Human Intelligence Still Wins in Finance’s Final Frontier

In an age of algorithmic promises, a bold voice in Manila issues a sharp reminder that money still bends to human instinct—conscience, context, and conviction.

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

That was Joseph Plazo’s blistering opener at his jam-packed keynote at the University of the Philippines’ amphitheater—and it drew audible gasps from the audience.

In front of him were Asia’s brightest young minds—rising economists, AI researchers, and budding asset managers from Asia’s top universities.

Plazo—venture strategist, AI architect, and CEO of Plazo Sullivan Roche—unveiled a truth-filled lecture on what AI can and can’t do in actual investing.

And what it can’t do, he stressed, is understand story or nuance.

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

Dressed in a tailored navy suit, Plazo moved like a cross between preacher and prosecutor.

He began the teardown with a short video montage—clips of online traders pushing miracle machines. Then he paused.

“I created the model they ripped off,” 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 guts. AI doesn’t carry skin in a trade—it mirrors what already happened.”

“When war unexpectedly explodes, when Powell coughs 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 live AI-vs-human trading duel.

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

Plazo nodded thoughtfully. 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 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 fix human incentives. Train an AI on fear, and it’ll become panic on steroids.”

### The Three Myths Plazo Shattered in 45 Minutes

1. **“AI Will Replace Portfolio Managers.”**
Not quite. AI assists—it crunches, optimizes, and speeds up decisions—but it doesn’t replace gut instinct.

2. **“AI Understands Fundamentals.”**
Wrong. AI reads tables, but fails at narrative causality. It may model interest rates, but it can’t predict a Strait of Hormuz conflict.

3. **“AI Makes You Smarter.”**
Actually, it might weaken your edge. “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: “Code, but think critically.”

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

One finance dean shared off-record, “He just reset our compass. Not magic—mirror.”

### The Future AI Can Build

Despite the truth bombs, Plazo isn’t against innovation.

He’s building models that read psychology as well as numbers—that blend intuition cues with algorithmic structure.

His stance? “Co-pilot AI. Don’t worship it.”

“AI doesn’t need more data. It needs discernment. And that still belongs to us.”

The standing ovation was thunderous. And the ripple is more info 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.