No one wants to be "sold to."
Gartner summed it up well: “Over the next five years, an exponential rise in digital interactions between buyers and suppliers will break traditional sales models… Gartner’s research shows that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur in digital channels, driven by a growing preference for seller-free experiences.”
The traditional B2B sales model, heavily reliant on human salespeople, is being upended by digital interactions and automation. The shift toward AI-driven sales is no longer hypothetical—it’s happening now.
From AI Assistants to Autonomous Agents
Until 2024, AI in the workplace was mainly seen as a "co-pilot", a cosy and supportive tool that helped workers without replacing them. Think of it as the AI equivalent of an autopilot system on a plane, stepping in when needed but never fully taking over from the captain.
Now, we’re entering the era of agentic AI.
What is Agentic AI?
Agentic AI, or autonomous AI, is a system capable of making independent decisions, executing tasks, and understanding unstructured data with minimal human intervention. Unlike traditional AI, which assists with specific tasks, agentic AI can operate autonomously, analysing data, planning actions, and adapting to achieve predefined goals.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, broke it down eloquently in this 30 second video clip here at the AI Summit in Paris last week. He also noted they have moved from 50% accuracy to 85% accuracy in the last year; although I don't think this reliability is enough for most enterprises - yet! - it will not be long before it is at an acceptable level (and managing the residual risks is something we already do with the people in our companies, I address this below).
This shift is critical for B2B sales and procurement, where speed, efficiency, and scalability matter hugely for ROI and are firmly in focus for digital transformation teams.
AI Needs Controls—Just Like Humans
AI can’t start a nuclear war if it’s not connected to the big red button. Just like human employees, it still needs checks and balances.
One of the best frameworks I’ve seen for the governance I think we need comes from W.L. Gore & Associates, the company behind Gore-Tex. They use the “waterline principle” (credit to the brilliant David Dillon for explaining it to me... he also made me try out the Goretex rainproof jackets in a torrential rain chamber which was a once in a lifetime experience ☔️!)
Employees are trusted and empowered to make decisions, take risks and innovate, provided the implications are above the waterline, where mistakes won’t sink the ship. Riskier, below-the-waterline decisions require oversight and approval.
Why I’m Bullish on AI Agents
This same principle applies to AI—autonomy is powerful, provided you set the appropriate boundaries. You can always ask "How does it actually work?" when you are looking at new AI tools and options and "what controls do I have?". I strongly believe agentic AI will be transformative and allow businesses to listen to and offer personal service to even their smallest customers.
For B2B sales, procurement, and contract negotiations, AI-driven automation isn’t just about cost savings—it’s about making deals faster, smarter, and more scalable.
At Nibble, we are handling high-volume, repeatable negotiations in a human-centric way which builds trust and relationships, freeing up human teams to focus on the big strategic wins.
Stay tuned for next time, where I will dive into the hidden costs of AI agents and where I think they risk driving endless busy-ness without improving productivity. You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking here.
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