MarTech Podcast ™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth

Episode Title: This AI Trend Is A Lie
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Blu Bowen, Research Principal at G2

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Benjamin Shapiro talks with Blu Bowen, the Research Principal at G2—the world’s largest software marketplace. Together, they dissect a trending topic in martech: the overhyped promises of AI in B2B sales, particularly as it relates to sales forecasting and revenue intelligence. Blu challenges commonly held beliefs about AI's power in sales, urging leaders to remain realistic and adaptable in their strategies.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Overhyped Promise of AI in Sales Forecasting

• Main Theme: Blu Bowen argues that AI's application in sales forecasting and revenue intelligence is currently oversold.

• Details:

  • AI systems are heavily reliant on historical data.
  • Such systems attempt to predict deal outcomes and identify risks based on past behaviors.
  • The individualized complexity of B2B enterprise deals makes such predictions inherently unreliable at this stage.

  Blu Bowen (01:13): “It relies on historical data to predict your next best action ... tells you if a deal is at risk. I think each deal is so unique and it has its own complexity, especially in enterprise, that it's not a perfect science right now.”

• Blu calls out a lack of contextual awareness in current AI—current models over-index on data trends and underplay the unique factors that influence large enterprise decisions.

2. The Challenges and Limits of AI-Driven Sales Tools

• Discussion: Benjamin Shapiro reflects on AI's inability to predict future outcomes with true accuracy, likening forecasting to a blend of educated guesswork and probabilistic insight.

• Details:

  • AI in this context lacks forward-looking context and creativity.
  • Forecasting (whether human or AI) always incorporates some degree of speculation.

  Benjamin Shapiro (02:02): “AI doesn’t have the context yet to be able to predict the future. It’s still analyzing past behavior and making a lot of assumptions ... fundamentally forecasting … is always some sort of a guess of what is going to happen.”

3. Takeaways for Sales Leaders

• Insight: Sales leaders must be cautious about embracing AI forecasts as gospel.
• Suggested Action: Focus on using AI as an insightful tool, rather than a crystal ball, and combine its output with human judgment—especially on complex, high-value deals.
• Episode Tone: Pragmatic and cautionary; the guests recommend balancing technological optimism with industry-level skepticism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Blu Bowen (01:13):
  “It relies on historical data to predict your next best action ... tells you if a deal is at risk. I think each deal is so unique and it has its own complexity, especially in enterprise, that it's not a perfect science right now.”

• Benjamin Shapiro (02:02):
  “AI doesn’t have the context yet to be able to predict the future. It’s still analyzing past behavior and making a lot of assumptions ... forecasting … is always some sort of a guess of what is going to happen.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:55 — Benjamin Shapiro introduces Blu Bowen and the episode’s focus on AI’s real impact on buyer behavior.
• 01:13 — Blu identifies AI-driven sales forecasting as an overhyped use case and explains why.
• 02:02 — Benjamin Shapiro discusses the inherent limits of forecasting with or without AI.

Conclusion & Summary

This episode takes a critical look at the popular belief that AI will revolutionize sales forecasting and revenue prediction for B2B enterprises. Both Blu Bowen and Benjamin Shapiro agree that, while AI offers valuable insights, its current capabilities are constrained by a lack of context and overreliance on historical data. The conversation encourages sales leaders and marketers to treat AI as an evolving tool—with both promise and limitations—and to integrate its insights thoughtfully, rather than relying on it as a singular solution.