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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Information Security Engineers?
Task-level automation exposure for Information Security Engineers: 20 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
56%
weighted task index
20 of 20 tasks scored
Median Salary
$116,580 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
435,370 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.1%
employment change
27,000 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$60,470 – $156,590
Highest medians
District of Columbia $156,590
Maryland $144,680
Colorado $139,580
Virginia $139,030
Delaware $137,470
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $60,470
Tennessee $76,470
Guam $76,770
Louisiana $77,000
North Dakota $78,330
State figures come from the 15-1299 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 56%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 0%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 76%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 4%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 21/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
20 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 54%
11 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 41%
8 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 5%
1 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#21776 · Core · 70% automatable
Identify security system weaknesses, using penetration tests.
data analysis — Security analysis aided; human validates findings
Analyze security of systems, network, or data.
#21769 · Core · 38% automatable
Coordinate monitoring of networks or systems for security breaches or intrusions.
interpersonal — IT project management is partly AI-assisted but human-owned
Manage information technology projects or system activities.
#21766 · Core · 70% automatable
Assess the quality of security controls, using performance indicators.
decision support — Software utility evaluation aided by research and testing
Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
#21783 · Core · 36% automatable
Train staff on, and oversee the use of, information security standards, policies, and best practices.
interpersonal — Technical procedure training needs live demonstration and correction
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures. Supervise information technology personnel.
#21782 · Core · 55% automatable
Scan networks, using vulnerability assessment tools to identify vulnerabilities.
data analysis — AI interprets test output; human executes tests
Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
#21774 · Core · 58% automatable
Develop response and recovery strategies for security breaches.
decision support — AI drafts strategies; human owns operational judgment
Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
#21767 · Core · 30% automatable
Conduct investigations of information security breaches to identify vulnerabilities and evaluate the damage.
decision support — Investigation is human fieldwork with judgment
Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
#21773 · Core · 64% automatable
Develop or install software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs, to protect sensitive information.
text generation — Code generation strong; human architects and reviews
Develop software or computer applications. Install computer software.
#21777 · Core · 38% automatable
Oversee development of plans to safeguard computer files against accidental or unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure or to meet emergency data processing needs.
interpersonal — IT project management is partly AI-assisted but human-owned
Manage information technology projects or system activities.
#21775 · Core · 63% automatable
Identify or implement solutions to information security problems.
decision support — Potential assessment aided by research, human decides
Evaluate potential of products, technologies, or resources. Implement security measures for computer or information systems.
#21771 · Core · 63% automatable
Develop information security standards and best practices.
data analysis — IT performance metrics well-suited to AI
Establish work standards. Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
#21780 · Core · 72% automatable
Recommend information security enhancements to management.
decision support — Drafts sound recommendations; human validates against real systems
Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
#21778 · Core · 38% automatable
Oversee performance of risk assessment or execution of system tests to ensure the functioning of data processing activities or security measures.
interpersonal — IT project management is partly AI-assisted but human-owned
Manage information technology projects or system activities.
#21770 · Core · 38% automatable
Coordinate vulnerability assessments or analysis of information security systems.
interpersonal — IT project management is partly AI-assisted but human-owned
Manage information technology projects or system activities.
#21781 · Core · 70% automatable
Review security assessments for computing environments or check for compliance with cybersecurity standards and regulations.
information retrieval — Gather technical info from documents is core
Read documents to gather technical information. Monitor processes for compliance with standards.
#21784 · Core · 60% automatable
Troubleshoot security and network problems.
decision support — AI assists diagnosis; human executes fixes
Troubleshoot issues with computer applications or systems.
#21768 · Core · 55% automatable
Coordinate documentation of computer security or emergency measure policies, procedures, or tests.
interpersonal — Coordinating editors needs human scheduling and persuasion
Coordinate reporting or editing activities.
#21772 · Core · 64% automatable
Develop or implement software tools to assist in the detection, prevention, and analysis of security threats.
text generation — Code generation strong; human architects and reviews
Develop software or computer applications. Install computer software.
#21785 · Core · 72% automatable
Write reports regarding investigations of information security breaches or network evaluations.
text generation — Reports/evaluations drafted; human owns judgment
Write reports or evaluations.
#21779 · Core · 65% automatable
Provide technical support to computer users for installation and use of security products.
decision support — Technical guidance needs context-specific human judgment
Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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