# AI in the SOC: European Practitioner Survey 2026

**Publisher:** BridgerWise Research · **Date:** March 2026 · **Length:** 22 pages · **Region:** Europe

[Download PDF](https://tandemtrace.ai/papers/bridgerwise-ai-soc-europe.pdf) (~11 MB).

## Summary

Based on a survey of European security professionals working in and around SOC environments, this report examines the current state of **AI adoption, automation maturity, and operational challenges** across enterprise SOCs and MSSPs (Managed Security Service Providers). It covers AI use-case priorities, regulatory pressures from NIS2, DORA, and the AI Act, and the gap between AI capability and operational readiness.

## Key findings

1. **82%** of European SOC teams expect AI usage to increase over the next 12 months — one third anticipating a significant increase.
2. Reducing **false positives** and automating **Tier-1 tasks** are the top priorities for SOCs in the next 12 months.
3. **64%** say automated alert triage and prioritization would deliver the most value, followed by investigation assistance (54%).
4. **24% of alerts** are ignored or closed without investigation — driven more by process inefficiencies and tool fragmentation than volume alone.
5. **Context switching and tool fragmentation** surpass alert fatigue as the #1 operational challenge.
6. Only about one third of organizations have dedicated threat hunters — **65% lack them entirely**.
7. **Trust and accountability concerns** are the top barrier to operationalizing AI, cited by half of respondents.

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*Source PDF: https://tandemtrace.ai/papers/bridgerwise-ai-soc-europe.pdf*