B2B brands are discovering that showing up in AI-generated responses is only part of the challenge. AI systems are also shaping how suppliers are selected, compared and recommended during the purchasing process.
This distinction is important because more software buyers now look to AI tools before consulting analyst reports or search engines. According to a G2 survey of March 2026 of more than 1,000 B2B software buyers, 71% use AI chatbots to source suppliers, and more than half start their buying process with an AI query.
Brands appear in these responses when AI systems can confidently interpret, verify and position them against competing suppliers.
B2B buying is a group activity that involves many decision makers, each entering the process with their own independent research. However, a growing share of shopping comparisons now take place within an AI tool before anyone sits down to compare notes.
Finding Magenta Associates found that just five brands capture 80% of top AI-generated responses in a given B2B category. Ranking on the first page of Google used to mean competing for 10 blue links. AI-generated responses often only show four to seven marks.
AI tools generate these shortlists using systems that evaluate source authority, entity clarity, and consistency across the web. Brands need to optimize these signals or they won’t make the AI list, even if they’ve had solid wins in the press.
The way forward is to adopt a dual-track PR strategy and track decision outcomes to gain influence in an AI-mediated buying environment.
Your customers are searching everywhere. Make sure your brand introduces himself.
The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need.
Start free trial
Start with
How Dual Path PR Works
Think of dual-track PR like a resume that must go through an applicant tracking system. A hiring manager needs to see a resume with a narrative, personality, and clear structure. The tracking system should read structured formatting, the right keywords in the right fields, and consistent information that fits across all platforms.
A beautifully written resume that fails to pass through the tracking system will not make it to the hiring manager. The same goes for AI systems. If they can’t analyze, quote, or connect your brand to a clear entity, you won’t reach buyers.
The first path managed by PR is earned media, analyst coverage, trade placements, signings and broader marketing visibility of the brand – these reach buyers directly and build credibility over time. At the same time, there is a second path built around structured content, distributed presence, and consistent entity signals: AI systems use these to decide whether a brand is trustworthy enough to surface and recommend it.
Both paths rely on the same PR activity, but the architectures required for each differ significantly.
Follow what AI surfaces
Brands can appear in an AI response as a historical reference, as a minor entry in a comparison list, as a counterpoint to another vendor’s positioning, and much more. New tools help determine whether a brand appears in responses that influence purchasing decisions. These include requests to narrow a vendor field or draft a shortlist for internal review.
These tools measure decision outcomes by mapping a brand’s presence across queries that convey purchase intent. They also track AI perception: how an AI system characterizes a brand’s positioning and category authority and how often the brand appears in results.
A brand may appear consistently in AI-generated responses, but it is described in a way that undermines its actual positioning. For example, it may be incorrectly categorized within a vertical, such as being called a small business tool when it actually serves enterprise accounts, or presented as a secondary option to a competitor.
Tracking decision outcomes surfaces misalignments so brands can refine how AI systems interpret and position them.
Use a dual-track PR strategy to gain visibility
The earned media model still works, so you don’t need to throw out your PR playbook just yet. Coverage that generates backlinks, supports broader marketing visibility, signals expertise in authoritative fields, and builds consistent relationships with entities will always reach human buyers.
Buyers are still researching suppliers through search engines, AI tools, analyst content and industry publications. Brands that can influence both traditional discovery and AI-generated recommendations will have a stronger position throughout the purchasing journey.
