A Wake-Up Call from Manila’s Leading AI Strategist

While tech evangelists tout AI supremacy, a defiant voice in Manila reminds us that judgment still beats the algorithm—intuition, discipline, and story.

“AI isn’t your golden ticket. But it will accelerate your losses.”

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

Before 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—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 razor-sharp outfit, Plazo paced the stage like a courtroom litigator.

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

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

Laughter broke out—but ego wasn’t the point.

The message? Most models replay what already happened.

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

“When war breaks out, when Powell frowns during a Fed announcement, when a bank goes under—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 more info presented an AI-backed trade on the Nikkei—equipped with indicators, trends, and sentiment metrics.

Plazo nodded thoughtfully. 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.”**
Nope. AI supports—it crunches, optimizes, and speeds up decisions—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 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 hybrid neural systems—integrating macro signals and crowd psychology.

His stance? “Ride with it. Don’t abdicate to it.”

“It’s not starving for stats. It’s starving for judgment. And that still lives in humans.”

The crowd rose as one. And his message is still echoing in Asia’s finance incubators.

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