Will AI replace SOC analysts? What is changing and what to learn
AI is already taking over parts of L1 work: triage, enrichment, log summaries and first-draft reports. In a May 2026 ISC2 survey of security professionals who use AI, most said it had reduced the need for entry-level roles over the past year. The same survey found many also think AI is creating new kinds of entry-level work.
Demand for security analysts overall is still projected to grow much faster than average. The work that grows is the work AI needs a person for: judgment during incidents, building and testing detections, securing cloud and AI systems, and checking what the AI got wrong. Below are the skills to learn next and a first step for each.
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56%
Surveyed pros who said AI reduced the need for entry-level roles in the past year (May 2026, 856 respondents)
ISC2 ResearchSkills to learn next
Detection engineering
Writing, testing and tuning detections as code. AI can suggest a rule, but someone has to decide what matters in your environment and prove the rule works. It is the most direct step up from triage.
- What it takes
- Your SIEM's query language, Git, and some Python. A home lab with free tools is enough to practice.
- First step
- Rewrite one noisy rule from your queue with a clear false-positive filter and a test case that proves it still fires.
Incident response and forensics
Scoping and containing real incidents, and explaining them to people who are not technical. Automation speeds this up, while decisions and accountability stay with people.
- What it takes
- Windows and Linux forensics practice on public sample images. Tabletop exercises count as experience.
- First step
- Offer to run a thirty-minute tabletop exercise with your team using a scenario from a recent public breach report.
Cloud security
Identity, logging and misconfiguration in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. Most new infrastructure lives there, and cloud alerts need someone who understands the platform behind them.
- What it takes
- A free-tier cloud account and time. Provider security certifications are optional but common in postings.
- First step
- Set up audit logging in a free-tier account and write a detection for a login from a new country.
Automation and scripting
Python and SOAR playbooks that handle the repetitive parts of the job. Analysts who build the automation are in a different position from analysts whose tasks get automated.
- What it takes
- Free. Python basics take a few weeks of evenings.
- First step
- Pick the lookup you do most often, such as an IP reputation check, and script it end to end.
Securing AI systems
Companies are shipping LLM features, and someone has to assess prompt injection, data leakage and access to those systems. The OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications is a good, free starting map.
- What it takes
- Free reading and practice. No standard certification is required yet.
- First step
- Read the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications and list which risks apply to an AI tool your company already uses.
Checking and tuning AI triage tools
When a SOC adds an AI assistant, someone has to measure how often it is wrong, tune it, and decide what it may close on its own. Analysts who can do this well become the people the tool depends on.
- What it takes
- No extra cost. It takes careful note-taking and access to the tool your SOC uses.
- First step
- For one week, record every AI verdict you disagree with and why, then share the pattern with your lead.
Sample conversation
How a conversation with Carmen starts
Carmen asks before she suggests. An illustrative example, not a real person.
Our SOC just rolled out an AI triage tool. Half my L1 work is gone in a month.
That is unsettling, and it is also a signal about where the work is moving. When the tool gets a verdict wrong, who catches it?
Me, mostly. I've been keeping a list of its mistakes.
That list is detection engineering thinking. Want to turn it into a plan for your next role, starting with the rule you would fix first?
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Questions & answers
- Will AI replace SOC analysts?
- It is replacing parts of the job, mostly L1 triage, enrichment and report drafting. The need for people who investigate, decide, build detections and secure new systems is still growing. The risk is highest for roles that only close tickets, so the move is to own the work AI cannot finish on its own.
- Is it still worth getting into cybersecurity in 2026?
- Yes, with clear eyes. BLS projects 21% growth for information security analysts from 2025 to 2035, while entry points are shifting. Expect to show hands-on skill: labs, scripts and write-ups.
- What should an L1 SOC analyst learn to stay relevant?
- A query language, basic Python, how detections are built and tested, and one cloud platform. Learning to check and correct AI output in your own SOC is also a skill employers notice.
- Should I use AI tools at work as an analyst?
- Use the ones your employer approves, and treat every verdict as a lead to verify. Never paste sensitive logs or customer data into a tool your security team has not cleared.