The Limits of AI in Investing:

Human Intelligence Still Wins in Finance’s Final Frontier

While tech evangelists tout AI supremacy, a bold voice in Manila reminds us what money still listens to—judgment, ethics, and gut.

“Artificial intelligence won’t hand you fortune. But it will accelerate your losses.”

That was Joseph Plazo’s blistering opener at his jam-packed keynote at the University of the Philippines’ main forum—and it hit the crowd like a whipcrack.

Facing him were the region’s next-gen economists and AI thinkers—portfolio hopefuls, quant researchers, and finance scholars from Asia’s top universities.

Plazo—venture strategist, AI architect, and CEO of Plazo Sullivan Roche—delivered a dose of realism on what AI delivers—and fails to grasp in real-world investing.

And what it misses, he stressed, is replace your instinct.

### Beyond the Hype: Investing in the Age of Overpromised Intelligence

Dressed in a tailored navy suit, Plazo paced the stage like a courtroom litigator.

He started boldly with a short video montage—YouTubers hawking AI bots. Then he paused.

“I built the system they copied,” he said, matter-of-fact.

Laughter followed—but that wasn’t the punchline.

The message? Most AI is built on hindsight.

“You can’t outsource conviction. AI doesn’t feel in a trade—it echoes what already happened.”

“When war erupts, when Powell frowns during a Fed announcement, when a bank implodes overnight—AI stays blind. Humans do.”

### The Students Who Challenged Him—and Got Schooled

The highlight of the talk? A showdown between machine and instinct.

A student from NUS presented an AI-backed trade on the Nikkei—equipped with indicators, trends, and sentiment metrics.

Plazo eyed it. Then said:

“Solid—but blind to central bank footprints. Your AI doesn’t sense the bluff. It scans headlines.”

The audience shifted. The student grinned. Then: applause.

Another moment: A robotics PhD from Kyoto asked if quantum computing would render all current models useless.

Plazo’s answer? “Yes—and no. Faster chips won’t erase flawed logic. Train an AI on fear, and it’ll become a chaos machine.”

### The Three Myths Plazo Shattered in 45 Minutes

1. **“AI Will Replace Portfolio Managers.”**
False. AI augments—it backtests, filters, calculates—but it doesn’t replace gut instinct.

2. **“AI Understands Fundamentals.”**
Wrong. AI reads tables, but can’t see through diplomatic posturing. It may model interest rates, but it can’t predict a Strait of Hormuz conflict.

3. **“AI Makes You Smarter.”**
Actually, it might make you duller. “AI won’t kill you—but your laziness might,” Plazo warned. “It’s in forgetting how to think without it.”

### Why Asia Paid Close Attention

This wasn’t just another keynote.

Asia’s universities are now launching the next generation of quant click here leaders. They’re asking: more code, or more conscience?

Plazo’s call: “Harness tech, but stay human.”

In closed-door chats at Ateneo and a roundtable at AIM, professors absorbed what they called a sobering perspective.

One finance dean privately told Forbes, “Joseph might have rebooted our entire AI syllabus. Not magic—mirror.”

### The Future AI Can Build

Despite the critique, Plazo isn’t anti-AI.

He’s building hybrid neural systems—integrating macro signals and crowd psychology.

His stance? “Co-pilot AI. Don’t go on autopilot.”

“It’s not starving for stats. It’s missing context. And that still can’t be coded.”

The applause echoed across campuses. And that jolt of insight is still shaking up syllabi in Asia’s elite universities.

In a world drunk on AI hype, he delivered the one thing no model ever could—wisdom.