Security operations teams are under pressure from every direction: a relentless data deluge, rising alert volume, the risks from limited identity and cloud visibility, fragmented tooling, and the widening disconnect between threat velocity and analyst capacity.
The Pulse of the AI SOC Report captures a shift in how global SOCs are responding. Identity-based threats are rising, analysts are stretched thin, and tool fragmentation is slowing response. Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just the next innovation—it’s becoming the practical path to scale, speed, and resilience. Security leaders are no longer debating whether AI belongs in the SOC, they’re focused on implementing it in a way that delivers results without introducing new risk.
Based on survey responses from 739 cybersecurity leaders, this research highlights where AI is already delivering results, where it’s falling short, and what defines the next phase of SOC modernization. The picture that emerges isn’t hype, but momentum grounded in measurable gains and a growing sense of urgency.
Key findings from this report include:
- Identity and Human Risk are the Top Concerns – and the Least Visible: Social engineering and phishing is a top concern, with 78% of security leaders still struggling with the human attack vector. Closely aligned are the identity-based threats, with 73% saying it is a top concern, yet 67% still lack visibility into access behavior and lateral movement. The most exploited threat vector is still the least monitored, as many organizations trade visibility for affordability – skipping data sources because ingestion pipelines are too costly or complex to integrate.
- Alert Volume Keeps Climbing While SOCs Fall Further Behind: 88% say alert volume has increased, and 46% report a spike of over 25% in the past year. Alert fatigue is a top challenge for 76% while most SOCs still rely on dozens of platforms that don’t correlate signals well.
- Human Capital Is at a Breaking Point: 73% of organizations report analyst burnout and persistent staffing shortages. 64% say their detection, triage, and investigation processes are still heavily manual, placing unsustainable pressure on small, overloaded teams already working across fragmented toolsets.
- AI Adoption Is Accelerating, But Operational Use Is Still Limited: 87% of organizations are deploying, piloting, or evaluating AI-powered SOC tools. But just 31% use them across core detection and response workflows. Interest is high, but the execution gap remains wide.
- AI Automation Is Delivering Measurable Gains: 60% of adopters have cut investigation time by at least 25%. Organizations that have implemented AI-powered automation are already seeing real ROI in the form of reduced investigation times, faster triage, and lower analyst fatigue.
- Security Leaders Expect AI to Deliver Results: 72% of CISOs are prioritizing faster investigation, 65% want to reduce alert noise, and 61% are investing in automation.
These aren’t AI use cases, they’re executive priorities.
These insights reflect a SOC environment under pressure, and an industry leaning into AI not as a future promise, but as an operational necessity. Download the report for a deeper look at where AI is gaining ground, where trust and integration still lag, and how leading organizations are aligning strategy to execution.
