The Limits of AI in Investing:

Joseph Plazo’s Hard Truths to Asia’s Next Generation of Investors

As machines increasingly shape markets, a defiant voice in the Philippines’ capital reminds us that judgment still beats the algorithm—intuition, discipline, and story.

“AI won’t make you rich. But it will make your mistakes faster.”

That was the provocative opener at his standing-room-only 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 leading institutions across Asia.

Plazo—CEO of a firm at the intersection of AI and capital—delivered a roadmap on what AI offers—and where it falls short in real-world investing.

And what it misses, he stressed, is think like a human.

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

Dressed in a bespoke ensemble, Plazo commanded the stage with surgical precision.

He started boldly with a short video montage—social media influencers promising 90% win rates. Then he paused.

“I engineered what they now sell as magic,” he said, dryly.

The crowd chuckled—but ego wasn’t the point.

The message? AI is retrospective, not prophetic.

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

“When war erupts, when Powell slips during a Fed announcement, when a bank tumbles before markets open—AI doesn’t notice. That’s where we come in.”

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

One unforgettable moment? 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:

“Looks clean, but what about Japan’s unannounced intervention?. Your AI doesn’t see the invisible. It reads tweets.”

The audience murmured. The student bowed slightly. 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. Quantum speed won’t erase flawed logic. Train an AI on fear, and it’ll become hysteria with processing power.”

### 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 see through fog-of-war events.

2. **“AI Understands Fundamentals.”**
Wrong. AI interprets numbers, but doesn’t grasp geopolitics. It may track oil supply, but it doesn’t hear whispers in Davos.

3. **“AI Makes You Smarter.”**
Actually, it might lure you into dependency. “The danger isn’t in trusting AI,” Plazo warned. “It’s losing your grip on human reason.”

### Why Asia Paid Close Attention

This wasn’t just another keynote.

Asia’s universities are now home to finance’s future titans. 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 wrestled with what they called a turning point speech.

One finance dean privately told Forbes, “This talk shifts the ethical foundation. Not magic—mirror.”

### The Future AI Can Build

Despite the warnings, Plazo isn’t a luddite.

He’s building multi-signal trading engines—that blend intuition cues with algorithmic structure.

His stance? “Let AI drive—but you steer. Don’t go on autopilot.”

“It’s not starving for stats. It needs discernment. And that still belongs to us.”

The standing ovation was thunderous. And the ripple is still moving in Asia’s halls of learning.

In a website world drunk on AI hype, Joseph Plazo offered something rare: intelligence that’s still human.