AI in the SOC: Where security teams stand

With 96% of security teams now using AI, the question is no longer whether AI delivers real value to the SOC, but one of efficiency and reliability. The recent AI Adoption in the SOC report, conducted by Dimensional Research and sponsored by Elastic, surveyed more than 400 cybersecurity professionals responsible for security operations at companies with more than 500 employees. Respondents use a range of AI technologies, including general chatbots, custom-built tools, and native AI features in security tools. The report reveals their top security use cases for AI: The survey findings point to a clear tension worth unpacking because how teams resolve the inherent AI efficiency contradiction will shape how it’s used moving forward. Let’s start with the good news because there's plenty of it. Nearly all surveyed teams (99.8%) report benefiting from AI adoption. The top gains map directly to analyst pain…