The ‘manager of agents’: How AI evolves the SOC analyst role

Rather than eliminating SOC analyst jobs, agentic AI (AI systems that can independently execute tasks) is transforming entry-level analysts from performing repetitive investigative work into 'managers of agents' who oversee AI systems and make decisions based on their findings. The shift moves analysts from manually gathering evidence across multiple systems to reviewing AI-generated investigations and validating conclusions, allowing them to handle more alerts at a higher level of judgment.