Artisan: Stop Hiring Humans, with Jaspar Carmichael-Jack
Hear the strongest version of the pro-AI-SDR argument straight from its loudest advocate.
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Guide
Should I buy an AI SDR, or keep prospecting human?
The honest 2025-2026 answer: fully autonomous AI SDRs have mostly disappointed, with high churn, burned sending domains, and at least one high-profile scandal about inflated customer claims. What works is the hybrid: AI handles research, list building, and drafts, while a human (usually you, the founder) reviews what goes out and takes every conversation. Buy tools that make you faster, be very skeptical of anything promising meetings on autopilot.
Go deeper
16 resources.
Agentic SDR: Prabhav, CEO @ 11x
11x's new CEO on rebuilding the product post-scandal, the most current state of the tech.
Watch on YouTube youtube.com →Prabhav Jain, 11x CEO: A Fortt Knox Conversation
A mainstream-press grilling that surfaces the questions buyers should ask any AI SDR vendor.
Open cnbc.com →1st-time AI founder grows from $0 to $1.3M ARR in 8 months | Jaspar Carmichael-Jack (Artisan)
The Artisan founder's own GTM story, useful for judging the company behind the AI SDR pitch.
Listen on Spotify open.spotify.com →Don't stop hiring humans, stop hiring the wrong humans (Artisan, TechCrunch podcast)
The 'Stop Hiring Humans' founder walking back to a hybrid position, revealing where the tech really is.
Open techcrunch.com →Get Paid Ep. 1 | Jaspar Carmichael-Jack: Is Controversy the Secret to Winning in AI Sales?
Candid on why distribution, not product, is the only fast edge in the AI SDR market.
Open agenttalk.substack.com →Agentic SDR: Prabhav CEO @ 11x (Stacked GTM, Spotify)
Audio version for the commute, covering how teams train AI like a junior SDR.
Listen on Spotify open.spotify.com →Are AI SDRs really worth it?
A sober cost-benefit analysis from a vendor with no AI SDR to sell you.
Open usergems.com →a16z- and Benchmark-backed 11x has been claiming customers it doesn't have
The investigation that punctured AI SDR hype: 70-80% churn and phantom customers at the category poster child.
Open techcrunch.com →Outbound Isn't Dead. AI Just Radically Changed How It Works.
Frames the human-vs-AI split in outbound with Sam Blond's practical examples.
Open saastr.com →Artisan raises $25M and is still hiring humans
The delicious irony that tells you everything about autonomous SDR limits today.
Open techcrunch.com →The AI SDR is dead, long live the AI SDR
A thoughtful post-hype take on what agentic pipeline generation should actually look like.
Open commonroom.io →The Rise and Fall of 11x: A Cautionary Tale
Connects the 11x saga to broader lessons about buying AI tools on vibes.
Open mlnotes.substack.com →AI Company Accused of Fraud?
A CFO's read on inflated AI ARR, teaching you to interrogate vendor traction claims.
Open onlycfo.io →How VCs and founders use inflated 'ARR' to crown AI startups
The systemic context: why AI sales-tool traction numbers deserve extra scrutiny.
Open techcrunch.com →The AI SDR Buying Guide
A structured evaluation checklist if you do decide to trial one.
Open autobound.ai →Terms in this answer
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The same ground, over in Get your first customers, our Starting Up track.
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