AI Usage Stats : B2C VS. B2B
According to Presence’s study , as of January 2025, 69% of French people are already using AI. So, how popular is AI usage today for B2B companies in France and the globe over?
THE POSITIVE:
Before I get into attempting to answer that, let’s peer into the not so distance past, specifically December 6th 2021. On this date roughly 3 years ago, Gartner predicted that “[b]y 2025, 75% of B2B sales organizations will augment traditional sales playbooks with artificial intelligence (AI) guided selling solutions”. And to what degree did those predictions become true you might ask? Well, based on my observations, AI adoption for B2B companies continues trending upwards and is looking pretty strong overall.
For example, if you’re already impressed with the buzzand positive outcomes surrounding AI usage in the B2B world to date, prepare to be even more dazzled by this quote from Forrester’s Seth Marrs and Riley McDonnell, who state that “[i]n 2025, B2B organizations will finally harness the AI advantage”. Marrs and McDonnell share additional positive AI stats such as 1.) “AI coworkers will emerge as valued team members in two out of five organizations…” and 2.) “Forrester’s Marketing Survey, 2024, shows that investment in B2B conversation automation solutions [AI] will continue to grow, with 64% of global B2B marketing leaders planning to increase spending on the technology in the next year”. And it doesn’t end there! While McKinsey’s 2024 B2B Pulse Survey characterizes B2B sellers as being “in the early stages of using gen AI… optimism [about gen AI] is palpable, however. More than 85 percent of surveyed commercial leaders who have deployed gen AI in their organizations report that they’re ‘very excited’ about the technology.”
THE NEGATIVE:
On the flip side, not everything is looking all rosy for AI, especially now that the AI honeymoon phase is waning. Those who jumped into the B2B AI game with dollar signs in their eyes are disappointed at the not-yet-realized impact of their AI investments. Forrester’s 2025 Predictions guide (B2B Marketing & Sales) reports: “Most enterprises fixated on AI ROI will scale back prematurely. Leaders are realizing that ROI from AI investments will take longer than they anticipated. Impatience with AI ROI could prompt enterprises to prematurely scale back investments, which would be a long-term disadvantage.”
AI Usage in B2B Pricing
Since pricing’s a pain point for our clients at Request INT., let’s also take a look at the stats on AI usage in B2B pricing – we can turn to a couple of recent reports from Vendavo, global leader in B2B pricing, selling, and rebate solutions for that. Taken together, two recent Vendavo reports – “Pricing Excellence Report and Outlook 2024” + “THE 2025 PRICING FOR PROFITABLE GROWTH OUTLOOK” – show that AI usage in B2B pricing has definitely increased from 2024 to 2025. For example, these Vendavo reports highlight that the percentage of B2B companies surveyed who are not at all using AI for pricing/price management and who have no plan to implement it has decreased from 49% in 2024 to a mere 2% in 2025. And for some more granular 2024/2025 stats: 22% of B2B companies “use AI on an ad hoc basis” (up from 13% in 2024) and 37% of B2B companies’ “current systems leverage AI to some level” (up from 11% in 2024). Despite these evolutions, in 2025 only 29% of B2B companies stated that they are using AI to “streamline their operations, increase efficiency, and boost profitability.” Thus, we’re not yet able to say “B2B companies are all in on AI for pricing” (and this is to their detriment according to Vendavo’s Paul Sansom, who states: “Don’t ignore AI… AI can literally transform your commercial processes… [and] drive real value” .
For those feeling confused about how to proceed with these both hot and cold reactions to AI usage for B2B, maybe the best way forward is somewhere in between (in other words, while AI is undoubtedly powerful, it can’t do everything – *that’s my cue to pitch Request INT.’s B2B competitive intelligence services, wink wink). After all, Vendavo’s “THE 2025 PRICING FOR PROFITABLE GROWTH OUTLOOK” states that “the best work is done at the intersection of AI and human collaboration”. Standing alone, AI is undeniably a remarkable tool for B2B companies. And pre-AI (and also still true today), any successful business has its employees, and other human collaborators, to thank. But, in today’s rapidly evolving tech world, the most successful companies will be those that leverage both artificial and human intelligence, using the best of both what AI and human-powered ingenuity have to offer, in a collective, team effort. In 2025 and beyond, companies that harness both AI + human smarts will prove to be greater than the sum of their parts.
Conclusion
AI is powerful, but it can’t do everything. Where AI falls short, Request INT. steps in!
