“Joseph Plazo on Why Algorithms Still Need Human Judgment”“Machines Can Trade. But Can They Govern?”
“Joseph Plazo on Why Algorithms Still Need Human Judgment”“Machines Can Trade. But Can They Govern?”
Blog Article
At a gathering of students and young professionals in Manila, Joseph Plazo, voiced concerns that many in his field tend to ignore.
His argument was not anti-technology, but pro-governance.
“Delegating execution does not mean abdicating responsibility.”
???? **A Technologist’s Dilemma**
Mr. Plazo is not a critic from the fringe. His algorithms are widely used by institutional investors from Europe to East Asia.
But that success, he suggests, carries risk.
“Optimisation without orientation is simply acceleration in an unknown direction.”
He cited a case during the COVID-19 pandemic when a bot under his supervision flagged a short on gold—just before the US Federal Reserve announced an intervention.
“We cancelled the trade. The model had been right on signals, but wrong on substance.”
???? **Strategic Friction as a Form of Risk Management**
Plazo referred to what he terms **“strategic friction”**—the time it takes to think before a trade.
“Frictions allow institutional investors to consider second-order effects.”
He presented a framework his firm uses, called **Conviction Calculus**. It includes three questions:
- Does this trade align with the organisation’s ethical posture?
- Would an experienced fund manager endorse this move?
- Do we have a human at the helm, or merely a dashboard?
???? **The Ethical Gap in Asia’s Fintech Race**
Plazo’s comments come at a time of accelerating fintech growth across Asia. From Singapore to Seoul, AI-led investing is seen as both policy strategy and capital advantage.
But as Mr. Plazo points out:
“Governance is lagging behind growth.”
In 2024, two hedge funds in Hong Kong lost billions after AI models failed to factor in geopolitical risk—a result of logic executed too quickly, and too narrowly.
“The models did what they were told. But no one asked whether they should.”
???? **The Case for Narrative-Aware AI**
Plazo remains bullish on AI’s potential—but not its current limitations.
His firm is building what he describes as **“narrative-integrated AI”**—systems that account for macro context, cultural tone, and regulatory environment, not just price and volume.
“We need models that don’t just predict—but interpret.”
Investors from Tokyo and Jakarta reportedly expressed interest in these models after the speech. One regional fund manager noted:
“We need systems that understand politics, not just price movement.”
???? **Silent Errors in a World That Doesn’t Pause**
Plazo ended with a line that encapsulated his thesis:
“Flawless code may be the most dangerous tool in the wrong website context.”
His tone was not alarmist, but realistic: growth must be governed.