The Old Playbook Is Dead: 5 Surprising Ways AI Is Rewriting How Businesses Buy Software

Introduction: The New Rules of Engagement

For years, B2B software buying has been a marathon, not a sprint. The process was famously slow and complex, often bogged down by large committees, endless research cycles, and a dizzying number of stakeholder approvals. This traditional model was built on consensus, caution, and exhaustive evaluation.

But the rise of artificial intelligence has fundamentally shattered that old playbook. According to G2’s 2025 Buyer Behavior Report, a new type of software buyer has emerged—one that is faster, more focused, and more empowered than ever before. AI is no longer just a feature; it’s a force that has rewired the entire purchasing journey. Here are five surprising takeaways that reveal how businesses buy software now.

1. AI Isn’t an Experiment Anymore—It’s a Utility

The most significant shift in AI adoption is how it’s funded. AI software is no longer paid for out of fragile experimental budgets like R&D or discretionary funds, which were once used to chase proofs of concept driven by a pervasive sense of FOMO amid industry hype.

The data confirms this transition to operational stability. More than half (55%) of AI solution purchases are now funded by central IT budgets, with departmental operating budgets (43%) also a top source. The trend is even more pronounced in larger organizations: for enterprises with 1,000–5,000 employees, central IT is the funding source nearly 70% of the time. This move from experimental to operational budgets sends a bullish signal for the future of AI, cementing its maturity into a stable, core business imperative—much like any other essential infrastructure.

2. Buying Committees Are Shrinking, Not Swelling

For years, the conventional wisdom was that buying committees were steadily growing larger. In a counter-intuitive reversal, that trend has officially broken.

The report’s key statistics show that the once-dominant five-to-eight member buying committees have shrunk by 11% year-over-year. In their place, smaller, more agile groups of three to four people have grown by 9%.

This shift is driven by an increasing urgency among buyers to modernize their tech stacks. They are prioritizing efficiency and speed over the exhaustive consensus-building that defined past purchasing decisions. This shift demands a pivot from “selling to the room” to a focused strategy of identifying, equipping, and empowering a single internal champion who can drive the deal with a lean, agile team.

3. For Enterprise Buyers, AI Search Is the New Google

In a stunning development, AI search and software review websites have surpassed Google as the top research sources for enterprise and large enterprise companies.

For companies with over 5,000 employees, the data is stark: 57% use AI Search and 61% use Software Review Sites for research, compared to just 53% who use Google. This shift, however, isn’t uniform across the market—a perfect illustration of William Gibson’s observation that:

The future is here. It’s just unevenly distributed.

While enterprise buyers have made the leap, Google remains the top research source for small and mid-market companies, creating a fragmented landscape for sellers to navigate. Buyers in large organizations are grappling with burnout from increased workloads and are turning to AI-driven tools to save time. Instead of sorting through endless links, they are using AI search and review sites to get direct, synthesized answers, allowing them to focus on more strategic priorities.

4. The Mega-Deal Is Dying (And Pay-As-You-Go Is Taking Its Place)

While overall software spending continues to increase, large, multi-year contracts are facing heavy resistance. Increased scrutiny on return on investment (ROI), fueled by CFO interventions and greater procurement oversight, is reshaping how deals get done.

Enterprises are now clustering their purchases in a new “sweet spot” of the 100K–150K range, a significant pullback from the expansive budgets of the past. This is directly connected to the rise of new pricing models. Over one in three buyers now prefer variable pricing, with the report citing that 39% indicate a rising preference for pay-as-you-go models. This reflects a “do more, but spend less per deal” mindset, forcing sellers to shift their GTM from “whale hunting” for mega-deals to a “land-and-expand” model built on smaller initial contracts and strategic usage acceleration.

5. The C-Suite Is Ceding Control to the Front Lines

While the C-suite remains highly influential, its role as the ultimate decision-maker in software purchases has slightly decreased. The power is shifting downward and outward.

The most notable change is the surge in decision-making power of Departmental Leaders, which rose from 20% to 24% year-over-year. Even more dramatically, End-User Champions saw their influence more than double, jumping from 4% to 9%.

This devolution of power is a direct consequence of the trends we’ve already seen. The smaller, sub-$150K deal sizes and less risky pay-as-you-go contracts simply don’t trigger the same level of C-suite scrutiny, empowering the departmental leaders and end-users who are closest to the operational need and its budget.

Conclusion: Are You Ready for the New Buyer?

AI is not just another feature to add to a product sheet; it has fundamentally rewired the B2B software buying process. The modern buyer is faster, more focused, and more decisive, leveraging AI-powered tools to cut through the noise and get to a confident decision with unprecedented speed. The old, slow playbook is officially dead.

Now that AI is a part of every deal, how will you adapt your strategy to meet this new reality?