In a packed amphitheater at the University of the Philippines, Joseph Plazo drew a bold line on what machines can and cannot do for the economic frontier—and why understanding this may define who wins in tomorrow’s markets.

Tension and curiosity pulsed through the room. Students—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.

“Algorithms can execute,” Plazo opened with authority. “It won’t tell you when not to trust them.”

Over the next hour, he took the audience from Silicon Valley to Shanghai, touching on everything from quantum computing to cognitive bias. His central claim: Artificial intelligence is impressive—but it lacks soul.

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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. “This lecture was a rare, necessary dose of skepticism.”

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When Algorithms Miss the Mark

Plazo’s core thesis was both simple and unsettling: machines lack context.

“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

He didn’t bash the machines—he get more info put them in their place.

“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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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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Co-Intelligence: Merging Math with Meaning

Plazo shared that his firm is building “hybrid cognition models”—AI that understands not just volatility, but motive.

“Only you can judge character,” he reminded. “Belief isn’t programmable.”

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The Speech That Started a Thousand Debates

As Plazo exited the stage, students applauded. But more importantly, they stayed behind.

“I came for machine learning,” said a PhD candidate. “But I got a lesson in human insight.”

Perhaps, in drawing boundaries for AI, we expand our own.