What Is an AI Employee?

Definition

An AI employee is exactly what it sounds like — a team member powered by AI. They have a name, a role, and a set of skills. You tell them what to do. They do the work and bring it back for your review.

They're not a chatbot — you don't have conversations with them. They're not a tool — you don't configure them. They're an employee. You delegate, they execute, you approve.

AI Employee vs Chatbot vs AI Agent vs Automation

The AI landscape is full of overlapping terms. Here's how AI employees compare:

How AI Employees Work

The workflow is simple — designed to feel exactly like managing a real team:

1. Hire from the catalog. Browse AI employees by role. Each has a clear skill set and monthly salary. Pick who you need — they start immediately.
2. Delegate through your Personal Assistant. Tell them what you need done — no prompts, no templates. The right employee gets the work.
3. Approve their output. Every deliverable lands in your Approvals Desk. Review, approve, reject, or ask for changes. You have the final say.

This is the "10-Minute CEO" pattern: spend 10 minutes each morning reviewing and approving work. Your AI team executes the rest of the day.

Types of AI Employees

AI employees are specialized by role:

• Market Analyst — weekly reports, KPI tracking, trend analysis, anomaly detection
• SDR & Outreach Lead — prospect research, personalized emails, follow-up sequences, meeting booking
• Content Writer — blog posts, social media, newsletters, marketing copy in your brand voice
• Customer Support Lead — ticket triage, help docs, knowledge base, escalation management
• Operations Manager — workflow management, scheduling, cross-team coordination
• Research Analyst — market research, competitive analysis, strategic briefs

Who Uses AI Employees?

AI employees are ideal for founders who are doing 5-7 jobs themselves, agencies that need to scale without scaling headcount, and ecommerce businesses that need consistent operations at low cost.

SendToTeam is built for company founders. The most common use case: delegating the operational work that eats up their day — reporting, outreach, content, and support — so they can focus on strategy and product.

What AI Employees Excel At

AI employees excel at structured, repeatable work — analysis, outreach, content production, research, support triage. They work 24/7 and each has a transparent salary cap so you always know your costs.

See our pricing page for salary caps by role.

How to Hire Your First AI Employee

Getting started takes under 10 minutes — from signup to your first approved report:

1. Create your account (free, no credit card required)
2. Browse the employee catalog
3. Hire your first employee
4. Give them their first assignment through the Personal Assistant
5. Review and approve their work

That's it. No setup wizards, no integration requirements, no training period.

Further Reading

• How SendToTeam Works — deep dive into the platform
• SendToTeam vs Zapier — how AI employees compare to automation
• AI Employee vs Virtual Assistant — which is right for you
• AI Employee vs AI Agent — understanding the difference
• Pricing — your team's payroll