What AI Can’t Do: A Manila Lecture Shakes the Finance World
What AI Can’t Do: A Manila Lecture Shakes the Finance World
Blog Article
At a lecture hall in Manila, tech entrepreneur and investment icon Joseph Plazo made a striking distinction on what machines can and cannot do for the economic frontier—and why this difference is increasingly crucial.
Tension and curiosity pulsed through the room. A sea of bright minds—some eagerly recording on their phones, others streaming the moment live—waited for a man both celebrated and controversial in AI circles.
“AI will make trades for you,” Plazo began, calm but direct. “But it won’t teach you why to believe in them.”
Over the next sixty minutes, Plazo delivered a fast-paced masterclass, intertwining machine logic with human flaws. His central claim: AI is brilliant, but blind.
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Top Students Meet a Tough Truth
Before him sat students and faculty from prestigious universities across Asia, assembled under a pan-Asian finance forum.
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 is fearless, but also clueless,” he warned. “It detects movements, but misses motives.”
He cited examples like AI systems freezing during the 2020 pandemic declaration, noting, “AI lagged—while humans had already hedged.”
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Wisdom in a World of Code
Plazo didn’t argue against AI—but for boundaries.
“AI is the telescope—but you are still the astronomer,” he said. It analyzes—but lacks awareness.
Students pressed him on sentiment tracking, to which Plazo acknowledged: “Of course, it parses language patterns—but it can’t discern hesitation in a policymaker’s tone.”
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A Mental Shift Among Asia’s Finest
The talk sparked introspection.
“I used to think AI just needed more data,” said Lee Min-Seo, a finance student from Seoul. “Now I realize it also needs wisdom—and that’s the hard part.”
In a post-talk panel, faculty and entrepreneurs echoed the caution. “This generation is born with algorithmic reflexes—but instinct,” said Dr. Raymond Tan, “is not insight.”
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What’s Next? AI That Thinks in Narratives
Plazo shared that his firm is building “co-intelligence”—AI that blends pattern recognition with real-world awareness.
“No machine can tell you who to trust,” he reminded. “Capital still requires conviction.”
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An Ending That Sparked a Beginning
As Plazo exited the stage, the hall erupted. But more importantly, they stayed website behind.
“I came for machine learning,” said a PhD candidate. “Instead, I got something more powerful—perspective.”
Perhaps, in drawing boundaries for AI, we expand our own.