New research from LLM Listed reveals that artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most influential factors in the modern buying journey, with 85 per cent of buyers reporting that they have changed their mind because of an AI recommendation.

The findings come from LLM Listed’s newly released AI Buyer Journey Report 2026, which surveyed 770 buyers across the United States and the United Kingdom to understand better how AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini are influencing purchasing behaviour.

Among the report’s most significant findings were that 85 per cent of buyers said that they had changed their minds because of an AI recommendation. 97 per cent of respondents said they trust information provided by AI platforms. 94 per cent said they would stop considering a company if AI presented negative information about that business. 91 per cent of B2B buyers use AI during the purchasing process. 90 per cent of B2B AI users research vendors before contacting a company. 84 per cent of consumers use AI at some point during the buying journey.

Also, 59 per cent of consumers use AI as the first step when seeking product recommendations. And 56 per cent of B2B buyers ask AI for company contact details or website information and use those details directly.

“The findings suggest that AI is no longer simply a research tool. It is increasingly becoming a decision-making tool,” said Ben Harper, Founder of LLM Listed. “When 97 per cent of buyers trust AI-generated information and 94 per cent say they would stop considering a company because of negative AI information, businesses can no longer afford to ignore how they are represented across AI platforms.”

The research found that many buyers do not click directly from AI platforms to company websites. Instead, respondents reported searching Google for company names, typing website addresses directly into browsers, or asking AI platforms for phone numbers and contact details.

This behaviour suggests that many organisations may be underestimating AI’s influence on revenue because traditional web analytics often fail to capture AI-assisted customer journeys.

The study also identified notable differences between consumer and business buyers. Among B2C respondents, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT were the most commonly used AI platforms.

B2B buyers demonstrated more fragmented usage patterns, with Google AI Overviews (27%), ChatGPT (23%), Claude (15%), and Microsoft Copilot (11%) all playing significant roles in the buying process.

According to LLM Listed, these findings highlight the growing importance of AI visibility, which refers to how businesses are represented, cited, and recommended across AI platforms.

“As buyers increasingly rely on AI to discover and evaluate companies, organisations need to understand what AI systems are saying about them, which competitors are being recommended, and whether the information being presented is accurate,” Harper said.