# The Early Scale: 72% of B2B Buyers Now Vet Vendors on ChatGPT as Anthropic Backs a $1.5B Bet on AI Implementation

By MarketScale Newsroom · Published 2026-07-22 · Updated 2026-09-01 · Business Services on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/business-services/the-early-scale-2026-07-22
Creator hub: The Early Scale

> 72% of B2B buyers now vet vendors on ChatGPT. Token costs are blocking enterprise AI at production scale. And Anthropic just backed a $1.5B bet that the real problem is implementation, not the technology itself.

## Key points

- 72% of B2B buyers now use ChatGPT to vet vendors.
- High token costs are obstructing AI deployment on a large scale in enterprises.

## The lead

The story of this week is already clear: AI is everywhere, but scaling it is the hard part. Token costs are too high, governance frameworks are too thin, and enterprise buyers are now researching vendors on ChatGPT before they ever visit your website. The gap between "we deployed AI" and "AI is working for us" is where most businesses are stuck right now. Let's close that gap, starting with your next five minutes.

## The Big Three

### 72% of B2B Buyers Use ChatGPT to Vet Vendors. Most Brands Don't Show Up.

Tags: The Early Scale, B2B News, Morning Brief, MarketScale, AI, B2B marketing, GEO, generative engine optimization, enterprise AI, LLM, Palo Alto Networks, Anthropic, Kyndryl, M&A, HubSpot, supply chain, workforce readiness, AI cost, marketing technology

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