By 2028, AI agents are expected to outnumber human salespeople 10 to 1, yet less than 40% of sellers will say artificial intelligence (AI) has helped them work more efficiently, according to Gartner Inc., a business and technology insights company.
Gartner said companies should focus on using AI smartly instead of just adding more bots. Success with AI depends on having clean data, simple processes, and easy-to-use tools. Without this, AI could make work harder for sellers instead of helping them.
“AI agents are everywhere, but there’s a value ceiling,” said Melissa Hilbert, VP Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice. “Beyond a certain point, more AI does not mean more productivity. In fact, adding extra tools and prompts to already complex workflows risks overwhelming sellers and increasing burnout.”
Gartner advised sales leaders to update how they measure success to include both human and AI contributions, test AI tools and improve them based on feedback, make sure data and processes are accurate, train sellers to use AI effectively, and let AI handle routine tasks so salespeople can focus on high-value customer interactions.
“The future of sales will belong to organizations that combine human empathy with AI-powered insights, delivering better experiences for buyers and real productivity gains,” Hilbert said.