Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly influenced how go-to-market (GTM) teams sell and engage buyers over the past year, leading marketing teams to assume greater responsibility for revenue strategy and managing buyer relationships. Data from Walnut’s report, AI and The New Guard of B2B Sales, illustrates this shift of power from sales to marketing, with 49% of tech executives noting that AI empowers marketing teams to take more control over the buyer relationship. Executives largely concur on the future direction of this trend—30% of those surveyed believe marketing will continue to gain influence and budget at the expense of sales, while 21% observe the relationship between sales and marketing growing increasingly competitive. Oren Blank, VP of Product at Walnut, commented that the report highlights how AI has not only altered how buyers conduct research but also fundamentally changed who owns the buyer relationship. “Thanks to generative AI, marketing content now shapes buyer perceptions before sales teams engage, forcing companies to rapidly adapt, ” Blank said in a statement accompanying the report’s release. “The data makes it clear: success won’t come from having the best AI prompts but from delivering experiences that cut through the AI-generated clutter—experiences a chatbot cannot replicate. ” Impact of AI on Personnel The report explains that AI has become the first resource for buyers during software discovery, with 45% of respondents indicating prospective buyers now use AI to find the software they need. Despite some advantages, executives note emerging challenges: - 46% report buyers receive misleading information from AI tools; - 44% say AI breeds overconfident buyers who overestimate their knowledge; - 36% agree sales teams must spend more time evaluating the prospects’ actual understanding of the product; - 30% feel increased pressure to “correct” prospects during sales cycles due to their often inaccurate information. As a result, personnel decisions are already shifting: 94% of executives have made structural or headcount changes because of AI in the past year, including 28% who restructured leadership roles to grant marketing greater control over revenue. Adjustments in Sales Regarding sales roles, 36% of executives believe AI is diminishing the value of sales teams, and 38% report a reduction in entry-level sales hiring driven by AI’s impact.

While AI dominates much of the discovery phase, human sales professionals remain crucial deeper in the funnel—especially during demos and decision-making stages where personal connections and expertise influence final choices. Blank also emphasized emerging opportunities for marketing professionals: 46% state AI is creating new sales leadership openings for marketing executives, indicating a trend toward chief marketing officers stepping into chief revenue officer roles. “Interactive, personalized product demos that demonstrate tangible value are essential. AI controls the research phase, ” Blank noted. “But the decision phase remains fundamentally human—and humans require the right tools to succeed. ”