Title: What Is an AI SDR? Definition & How It Works | Keres AI
URL: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-sdr
Updated: 2026-10-12
Description: An AI SDR automates outbound sales development: personalized email sequences, reply handling and meeting booking without hiring a human rep.
Source: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-sdr (HTML). This is a Markdown copy of the page's main content for AI agents and LLM tools.

---

# What is AI SDR?

An AI SDR (sales development representative) is software that automates outbound prospecting: it builds and sends personalized cold-email sequences, manages inbox warmup and deliverability, replies to interested prospects, and books qualified meetings straight onto your calendar — doing the work of a human sales development rep without the headcount.

## What does an AI SDR automate?

Targeting and list building, AI-personalized copy per prospect, multi-step [sequences](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/email-sequence) with follow-up, [deliverability](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/email-deliverability) management, reply handling, and meeting booking — the entire top-of-funnel motion that used to require a team of reps.

## AI SDR vs. human SDR

A human SDR sends a few dozen personalized emails a day; an AI SDR personalizes at scale across thousands of prospects, never forgets a follow-up, and works around the clock — while your team focuses on closing the meetings it books.

See outbound in action

### Want to see AI SDR working in practice?

See how Keres puts it to work for your vertical and workflow.

### [Cold Email Outreach](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/cold-email-outreach)

Cold email outreach is the practice of emailing prospects you have no prior relationship with to start a sales conversat…

### [Email Sequence](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/email-sequence)

An email sequence (or cadence) is a series of automated emails sent to a prospect on a schedule — typically an opener fo…

### [Email Deliverability](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/email-deliverability)

Email deliverability is the measure of whether your emails actually reach recipients’ primary inboxes rather than the sp…

### [Lead Qualification](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/lead-qualification)

Lead qualification is the process of deciding whether an inquiry is a real fit for your business before your team spends…

[← Back to the full glossary](https://www.keresai.com/glossary)

## AI SDR — FAQ

### Does an AI SDR replace human salespeople?

It replaces the repetitive top-of-funnel work — prospecting, sending, follow-up, and booking — so your human closers spend their time in meetings, not in a sequencing tool.

### How does an AI SDR avoid the spam folder?

It manages SPF, DKIM, DMARC, inbox warmup, and sending-volume ramp so messages land in the primary inbox.

Last updated October 12, 2026 · [Reviewed by the Keres AI team](https://www.keresai.com/editorial-policy)