A Review of AGN Variability Studies using Survey Data: Prospects for LSST Chelsea MacLeod, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics AGN variability has been observed for half a century, yet we still strive to understand its physical origins. In this review I summarize our progress over the past decade in characterizing AGN light curves using optical survey data such as SDSS Stripe 82, including developing a fairly successful stochastic model (damped random walk). Such characterizations have been useful in linking the variability to physical models such as accretion disk instabilities. I also highlight recent discoveries of large-amplitude quasar variability in SDSS and Pan-STARRS which offer us new insight into AGN physics. LSST will be an ideal photometric survey for advancing our AGN variability models, but more work is necessary to identify the physical drivers behind AGN variability and the incidence of transient AGN phenomena.