Last month, I wanted to get a pulse check on how everyone online was thinking about AI, and the impact that it is having on the SDR function. The reason being that, for a long time, the narrative was that AI would completely replace a critical pipeline-building component for all GTM teams. So as is my nature, i just wanted to ask a simple question: Has AI ‘‘Killed“ the SDR function yet?

These were the results:

55% of respondents saying that SDRs matter more now than ever before was a surprise to me; I was certainly expecting that to be a lower number. It goes to show that sometimes those who shout the loudest on a certain topic aren't really influencing and creating an environment for others to follow.

But then what was really interesting was some of the feedback they were providing.

What we have seen, though, has been a fightback; a fightback from SDR leaders who have proven at their own companies, and as a collective in communities like SDR Leaders of EMEA, USA and APAC, that the need for human-to-human interaction is the magic that makes teams truly productive.

The teams that will win in the next 12 months are those who look at the end-to-end process, how they create demand at a marketing level, and how they convert that demand to real opportunities. They will then map out and go deep into how they can streamline processes, which might mean reducing the number of technology vendors involved in the process flow. It's been a consistent narrative from me that the platforming of technologies is increasing, that you can do more with one vendor now than ever before, and that we as a community are encouraging you all to look at it. The days of multiple tabs being open for reps before they execute on one activity are over.

Now, for the 34% of those voting who said SDR team sizes will shrink because of AI. I totally agree with this, and that’s a good thing. As an SDR Leader, there has been a ‘badge of honour’ of having large SDR organisations; prospective new employers have often asked for that experience of large headcounts you’ve led. But what if you can do the same, if not more, productivity with 7 SDRs rather than 47? AI will reduce the admin time our teams spend, allowing them to spend more time executing the work. It doesn’t mean that your total budget would be reduced; it means that you can spend MORE of that money on investment in salaries, to make the SDR role a more senior, critical component of the SDR infrastructure, it means tweaking the technology stack that you have in place to increase efficiencies and to reduce further the need for manual administrative tasks.

It means that the SDR leadership role truly becomes a revenue generator for the business that's invested in, rather than, as is seen by many companies, as a meeting booking team.

And finally, I think the following statement encapsulates this whole discussion:

What’s your take on this? Do you think this is the consensus opinion, or that it was an echo chamber? Add it in the comments!

Our community has had the honour of being joined by some of the best SDR leaders in the world over on our virtual Masterclasses over the last 2 ½ years. Each and every one has shared their expertise and playbook for how they handle a variety of situations we face daily.

One of the big questions i get after each of these masterclasses is, can you share the recording. So we have made it our mission in 2026 to add all of our past Masterclasses to our YouTube channels for EMEA and the USA, and we are committed to uploading our future shows as soon as they end.

This way, we can help provide you with the content whenever, wherever.

Check out our past episodes below, and be sure to hit that like button and subscribe; it will really help our reach and let other SDR/GTM leaders know that there is this level of content out there for them.