AI Is Taking Over the Casework That Taught Junior Security Analysts Their Trade

Junior analysts in a security operations centre (SOC) have traditionally learned by repetition: working the same phishing lure many times, chasing familiar malware patterns and writing up routine case notes. That is how they learn what normal looks like, so they can spot what is not. AI tools now handle much of this repetitive work. In a Swimlane survey of 500 security operations staff, all at organisations already using AI, nearly nine in ten said it has made their work more satisfying.

There is a catch. About a quarter of respondents said AI has held back their ability to build security skills, yet they are just as satisfied with their jobs as those who say AI helped them learn (91% versus 92%). A satisfaction survey cannot show whether an analyst is growing into a senior investigator or simply enjoying a lighter workload while the skills needed for promotion never develop. Only 1% of respondents expect the analyst career path to stay as it is.

Most expect change in one of two directions. The most common answer was new jobs built around overseeing, checking and coordinating AI systems. Nearly half expect entry-level jobs to become harder to land, either by demanding more knowledge and experience or by offering fewer chances to gain it. Only a small share expect traditional roles to simply shrink. The result is a squeeze: the work AI takes over is the same work that once taught new hires the basics, so someone has to build that training on purpose.