Forrester Declares 'GTM Singularity' as AI Upends B2B Sales

CAMBRIDGE, MA – January 15, 2026 – Research and advisory firm Forrester has sounded a stark alarm for the business-to-business world, announcing that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by buyers has triggered a "go-to-market crisis." The firm is centering its upcoming B2B Summit North America 2026 around the theme of "GTM singularity," a term coined to describe the irreversible point where traditional sales, marketing, and product strategies collapse under the weight of AI-driven buyer autonomy.

The summit, scheduled for April 26–29 in Phoenix, is positioned as a critical forum for leaders to confront a landscape where most buying decisions are now shaped long before a salesperson enters the conversation. This shift is underpinned by Forrester's recent data indicating that more than 90% of business buyers are already using or planning to use generative AI to support their purchase decisions.

"B2B leaders are facing a go-to-market crisis,” said Dave Frankland, event host, vice president, and research director at Forrester, in the official announcement. “The tried-and-true ways of creating demand, driving engagement, and understanding buyer intent can no longer keep pace with the changing buying landscape."

The End of Business as Usual

The "GTM singularity" concept points to a fundamental breakdown of established B2B frameworks. For decades, go-to-market strategies were built on a predictable, linear funnel where marketing generated leads, sales nurtured them, and customer success retained them. AI has shattered this model. Business buyers, now armed with sophisticated AI tools, conduct the majority of their research, vendor evaluation, and shortlisting independently.

This creates what Forrester calls "The Visibility Vacuum," a key theme at the upcoming summit. As buyers turn to AI agents and AI-powered search engines for answers, they increasingly encounter a "zero-click" environment where they receive synthesized summaries without ever visiting a company's website. This trend, which sees B2B buyers adopting AI-powered search at three times the rate of consumers, poses an existential threat to brands that rely on traditional content marketing and SEO to be discovered.

Industry-wide research corroborates this dramatic shift. Analysts predict that by 2028, a staggering 90% of B2B buying could be intermediated by AI agents, handling tasks from initial research to final purchase. More immediate projections suggest that one in five B2B purchases could be completed by an AI agent as early as this year. This means B2B marketers are no longer just speaking to human buyers; they are creating content that must be understood, trusted, and prioritized by AI systems.

A New Blueprint for an AI-First World

In response to this disruption, Forrester's summit agenda proposes not just incremental adjustments but a complete reinvention of GTM strategy. The event aims to provide leaders with a new blueprint for navigating this AI-first world, focusing on practical, cross-functional strategies.

One core pillar is the concept of a "Human + AI GTM." Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for human interaction, the summit will explore how to integrate AI into workflows to augment human capabilities. This involves using AI for data analysis, content personalization, and lead scoring, freeing up sales and marketing professionals to focus on building the high-value relationships and trust that AI cannot replicate. The goal is to preserve the essential human element that drives final decisions and long-term loyalty.

Another key session, "Make Brand + Demand Your Preference Multiplier," addresses the need to break down silos between marketing functions. In an AI-driven world where buyers form preferences early, a strong, clear brand message must be seamlessly integrated with demand generation and pipeline performance. The summit will outline how aligning brand equity with measurable results can accelerate buyer preference and build the trust necessary to be shortlisted by both human buyers and their AI assistants.

Finally, the summit tackles the "The Accountability Reset." With the traditional customer journey dissolving, old metrics like lead volume or marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) are becoming obsolete. This session will explore new models for demonstrating the impact of go-to-market efforts on tangible business outcomes, ensuring that marketing, sales, and product teams can prove their value in a world of non-linear, AI-influenced buying cycles.

An Evolution Years in the Making

Forrester's declaration of a "GTM singularity" is not a sudden development but the culmination of trends the firm has been tracking for years. A look at past B2B Summit themes reveals a clear narrative arc. In 2023, the theme was "ADAPT. ACT. GROW.," urging leaders to respond to unpredictability. By 2024, the message intensified with "Embrace Reinvention to Drive Growth," highlighting shifting buyer behaviors and the growing influence of generative AI.

Last year's 2025 summit, themed "Master Buying Mayhem," focused directly on the volatility created by buyers leveraging AI and broader information networks. The "GTM singularity" theme for 2026 marks a definitive statement that the period of adaptation is over. The shift is now considered permanent and all-encompassing, requiring a fundamental reset rather than further adjustments. This positions the 2026 summit not just as an advisory event, but as a strategic imperative for businesses hoping to survive and thrive.

The challenges are significant, but Forrester frames the moment as an opportunity. Attendees will have access to one-on-one analyst meetings for personalized guidance, peer networking sessions, and certification courses. The event will also celebrate the winners of the B2B Return On Integration Honors and B2B Programs Of The Year Awards, showcasing companies that are already successfully navigating this new reality. For B2B leaders, the message is clear: the singularity is here, and the time to transform their go-to-market engine is now.