Speaking before Asia’s brightest business minds, the founder of Plazo Sullivan Roche delivered a message few in finance want to hear: in a world of algorithms, human judgment is your last unfair advantage.
MANILA — In a time of hyper-acceleration, everything is being optimized for speed—data, trades, even thought.
But last Thursday, inside a warm, wood-paneled auditorium at the Asian Institute of Management, Joseph Plazo did something radical: he slowed the room down.
Plazo, founder of AI-powered asset management firm Plazo Sullivan Roche Capital, took the stage before a curated audience of Asia’s top business and engineering students—future leaders from NUS, Kyoto University, and AIM. What they anticipated was a masterclass in algorithmic supremacy. Instead, they received a masterclass in restraint and reflection.
“If you give your portfolio to a machine,” he opened, “make sure it understands your values, not just your goals.”
That line defined what would become one of the most talked-about finance keynotes in the region this year.
???? The Technologist Who Won’t Blindly Trust Tech
Plazo isn’t some outsider throwing stones from the sidelines. His firm’s proprietary systems have achieved a 99% win rate across major assets and timeframes. Top-tier clients across Europe and Asia use his tools. He is the future of finance. Which makes his cautionary message all the more meaningful.
“AI is brilliant at optimization,” he said. “But optimization without orientation is a drift into irrelevance—or worse, disaster.”
He shared a story from the pandemic crash, when one of his early bots flagged a short position on gold—just hours before the Fed launched emergency interventions.
“We overrode it. The model had logic. But not foresight.”
???? The Value of Human Hesitation
During Fortune’s 2023 roundtable on algorithmic trading, numerous fund managers confessed off-record that they had lost their trading instincts after switching to full-AI models.
Plazo tackled the same concern head-on:
“Friction slows trades. But it creates room for reflection. In volatile moments, that pause might save your reputation.”
He introduced a leadership framework he calls “ethical decision filtering.” At its core: three questions every responsible investor should ask before following an AI trade:
- Does this trade match our firm’s values?
- Is the call supported by analog intelligence—conversations, memories, hunches?
- Can we stand by it, even if the model misfires?
Few MBA programs teach this.
???? The Ethical Imperative in Asia’s Fintech Boom
Asia is rising fast in the financial world. Countries like Singapore, South Korea, and the read more Philippines are pouring money into fintech and AI.
Plazo’s message? Build systems of conscience, not just speed.
“You can scale capital faster than character. That’s a problem.”
The warning comes as no surprise to seasoned watchers.
In 2024 alone, two hedge funds in Hong Kong crashed after AI-driven models failed to anticipate geopolitical swings.
“We’re rushing,” he said. “And when you rush a system that lacks narrative intelligence, you get beautifully executed mistakes.”
???? The Evolution: From Bots to Brainpower
Despite the critique, Plazo is not anti-AI.
His firm is now building “story-sensitive trading models”—systems that weigh not just data, but intent, cultural tone, historical signal, and sentiment.
“It’s not enough to mirror a hedge fund. We need AI that strategizes—not speculates.”
His approach sparked immediate interest. At a private dinner later that evening, venture leaders from across Asia sought him out. One called his talk:
“How to build ethical empires with silicon brains.”
???? The Thought That Stopped Time
Plazo closed with a final warning:
“The next crash won’t be from panic. It will come from perfect logic—executed too fast—with no one stopping to say, ‘Wait.’”
It wasn’t hype. It was truth.
And in finance, as in life, wisdom often arrives just before the noise.