AUSTIN, Texas & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 25, 2026--
Treble, the preeminent earned media B2B technology public relations agency, today released its Press-to-Pipeline Activation in the Age of AI report, revealing that AI assistants have overtaken Google Search as the No. 1 research tool for enterprise technology buyers.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260225021844/en/
The report found that 47% of buyers now start vendor research with AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, ahead of Google Search (43%), vendor websites (42%) and trade publications (40%). Once in evaluation mode, 93% use AI to summarize or compare vendors.
The implications are significant. AI does not generate credibility; it aggregates it, drawing from earned media, analyst reports and third-party validation. Companies without consistent, recent coverage risk becoming invisible in AI-generated comparisons before a salesperson ever enters the conversation.
“Every press release, media mention, analyst report and byline is now training data for the AI tools buyers use to build their shortlists,” said Matt Grant, executive vice president at Treble. “PR has always been about shaping perception. What’s changed is that the perception is now shaped by an algorithm that draws on earned media. The companies that understand this are the ones showing up when a potential customer asks ChatGPT to compare vendors in their space.”
Furthermore, the findings underscore that recent earned media plays a direct and measurable role in shaping vendor credibility and shortlists:
The report makes clear that AI assistants are no longer just research tools, but credibility filters that summarize third-party consensus when buyers ask for vendor comparisons. Repeated coverage signals authority, while a lack of coverage signals irrelevance.
Click here to view the full report, or request a free AI Visibility & Earned Media Readiness Assessment by contacting newbiz@treblepr.com.
The report was prepared in partnership with Censuswide, based on a survey of 300 CIOs, CISOs, CTOs, VPs and Directors in Retail, Finance, Healthcare, Industrial/Manufacturing and Telecommunications. Fieldwork was conducted December 4-9, 2025.
FAQ
How are enterprise buyers using AI in vendor research?
Nearly half begin with AI assistants instead of search engines, and 93% use AI to summarize and compare vendors during evaluation. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are the dominant platforms at 66% usage each.
Why does earned media matter more in an AI-driven buying process?
AI tools draw from third-party sources, including earned media, analyst reports and customer proof, to generate vendor summaries. Buyers trust these AI-generated summaries more than vendors’ own website claims, making the quality and recency of earned media a direct input to the pipeline.
How recent does media coverage need to be to influence buying decisions?
Over 9 in 10 buyers say coverage from the past 90 days is important. Product reviews, analyst mentions and thought leadership published in the past quarter carry significantly more weight than older coverage in vendor credibility assessments.
About Treble
Treble is the preeminent earned media B2B technology public relations agency, specializing in helping companies at every growth stage—from early-stage startups to enterprise organizations. Working with venture capital firms and their portfolio companies, Treble has helped 31 companies achieve successful exits. Treble provides comprehensive solutions for clients, including earned media, analyst relations and thought leadership programs. Recent industry recognition includes being named a Top PR Agency by Ragan Communications and PR Daily, winning Agency of the Year from the Business Intelligence Group and ranking among the top companies on the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list. Visit us at treblepr.com or on LinkedIn.
Treble's Press-to-Pipeline Activation in the Age of AI Report
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. and South Korean militaries said on Wednesday they will conduct their annual springtime exercises next month to bolster their countries’ combined defense capabilities against a backdrop of a deepening diplomatic freeze with nuclear-armed North Korea.
The Freedom Shield drills is set for March 9-19, according to the announcement.
North Korea has long described the allies ’ joint exercises as invasion rehearsals and used them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations and weapons testing activity. The allies say the drills are defensive in nature.
The announcement came as North Korea is holding a major political conference where authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un is expected to outline his key domestic, foreign policy and military goals for the next five years. North Korean state media have not so far reported any direct comments by Kim on relations with Washington and Seoul at the ruling Workers’ Party congress, which began last week.
Based on recent public comments, experts say Kim could use the congress to further entrench his hard-line stance toward South Korea, reiterate calls for Washington to drop its demand for denuclearization as a precondition for renewed talks, and announce steps to simultaneously strengthen and integrate his nuclear and conventional forces.
Freedom Shield is one of two “command post” exercises that the allies conduct each year; the other is Ulchi Freedom Shield, held in August. The drills are largely computer-simulated and designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges.
As usual, the March drill will be accompanied by a field training program called Warrior Shield to enhance “training realism and combat readiness,” Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of U.S. Forces Korea, told a news conference.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said about 18,000 South Korean troops will participate in Freedom Shield while the U.S. military did not disclose how many American troops will be involved.
There has been speculation that the allies are seeking to tone down the drills to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea.
Liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a desire for inter-Korean engagement, and some of his top officials have voiced hope that President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in late March or April could open the door to renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Col. Jang Do-young, public affairs director of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the March exercises will not involve scenarios of a possible response to a North Korean nuclear attack but will include training aimed at “deterring nuclear threats.” He said the allies were still discussing the specifics of the field training program.
The rapid expansion in recent years of Kim’s nuclear weapons program — now featuring systems capable of threatening U.S. allies in Asia, as well as long-range missiles that could potentially reach the American homeland — has heightened South Korea’s security concerns while its diplomacy with Pyongyang remains stalled.
South Korea is also grappling with intensifying U.S.-China competition in the region, which has prompted Washington to press its ally to assume a greater share of the defense burden against North Korea as it focuses more on China.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with Trump during the American president’s first term.
Kim has now made Russia the priority of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology.
In a separate development, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said a pilot safely evacuated from a South Korean F-16 fighter jet that crashed on Wednesday evening into a mountain in the southeastern city of Yeongju during training.
The ministry said there were no immediate reports of casualties or civilian property damages and that the air force was investigating the crash.
U.S. Army Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, speaks during a media briefing on the 2026 ROK-US Freedom Shield Military Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
Col. Jang Do-young, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a media briefing on the 2026 ROK-US Freedom Shield Military Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
Col. Jang Do-young, left, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Army Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, pose for a photo during a media briefing on the 2026 ROK-US Freedom Shield Military Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
Col. Jang Do-young, left, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Army Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, pose for a photo during a media briefing on the 2026 ROK-US Freedom Shield Military Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
Col. Jang Do-young, left, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Army Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, pose for a photo during a media briefing on the 2026 ROK-US Freedom Shield Military Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
