At a lecture hall in Manila, renowned AI investor Joseph Plazo made a striking distinction on what AI can and cannot achieve for the future of finance—and why that distinction matters now more than ever.

You could feel the electricity in the crowd. Young scholars—some furiously taking notes, others capturing every word via livestream—waited for a man known not only as an AI visionary, but also a contrarian investor.

“Machines will execute trades flawlessly,” Plazo opened with authority. “But understanding the why—that’s still on you.”

Over the next lecture, he swept across global tech frontiers, balancing data science with real-world decision making. His central claim: Machines are powerful, but not wise.

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Bright Minds Confront the Machine’s Limits

Before him sat students and faculty from prestigious universities across Asia, united by a shared fascination with finance and AI.

Many expected a victory lap of AI's dominance. Instead, they got a reality check.

“There’s a growing religion around AI,” said Prof. Maria Castillo, guest faculty from Europe. “Plazo’s words were uncomfortable—but essential.”

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Why AI Still Doesn’t Get It

Plazo’s core thesis was both simple and unsettling: code can’t read between the lines.

“AI doesn’t panic—but it doesn’t anticipate,” click here he warned. “It finds trends, but not intentions.”

He cited examples like machine-driven funds failing to respond to COVID news, noting, “By the time the algorithms adjusted, the humans were already positioned.”

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The Astronomer Analogy

Rather than dismiss AI, Plazo proposed a partnership.

“AI is the vehicle—but you decide the direction,” he said. It works—but doesn’t wonder.

Students pressed him on behavioral economics, to which Plazo acknowledged: “Yes, it can scan Twitter sentiment—but it can’t smell fear in a boardroom.”

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Asia Reflects: From Tech Worship to Tech Wisdom

The talk hit hard.

“I used to think AI just needed more data,” said Lee Min-Seo, a finance student from Seoul. “Now I see it’s judgment, not just data, that matters.”

In a post-talk panel, regional leaders backed Plazo’s call. “These kids speak machine natively—but instinct,” said Dr. Raymond Tan, “doesn’t replace perspective.”

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The Future Isn’t Autonomous—It’s Collaborative

Plazo shared that his firm is building “symbiotic systems”—AI that pairs statistical logic with situational nuance.

“No machine can tell you who to trust,” he reminded. “Capital still requires conviction.”

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Standing Ovation, Unfinished Conversations

As Plazo exited the stage, the crowd rose. But more importantly, they started debating.

“I came for machine learning,” said a PhD candidate. “But I left understanding myself better.”

In knowing what AI can’t do, we sharpen what we can.