Most organizations treat AI as a productivity upgrade. The real leverage is in how evaluation criteria are encoded into systems that increasingly shape vendor selection. As B2B buying becomes machine-mediated, CMOs have an opportunity to shape how AI evaluates vendors — and elevate marketing’s strategic influence in the process. B2B buyers are increasingly using AI to conduct early research, from comparing vendors to summarizing capabilities and filtering options against requirements. As a result, buying is becoming machine-mediated. AI is no longer just assisting evaluation — it is increasingly determining which vendors appear on the shortlist. ## Machine-mediated buying is reshaping vendor selection B2B buying is increasingly becoming machine-mediated. AI systems are now summarizing vendors, comparing capabilities and filtering options against requirements before a human buyer even begins direct research. In that environment, vendors are not evaluated only through marketing messages or sales conversations.…