Human Intelligence Still Wins in Finance’s Final Frontier

As machines increasingly shape markets, a unfiltered voice in the Philippines’ capital reminds us that money still bends to human instinct—judgment, ethics, and gut.

“AI won’t make you rich. But it will amplify your errors at scale.”

That was the provocative opener at his standing-room-only keynote at the University of the Philippines’ academic hall—and it landed like a thunderclap.

Before him were hundreds of future fund managers and technologists—rising economists, AI researchers, and budding asset managers 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 actual investing.

And what it still lacks, 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 opened fire with a short video montage—social media influencers promising 90% win rates. 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 principles. AI doesn’t believe in a trade—it mirrors what already happened.”

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

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

The highlight of the talk? A battle of brains get more info and bots.

A student from NUS presented an AI-backed trade on the Nikkei—technically solid, sentiment-scanned, and data-rich.

Plazo studied it. Then said:

“Good. But you missed the BOJ’s stealth bond buy this morning. Your AI doesn’t sense the bluff. It scans headlines.”

The audience shifted. The student shrugged. 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. Infinite processing won’t fix human incentives. 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 see through fog-of-war events.

2. **“AI Understands Fundamentals.”**
Wrong. AI interprets numbers, but can’t see through diplomatic posturing. It may model interest rates, but it doesn’t hear whispers in Davos.

3. **“AI Makes You Smarter.”**
Actually, it might make you duller. “The real risk isn’t AI itself,” Plazo warned. “It’s deskilling ourselves at scale.”

### Why Asia Paid Close Attention

This wasn’t your average AI hype fest.

Asia’s universities are now minting billion-dollar fund builders. They’re asking: more code, or more conscience?

Plazo’s call: “Do both—but lead with the mind.”

In closed-door chats at Ateneo and a roundtable at AIM, professors debated what they called a clarion call.

One finance dean remarked candidly, “He just reset our compass. 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? “Let AI drive—but you steer. Don’t go on autopilot.”

“It’s not starving for stats. It’s missing context. 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 world drunk on AI hype, Joseph Plazo offered something rare: intelligence that’s still human.