Security work has been changing through cameras, alarms and access cards for years, and AI video analysis is the newest layer. That raises the question of how many people a site still needs on patrol, at the desk or behind the monitors.
The short answer: AI is unlikely to replace security guards on current evidence, though technology is holding growth down. The ILO's 2025 index rates security guards as not exposed to generative AI, at 0.20. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 1 percent growth for security guards and gambling surveillance officers from 2025 to 2035, saying more use of surveillance technologies is expected to somewhat limit demand. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed security guards are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Security Guards | Not exposed | 0.20 |
The ILO index measures generative AI. Camera analytics and other surveillance technology are a different kind of automation that these scores do not cover.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Security guards and gambling surveillance officers | Grow 1% | About 157,200 |
The BLS expects cameras integrated with AI to reduce demand for gambling surveillance officers in particular.
Security tasks technology is taking on
- Watching many camera feeds and flagging unusual activity.
- Access control with cards, codes and visitor systems.
- Alarm monitoring from a central location.
- Drafting incident reports from notes.
What stays with the security guard
- Response: going to the scene, assessing what is happening and responding to emergencies.
- Presence: patrolling property and being a person on site that people can turn to.
- Judgment: deciding whether an alert is real, and what to do about a person rather than a pixel.
- Checking: automated alerts and AI-drafted reports can be wrong, which NIST calls confabulation for generated text (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
- Privacy: cameras capture personal data and need careful handling. See AI agents and personal data.
How the job is changing
Monitoring-only roles are under more pressure, while patrol, response and customer-facing security stay hands-on. Guards who can run surveillance and access systems and handle incidents well have more options. For digital security roles, see will AI replace cybersecurity?
See also will AI replace firefighters?, will AI replace receptionists? and jobs safe from AI
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for security guards at $38,050 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: high school diploma or equivalent. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace security guards?
Not on current evidence. The ILO rates security guards not exposed to generative AI (0.20). The BLS projects 1 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with surveillance technologies somewhat limiting demand.
Will cameras replace security guards?
Surveillance technology is holding growth down, especially for gambling surveillance officers, but patrol and response still need people.
How many security guard openings are expected?
The BLS projects about 157,200 openings a year for security guards and gambling surveillance officers.
What security work stays human?
Responding to incidents, patrol and presence, judging alerts, checking automated output and handling personal data carefully.