Will AI replace Security Guards?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
24/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 40% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 32% of the work
What the job involves
Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(4)
- Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.
- Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
- Warn persons of rule infractions or violations, and apprehend or evict violators from premises, using force when necessary.
- Answer telephone calls to take messages, answer questions, and provide information during non-business hours or when switchboard is closed.
Out of reach(10)
- Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings.
- Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
- Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
- Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire or presence of unauthorized persons.
- Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
and 5 more
Also called
Security Officer · Security Guard · Bodyguard · Bouncer · Gate Guard · Merchant Patroller · Armed Security Officer · Loss Prevention Officer
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics