Key stat: 72% of US B2B professionals use AI tools to research topics or trends, ahead of writing or editing content (63%) and data analysis or summarization (60%), according to an April report from Semrush.

Beyond the chart:

• Research habits run deepest where research is the job. Nearly all US market researchers (98%) have used generative AI in the past year and 72% use it at least once a day, according to a Harris Poll and QuestDIY survey.
• Meanwhile, all that usage has yet to buy back much time. Some 68% of AI-using employees in the UK and North America save four hours or less per week, according to Section.

Use this chart: Drop this in your content strategy deck to show where AI actually sits in the B2B workday. Use it to argue for content built to get found and cited by models, not just ranked by search engines. Show it to leadership pushing automation-first AI budgets.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• B2B SEO and GEO 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• The AI Governance Gap (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the July 2026 Semrush report "How AI tools shape the B2B buying process: A survey of 600+ US business professionals." 643 US B2B professionals were surveyed during March–April 2026. After 21 respondents who failed a quality check were removed, 622 valid responses remained. Respondents were then asked whether they use AI tools for work; 519 (83%) confirmed they do, and all reported findings are based on those 519 respondents. Respondents included business executives, CEOs, business owners and founders, product managers, marketing directors and managers, operations managers, IT managers, CFOs, CIOs/CTOs, procurement managers, and others. Of respondents, 54% were final decision-makers, 41% were part of a decision-making group, and 5% were evaluators or influencers.