Gen Z leads surge in daily AI use, as B2B buying enters the generative era

Eighty-six percent of Gen Z professionals now use AI daily at work, according to a new report by TrustRadius. It reveals a sharp uptick in AI adoption, a shift in how B2B professionals conduct product research and new content demands for marketers trying to remain visible in a generative AI-first environment.

AI tools are no longer emerging technology — they’re daily utilities. Among all respondents using AI at work, 69% said they use it daily and 95% use it at least weekly, according to “From Buzzword to Backbone: How AI is Powering and Redefining B2B Search and Buying,” is based on a survey of the TrustRadius buyer community. Gen Z’s adoption leads all demographics, with engineers and product managers using the broadest range of tools. Finance professionals, constrained by compliance, lag behind.

Dig deeper: AI search is collapsing the B2B buyer journey

On average, respondents use three different AI tools on a regular basis. C-suite executives use even more, averaging 3.9 tools per person, highlighting their hands-on role in evaluating and deploying AI investments.

Embedded AI is now a software baseline

While 79% of respondents use ChatGPT, embedded AI features within other software tools are just as common—used by 75% of respondents. Only 9% of those ignore the AI functionality in their tools.

Writing assistance, summarization and AI-powered search are the most frequently used features. A significant 78% of companies are paying for at least one AI tool. That number rises to 90% among enterprise employees, with Microsoft Copilot experiencing broad adoption across the enterprise, likely due to Windows’ significant share of the PC market.

The leading business drivers for AI adoption are improving efficiency (86%), supporting innovation (57%) and reducing costs (47%).

TrustRadius found that 46% of AI users rely on it as a primary research method—often replacing traditional search engines. Forty-five percent have used AI to support a software buying decision, including 51% of enterprise buyers.

This shift is particularly evident among C-suite executives (65%) and Gen Z professionals (51%), underscoring how both early researchers and decision-makers are turning to AI tools for discovery and evaluation. Of those using AI in buying processes, 94% found it helpful or very helpful.

Visibility in AI-generated content is now table stakes

With AI now guiding many early buying interactions, visibility in generative search results is fast becoming the new SEO. TrustRadius describes this shift as a move toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—strategies to ensure a brand appears in AI-generated outputs.

The top AI use cases across the buying journey include early-stage discovery (80%), product comparisons (54%) and deeper evaluations (47%).

TrustRadius offers five key recommendations:

1. Prioritize content that is structured and detailed enough to be cited by large language models.
2. Invest in user-generated content, which serves as a trust layer for AI-savvy buyers.
3. Maintain both traditional SEO and emerging GEO strategies.
4. Ensure your content appears across platforms to influence how AI tools summarize your brand.
5. Push for equitable value exchange between content creators and AI systems, especially as content visibility increasingly depends on third-party AI models.

Why it matters

The widespread use of AI—especially among Gen Z and executive decision-makers—signals a lasting shift in how B2B buyers search, vet and choose products. To stay competitive, marketers must align their content and discovery strategies with the new AI-powered buyer journey.