Recently, OpenAI demoed an AI SDR, and the internet went into overdrive. People were quick to declare that AI SDRs are dead, automation is taking over, and sales teams are about to be replaced. The usual reactions.
But let’s take a step back. Nobody really knows if OpenAI is launching this as a product or if it was just a proof of concept meant to push others toward building similar systems. My guess is that it was the latter.
Either way, it is good to see a demo from OpenAI. It shows what is possible and signals where the industry is heading. AI sales agents are both the present and the future. The present, though, still has a long way to go.
The Reality Check
General AI solutions tend to do well at the surface level but struggle when it comes to depth. They solve small problems well but fail in most real-world scenarios. That is exactly where AI sales agents are today. Most of them are just ChatGPT prompts wrapped in a UI, which means they can handle basic tasks but fall apart when the workflow gets complicated.
The ones that succeed will go deeper. The future of AI SDRs is not a single system that replaces everything. It is going to be a network of AI agents, each handling different parts of the SDR workflow.
AI in Sales: Bundling, Unbundling, and Specialization
Every industry goes through cycles of bundling and unbundling. A bundled AI SDR tries to do everything, from prospecting to outreach to personalization, but it only does an average job across the board. The more effective approach is specialization.
Maybe that is where AI SDRs are heading:
- A prospecting agent that builds hyper-relevant lead lists
- A personalization agent that crafts messages that actually sound human
- A sequencing agent that adjusts follow-ups based on engagement
- A follow-up agent that knows when to stop and when to push
Instead of one AI SDR doing everything poorly, the future looks more like a set of specialized AI agents working together to handle the entire sales workflow.
Let the Hype Die Down
For now, this is just a cool demo. The real challenge is making AI SDRs actually useful beyond sending a slightly better cold email. That means going deeper into SDR workflows and moving past generic AI models. The best AI SDR solutions will not be the ones that try to replace humans in one shot. They will be the ones that specialize, adapt, and actually help close deals.
So, nice demo, OpenAI. Now let's see who actually builds something that works well.
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