Google Cloud: AI Agents Now Essential for Security Operations
Google Cloud declared at its Las Vegas conference last week that businesses have entered the era of agentic artificial intelligence, with security operations centers among the first to adopt the technology at scale. Among business leaders who have deployed AI agents, 46% have used them for cybersecurity, according to a 2025 Google Cloud survey.
Security professionals report positive results. A 2025 survey from ISC2, a professional certification body, found that 70% of cybersecurity workers see positive outcomes from AI-powered security tools, citing improvements in efficiency, reduced human error, and better ability to handle growing threats.
The Speed Problem Driving Adoption
Cyberattacks that once took weeks to execute now happen in hours or days. That speed gap is why Google Cloud announced three new agents for its SecOps platform: a threat hunting agent, a detection engineering agent, and a third-party context agent.
"We can't just take our old cyber playbooks and use them; we have to update those playbooks," said Francis deSouza, COO and president of security products at Google Cloud. "We need a new infrastructure that is AI-native."
Malicious actors now have access to the same AI capabilities. Businesses must respond to threats at "machine speed," deSouza said, or fall behind.
How Companies Are Restructuring
Target, the retail giant, shifted its security strategy from building proprietary solutions to a hybrid approach. The company still builds for unique problems but now partners with vendors like Google to extend capabilities.
"Security is a team sport where we can take our own strong cyber capabilities and extend our teams to critical partners," said Jodie Kautt, Target's senior vice president and CISO. The partnership has reduced triage time and given analysts better context in a single dashboard.
Shopify took a more aggressive approach, going "all in" on agentic AI in security operations over the past year. The company uses agents to investigate incidents, speed up workflows, and reduce alert triage time.
"Using agentic AI in the SOC is becoming an operational necessity," said Eric Herscovich, senior security engineer for detection and response at Shopify.
What's Changing in the SOC
Google Cloud addressed previous workflow problems by improving service integration, making AI decisions more explainable, adding metrics to measure usefulness, and providing agents with organizational context.
Human analysts will transition from handling investigations directly to orchestrating AI agents. Shopify's experience shows that starting with a triage agent is a practical first step for companies new to the technology.
"Everyone uses AI differently, every SOC will use it differently," Herscovich said. "That human-computer interaction is very individualized."
For operations teams evaluating these tools, the lesson is clear: experimentation matters. What works for one organization or analyst won't necessarily work for another.
Learn more about AI for cybersecurity analysts and how AI agents and automation are changing security workflows.
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