Joseph Plazo’s Hard Truths to Asia’s Next Generation of Investors

In an age of algorithmic promises, a unfiltered voice in the Philippines’ capital reminds us what money still listens to—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 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 can and can’t do in actual investing.

And what it can’t do, he stressed, is replace your instinct.

### 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 opened fire with a short video montage—clips of online traders pushing miracle machines. Then he paused.

“I built the system they copied,” he said, dryly.

Laughter followed—but this wasn’t ego.

The message? AI is retrospective, not prophetic.

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

“When war breaks out, when Powell slips during a Fed announcement, when a bank goes under—AI doesn’t flinch. That’s where we come in.”

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

One unforgettable moment? A showdown between machine and instinct.

A student from NUS presented an AI-backed trade on the Nikkei—equipped with indicators, trends, and sentiment metrics.

Plazo eyed it. Then said:

“Looks clean, but what about Japan’s unannounced intervention?. Your AI doesn’t see the invisible. It reads tweets.”

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 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 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 losing more info your grip on human reason.”

### Why Asia Paid Close Attention

This wasn’t your average AI hype fest.

Asia’s universities are now home to finance’s future titans. 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 wrestled with what they called a turning point speech.

One finance dean privately told Forbes, “Joseph might have rebooted our entire AI syllabus. Not magic—mirror.”

### The Future AI Can Build

Despite the critique, Plazo isn’t anti-AI.

He’s building multi-signal trading engines—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 can’t be coded.”

The applause echoed across campuses. And that jolt of insight is still echoing in Asia’s finance incubators.

In a world drunk on AI hype, Plazo gave the crowd what AI can’t: humanity.