgets for influencer relations. Buyers want validation from real experts. The solution isn't to abandon AI. It's to govern it better. We need: ✅ Better AI literacy for employees ✅ Democratized governance frameworks ✅ Evidence-driven AI engagement ✅ Clear validation processes As Forrester's Sharyn Leaver puts it: "B2B leaders must embrace a more disciplined approach to generative AI, prioritizing trust and tangible value." The companies that balance AI tools with human expertise will win. Those that don't will pay the price. Are you seeing this tension between AI efficiency and buyer trust in your organization? #B2BAI #GenerativeAI #B2BSales 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gxzuxKxq

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗔𝗜 + 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁) “AI will replace sales.” You’ve probably seen the headlines. But here’s the reality: in B2B, trust isn’t going anywhere. Million-dollar deals don’t close on clicks. They close on credibility, relationships, and confidence. AI won’t replace trust — but it will 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝘁. Here’s how: • 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: AI does the heavy lifting (research, prep, data). • 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: AI identifies patterns and priorities. • 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁: AI ensures consistent messaging, follow-up, and proof points. The future of B2B sales isn’t “AI instead of people.” It’s: 🔹 Trust as foundation 🔹 AI as amplifier 🔹 Systems as multiplier That’s exactly how the 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺™ works — blending human trust with AI and repeatable systems to create future-ready growth. 🤝 Explore how Trust + AI + Systems can future-proof your pipeline today. https://lnkd.in/gFCQdvyB #AI #B2BMarketing #TrustedPipeline #SalesEnablement #RevenueSystems

If your competitors are already using AI, you’re already behind. The truth is simple: ✅ AI doesn’t replace people. It replaces inefficiency. ✅ Businesses using AI are closing deals faster, automating manual work, and outspending competitors in smarter ways. ✅ The gap between “AI adopters” and “AI avoiders” is growing... fast! At ElevationAI, we help B2B businesses implement real-world AI solutions — from lead generation and workflow automation to digital advertising and customer service chatbots. Don’t wait until your competitors have doubled their efficiency. Start your AI transformation now. 🚀 Let’s elevate your business with AI. #AI #B2B #Automation #DigitalTransformation

AI adoption in sales isn’t a technology problem - it’s a behaviour problem. In my experience, most sales teams are still using AI at the surface level: - Writing emails - Summarising meeting transcripts - Answering RFP questions Useful? Sure. Transformative? Not yet. The real challenge isn’t that the tools don’t work, it’s that they haven’t yet earned a place in how salespeople actually operate. For seasoned AEs, especially in enterprise sales, deals are complex, situational, and human. Many AEs aren’t process-oriented by nature and it doesn’t feel natural to think “AI can help me here.” So how do we change that? I am coming to the belief that you have to create an anchor in their mind - for a clear, specific moment when it makes sense to turn to AI for help. Yes, embedding it in the workflow (email, calendar, CRM) helps - but that alone doesn’t shift behaviour. The real breakthrough could come when the AI connects emotionally and contextually to how reps see themselves. For example, imagine the AI not as a task assistant, but as the trusted navigator in the passenger seat, quietly tracking the road ahead, pointing out what’s around the next corner, and giving you the confidence to focus on driving the deal. You might not look at it every minute, but you always know it’s there - to help you keep you on course. That’s the level of trust and presence adoption really needs. This month, we’re announcing something we’ve been building that captures this exact idea - an AI “anchor” for complex sales. #salesai #salesneablement #b2bsales

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 By combining the strengths of humans and AI, companies can fully reimagine the way they sell, making it faster, more intelligent, more empathic, and more data-driven. Three forms of agentic selling — augmented, assisted, and autonomous — have already begun to displace the more traditional and intuitive B2B selling approaches. The optimal combination of human sales staff and AI agents depends on the size and nature of the sale. Done right, organizations can unlock both growth and efficiency, while maintaining human oversight where judgment and customer relationships matter most. A successful transformation will depend on a bold vision, the right AI deployment sequence, stronger AI governance and guardrails, and an integrated tech stack. Organizations will also need to foster the confidence of frontline sellers through upskilling, redesigned roles, and the right incentives. See the BCG research data. https://lnkd.in/gR_Xdj2y #AgenticAI #B2B #Sales #Transformation

