If AI already decides which car to buy, it's also deciding which SAP and which tax automation your company will hire

How the same behavior reshaping vehicle purchases in Brazil is already redefining decisions about SAP, AMS, MES, and tax automation

A Google survey, presented at the Anfavea Visions 2026 event, revealed a finding that goes far beyond the automotive sector: 57% of Brazilian consumers already use artificial intelligence tools during the car-buying journey, and 13% of them go as far as delegating part of the decision to the technology. AI steps in to organize information, compare alternatives, and deepen the analysis before the final choice, and according to the survey, this doesn't shorten the process, it expands the research stage, because consumers end up evaluating more options with more data in hand.

If this is already happening in the purchase of a vehicle, a personal and relatively simple decision, imagine the impact on corporate purchasing, which is far longer, more technical, and involves multiple decision-makers. That is exactly what is happening in the B2B technology market, including solutions like SAP, AMS, MES, and tax automation.

The parallel with the automotive sector is not a stretch. Recent studies show that most corporate buyers already arrive at the first sales contact with their decision practically shaped by AI. More than 90% of B2B buyers use artificial intelligence to research suppliers before any commercial contact, and 94% already use language models, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, during the purchasing process, defining their decision criteria before even talking to a salesperson in 83% of cases.

On average, corporate decision-makers consider only 2.4 vendors before closing a deal, favoring brands they already know and trust. Research also indicates that AI agents are expected to intermediate up to 90% of B2B purchases by 2028, acting in research, shortlisting, and even negotiation. In other words, just as a car buyer arrives at the dealership already with a shortlist of models compared by AI, an IT manager or CFO now walks into a meeting with a SAP or tax automation vendor having already asked an AI assistant which solutions solve their problem, who the competitors are, and what the risks of each choice are.

In the space where Vottax operates, SAP consulting, AMS, MES, and tax automation, this behavioral shift has direct consequences. Research is taking longer, not shorter: just as car buyers evaluate more options with more data, B2B buyers use AI to compare features, case studies, certifications, and integrations before scheduling the first call. Digital reputation also matters more than ever, since generative AI builds its recommendations based on official websites, documented case studies, technical content, and market mentions, and if a company lacks a structured online presence, it simply doesn't appear on the buyer's radar. Even so, the final decision still depends on human factors. Just as, in buying a car, the final decision still depends on the buyer's budget, intended use, and financial planning, as highlighted by Marcelo Lucindo, CEO of Evoy Administradora de Consórcios, in B2B, AI organizes the information, but budget, compliance, implementation timeline, and trust in the partnership remain decisive. That's why marketing and sales teams need to speak the same language as AI: since supplier discovery and evaluation now happen in AI-mediated environments that companies don't fully control, commercial and marketing teams need to produce technical, clear, and verifiable content, exactly the kind of material that feeds these tools.

For companies evaluating tax automation, SAP consulting, or an MES implementation, the lesson from the Anfavea Visions 2026 survey is clear: use AI to broaden your research, not to replace your analysis. Compare vendors, cross-check information on integrations, compliance, and support, but bring to the decision table criteria that no AI can resolve on its own, such as compatibility with your current ERP, the partner's delivery track record, and their ability to support day-to-day operations.

At Vottax, this is a conversation that is already part of daily client interactions: helping companies organize the technical and tax-related variables of their decision, so that the technology, whether SAP, AMS, MES, or tax automation, arrives structured and aligned with business planning, not just with what an AI tool suggested during the research phase.