Addressing a curated group of business and engineering students at AIM, AI-driven investment strategist Joseph Plazo delivered a firm message to the region’s next financial leaders: don’t let automation replace accountability.

MANILA — Plazo delivered a talk that questioned current trends in automated finance:

“Your trading system may optimize results. But who is optimizing responsibility?”

???? **A Founder Who Built the System—And Now Seeks to Regulate It**

This is not disruption from the outside. This is leadership from within.

His firm’s AI-driven systems boast a 99% win rate across diversified assets and are trusted by institutional clients across Asia and Europe.

“Without human guidance, even perfect logic can lead to poor judgment.”

He cited a 2020 scenario where one of his bots advised shorting gold—mere hours before a Federal Reserve intervention reversed market sentiment.

“We halted the trade. It understood volatility, but not intent.”

???? **Why Human Friction Still Matters in Finance**

Plazo addressed a trend increasingly seen in Asia’s financial centers: a growing dependence on data-driven execution at the cost of reflection.

“Friction is often seen as a problem,” he noted. website “But it creates space for leadership.”

He introduced a framework his firm uses, called **Conviction Calculus**, structured around three key questions:

- Will this move preserve the firm’s reputation if it fails?
- What does experience say, not just the screen?
- If this fails, who takes responsibility—the model or the leadership team?

???? **Tech Is Moving Fast. Are Ethical Systems Keeping Up?**

Nations like Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines are becoming hubs for algorithmic innovation.

Plazo noted:

“AI governance must grow at the same pace as its power.”

He referenced two hedge fund collapses in Hong Kong during 2024, driven by AI systems that misread geopolitical shifts.

“These were not the result of poor modeling—but of narrow inputs.”

???? **Toward Context-Aware AI in Investment**

Despite the warnings, Plazo remains committed to AI—when deployed responsibly.

His firm is developing what he terms **“narrative-integrated AI”**—systems that process not only market data but also intent, public tone, policy climate, and geopolitical direction.

“Prediction is not enough,” he said. “We need interpretation.”

At a private dinner following the event, several institutional investors from Tokyo and Jakarta expressed interest in co-developing these ethical frameworks.

One executive called the model:

“Exactly the kind of discipline Asian capital markets need now.”

???? **The Risk Isn’t Emotion—It’s Automation Without Accountability**

Plazo ended with a quiet but forceful reflection:

“The biggest market failures may be technically perfect—and humanly disastrous.”

Not a retreat—but a reminder that strategy must remain human—even when systems are not.