Have you found yourself lying in bed at night wondering what AI means for B2B sales and marketing? What will buying practices look like in just a few years? A recent story about Deloitte having to repay the Australian government over $400K for a partially AI-generated report made me wonder how quickly habits are actually going to change. If you’re even slightly technical, you’re probably using AI every day to augment your work. You’re probably also using it for personal shopping research (I used ChatGPT to pick some PC components this weekend)… If so, you’ve probably also seen that LLMs hallucinate ALL THE TIME. They’re essentially probability engines; when they can’t find an answer, they generate something that sounds plausible. In Deloitte’s case, the report included multiple non-existent references and citations. Imagine that in a B2B buying process, one with legal, compliance, technical, and financial implications. That’s a recipe for disaster. What if the Pareto Principle applies to AI? We’ve come this far, but achieving the last 20% of reliability might take 80% of the effort. We could be years away from eliminating the “hallucinations.” If that’s true, some fundamentals of B2B sales aren’t going away any time soon: - Buyers researching online (with help from AI) - Buyers conducting due diligence (self-educating through documents, videos, and webinars) - Buyers still reaching out to a human to progress, negotiate, and close the deal Disagree with me? Am I kidding myself? How do you see B2B buying behaviours evolving as we navigate the post-AI era?

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, leveraging AI in B2B automation is no longer a luxury. It's a necessity. AI is transforming how businesses operate by turning vast amounts of data into actionable insights. What sets AI apart is its ability to not just assist but actively solve complex challenges, streamlining operations and improving outcomes. From automating repetitive tasks to providing data-driven recommendations, AI empowers teams to focus on what matters most, driving growth and efficiency. The future of business lies in integrating AI solutions that not only support your operations but become integral partners in your strategic decision-making. The businesses that embrace this transformation will be the ones leading the charge in innovation, efficiency, and growth. Click to watch what our VP of Product, Abhishek Sur, has to say about the future of AI in B2B automation! https://lnkd.in/dfbujV9h #MondayMotivation #AI #B2BAutomation #BusinessTransformation #DataDriven #SmartDecisions #SalesOptimization #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #FutureOfWork #TechLeadership #Automation #Efficiency #DigitalTransformation

Everyone talks about “using AI” to market their business. Many use AI to create content. Few ask the question that matters most: Can AI even FIND my business? The way prospects discover B2B firms has shifting from search results to AI summaries. When they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini: “Who are the top firms in [your industry]?” “What’s the best company for [your specialty]?” They’re NOT getting a list of links. They’re getting a synthesized answer, drawn from the firms and experts that AI trusts and references. That’s what an AI Discoverability Audit reveals: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 How (and whether) AI systems describe your firm today. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Which competitors are being cited instead — and why. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 What specific actions can make your B2B firm more visible in AI-driven discovery. An AI Discoverability Audit is the new foundation for marketing strategy. Before you invest in AI tools or automation, you need to know whether AI actually knows you exist, and how to earn your way into the conversation. If you’d like to see what an AI Discoverability Audit looks like — or how your firm might score — just message me, and I’ll share a quick overview. #B2B #AI #AIDiscovery #OnlineVisibility #Marketing

What's the difference? 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜 (𝗩𝘀.) 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗜? Generative AI is reactive. You ask it to "draft an email." It creates the content. You still manage the process of copying, pasting, sending, and logging. Agentic AI is proactive. You give it a goal like "follow up with all new leads." The system manages the entire execution. It detects the lead, analyzes CRM data, drafts a personalized email, sends it, and logs the activity. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀. For B2B teams, this is a massive shift. It means 24/7 lead qualification, dynamic customer journeys, and perfect handoffs to sales. Your team moves from repetitive tasks to high level strategy. The future of work isn't just assisting people. It's automating outcomes. #AgenticAI #AI #B2BSaaS GetReplies | Arjun Shenoy