AI is helping SOC analysts free up their time for more high-value work, yet many believe it is also hindering the development of on-the-job skills, according to a new study from Swimlane.
The security operations (SecOps) specialist polled 500 security professionals and leaders at US and UK organizations which are using AI for its lates report, The New SOC Career Ladder.
Half (47%) of respondents claimed that “greater capacity” is one of the two biggest impacts of using AI. Over a third said they have more time to investigate complex threats (35%) and have been able to focus more on strategic or cross-functional work (35%) thanks to the technology.
More than two fifths (43%) said they are spending less time on repetitive work and more time on broader responsibilities.
Reassuringly, the vast majority (92%) are confident they could identify an “incorrect or incomplete AI recommendation” and almost half (48%) said they’d rely on their own judgment if an AI recommendation conflicts with available evidence or could disrupt business operations.
“The issue is not whether analysts should trust AI. It is whether they have enough information to decide when to trust it,” said Mike Lyborg, CISO of Swimlane.
“Security teams need to see how a recommendation was reached, understand what action will follow and be able to step in before a consequential decision is made. AI may be taking on more work in the SOC, but accountability still belongs with people.”
Read more: AI SOCs Will Still Need SOC Analysts, Security Vendors Say
AI Creates Skills Development Concerns
Although 88% overall said AI has improved their job satisfaction, a quarter (24%) complained that it has also limited their ability to build skills.
However, levels of job satisfaction remain virtually unchanged among the cohorts claiming AI is boosting skills development and those saying the opposite.
“The challenge is that routine work has also been one of the ways analysts learn the fundamentals,” said Swimlane CEO, Cody Cornell. “As more of that work is automated, organizations need to rethink training and career paths so people still develop the judgment to know when AI is right and when it is not.”
Not only are some complaining of AI limiting their attempts at developing skills, many are pessimistic about recruiting the next generation of SOC analysts.
Nearly half (47%) of respondents said they expect AI to create a steeper path into the profession, including 37% who think there’ll be higher requirements for entry-level roles and 10% who expect fewer opportunities for junior analysts to gain experience.
Two-fifths (41%) expect new specialized roles focused on AI oversight, validation and orchestration, while only 1% expect the SOC career path to remain largely unchanged.
“The next phase of adoption will depend on workforce design,” the report concluded. “Security leaders need to establish AI oversight as a formal responsibility, measure skill growth separately from employee satisfaction and give junior analysts structured opportunities to develop investigative judgement.”
A report from Abnormal AI published in 2025 revealed that 44% of SOCs are developing plans to migrate Tier 1 SOC analysts to more senior Tier 2-3 roles. Three-quarters (73%) of responding analysts said that manual or reactive tasks are stalling their career growth.