AI SOCs Will Still Require Human Analysts, Security Vendor Consensus at Infosecurity Europe 2026 (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• AI automates routine triage but does not replace humans in SOC.
• Emerging roles: tier-1.5 analyst and cyber defense engineer.
• Transparent AI ('glass box') with human validation is standard.
• Tier-1 retained for training and as a safety net.

"At Infosecurity Europe 2026, leading security vendors agreed that AI will not replace the SOC but only automate routine triage. The analyst role shifts from ticket-handler to supervisor and engineer. Brett Candon (Dropzone AI) emphasized that AI must be a transparent 'glass box' auditable by humans. Patricia Titus (Abnormal AI) sees human-in-the-loop validation as non-negotiable. Yonni Shelmerdine (Vega Security) predicts the rise of the 'cyber defense engineer'. Despite vendor optimism, it remains uncertain whether economic pressures will lead to job cuts."