# Will AI replace security guards? Updated October 2026 Security guards score 26 of 100 for AI exposure. 60% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 15% today and speed up another 25%. - **15%** AI can do it - **25%** AI helps - **60%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 69% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 14 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 8 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences. AI can draft daily incident reports from notes; guard reviews. | 70% AI can do it | | Answer telephone calls to take messages, answer questions, and provide information during non-business hours or when switchboard is closed. After-hours info calls can be handled by AI phone or chat agents. | 60% AI can do it | | Monitor and adjust controls that regulate building systems, such as air conditioning, furnace, or boiler. Building controls are largely automated; AI can help monitor and tune settings. | 45% AI helps | | Answer alarms and investigate disturbances. Alarm triage can be software assisted, but investigation is physical. | 30% AI helps | | Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire or presence of unauthorized persons. Emergency calls are quick, but the guard must judge and report. | 30% AI helps | ## How security guards compare All occupations (923) Protective service (26) **Security guards score 26**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 31 for protective service. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $38,020 a year, May 2025 People employed 1.3 million in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +0.9% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Write incident reports in Microsoft Word with times and photos - Log alarm and patrol events in Microsoft SharePoint lists - Operate X-ray and metal detector screening equipment on site - Hold ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP) credential - Hold a current first aid and CPR certification - Review AI-drafted reports in Microsoft Outlook before sending ## Safer roles nearby 4 related occupations with lower scores. - [Crossing guards24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/crossing-guards/) - [Lifeguards19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/lifeguards/) - [Firefighters15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/firefighters/) - [Ambulance drivers13 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/ambulance-drivers/) ## Questions about security guards and AI Will security guards be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 of a security guard's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing daily activity reports and answering after-hours calls. Patrolling, confronting violators, and locking doors stay with people because they need a person on site. Which tasks are AI taking over for security guards? Writing daily activity reports is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 70, because AI can draft incident reports from guard notes. Answering after-hours phone calls, scored 60, can go to AI phone or chat agents. The guard still reviews the draft and signs off on what gets filed. Which tasks stay human for security guards? Warning, detaining, and evicting violators scores 3 on exposure because it needs physical presence and legal accountability. Locking doors and gates, scored 12, needs hands on keys at the site. Patrolling premises, scored 10, needs a person walking the grounds to spot intrusion. How can security guards stay valuable? Train on X-ray and metal detector screening so you run the equipment and judge what the AI flags. Write clear incident reports in Microsoft Word and file them in SharePoint so your review stays fast. Keep first aid certification and use-of-force training current, since those tasks stay with you. ## Related jobs - [Security supervisors35 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/security-supervisors/) - [Transportation security screeners26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/transportation-security-screeners/) - [Police officers31 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/police-officers/) - [Public safety telecommunicators57 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/public-safety-telecommunicators/) ## Next steps for security guards - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.