AI SDRs vs. Human SDRs. My 2 Cents
Last week, a founder messaged me:
"Matteo, should I hire an SDR or just buy one of these AI SDR tools everyone's talking about?"
It's a great question. And like most great questions, the answer is: it depends.
Because here's the truth - AI SDRs are incredible at some things… and useless at others.
And if you don't know the difference, you'll either burn money on software you don't use or on people you can't scale.
It happened to me with some of my clients in these months.
The implementation of AI within sales is something I vouch for.
The first thing I do within my teams is work with simple AI implementations like:
calls recording that pushes data into CRM
prompting for preparation before discovery calls
list cleaning and enrichment of data through Clay and similar
CRM cleaning
AI SDRs (sometimes...).
What AI SDRs Do Really Well
AI is unbeatable when it comes to:
Volume at speed - 1000 personalised emails a day with basic personalisation.
Data crunching - instantly identifying buying signals from LinkedIn, news, or funding alerts. (probably the most effective play).
Consistency - day in, day out, no "I'll get to it tomorrow." Which is maybe what we still miss on the human side. Humans, indeed SDRs, most of the time lack consistency.
Where AI SDRs Fall Apart
I had a client last year who had a contract signed with one of the most critical AI SDR tools.
An expensive one...
Spoiler: I cancelled the contract. 😑
Why? Because this is where AI SDRs still fall apart:
Handling nuance - when a prospect replies with a half-baked objection or asks a curveball question.
Qualifying beyond the script - AI follows patterns; humans spot opportunities that don't fit the pattern but still convert.
Target small SOM (serviceable obtainable market) - if you sell to 1,2,3,5 thousand people, the last thing you want to do is blast them out with an AI SDR sequence.
Suppose your deals are Mid-Market or Enterprise, multi-stakeholder, or involve change management.
In that case, an AI-only approach will leave money on the table.
The Hybrid Playbook I Recommend
Instead of picking AI or a human, combine them:
AI for top-of-funnel - research, first touch, and basic follow-up sequences within a large SOM. (Are you selling to all the restaurants in Italy? AI might be suitable for you!)
Human SDRs for mid-funnel - qualifying calls, objection handling, and nurturing complex accounts with a fresh list ready to call or engage, enriched already.
Founder-led for late-stage - until you've closed enough deals to build a proper AE team.
The 12-Month Roadmap
If I were starting my GTM strategy from scratch in 2026:
Months 1–3: AI SDR + founder closes deals.
Months 4–6: Hire 1 human SDR to work alongside AI.
Months 7–12: Transition the SDR into AE (if successful), backfill with another SDR (human or AI).
This way, you scale talent and technology together - without betting everything on one.
Final Thought
Founders who succeed aren't the ones who "pick the right side" in AI vs. humans.
They're the ones who design a system where both do what they do best.
AI is fast. Humans are smart. You need both.
Humans are still the best at delivering your sales playbook; AI is an excellent accelerator within some part of the sales cycle, indeed, up funnel.
