Human guards are increasingly viewed as a "big burden" on big business.
Agile, eerie, and increasingly ubiquitous, robot dogs may soon be coming for human jobs. Equipped with AI-integrated cameras, these quadrupeds have become the security industry's latest dystopian obsession. Across the U.S., they are already being deployed to patrol data centers, protect cash crops, and monitor sports stadiums.
While the initial investment is steep, these robotic sentries are rapidly becoming a more attractive alternative to human guards. According to recent reporting by *Business Insider*, replacing a single human on a 24/7 shift with a robot dog can save companies anywhere from $80,000 to $130,000 annually.
This financial incentive spells trouble for the nation's 1.3 million security guards. Historically an accessible, low-barrier source of employment, the role provides crucial income for a diverse demographic. A report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center highlights that 60.8 percent of security guards are people of color, and 27.8 percent are aged 55 or older.
Often hired primarily to help property owners lower insurance premiums, these workers already face a tough economic reality. As of 2024, the median annual wage for the profession was just $38,390, making it difficult to earn a living wage. Consequently, the industry suffers from high turnover—a vulnerability that robotics companies are all too happy to exploit.
“Training and staffing them is super inconsistent, and it’s a big burden on the business,” Damon Henry, CEO of robot dog manufacturer Asylon, told *Business Insider*.
Currently, Henry has deployed roughly 50 robots across 25 clients nationwide. While that is a drop in the bucket compared to a human workforce of 1.3 million, the trajectory is clear. As manufacturing becomes more efficient and the bots become cheaper to roll out, it’s hard to imagine businesses retaining low-paid human guards out of charity—much like the fate of the once-ubiquitous Walmart greeter.
Still, you probably haven’t bumped into your last mall cop quite yet. Enrique Lopezlira, director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s Low-Wage Work program and co-author of the aforementioned report, suggests the profession will likely mirror other industries grappling with automation. Security jobs won't vanish entirely, but they will become significantly more demanding.
“The realistic near-term effect is not that guards are replaced,” Lopezlira explained. “The human role is going to be pushed toward those hardest, higher-stakes parts of the work.”