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The future of AI in finance might be about accepting what we don't know

Dan DeFrancesco   

The future of AI in finance might be about accepting what we don't know

Almost Friday! $4 in NYC, which is looking $4

Today, we've got stories on $4, $4, and cool.>$4

But first, would you put your faith in a robot?


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1. AI, take the wheel.

How would you feel about handing the reins to artificial intelligence without fully understanding how it works?

Such a suggestion is blasphemy — and potentially illegal — on Wall Street. Finance firms need to be able to explain how any model they use works. That way, if things go badly, firms can't just point to the computer and shrug their shoulders.

In essence, "explainability" is AI's version of a math teacher asking you to "show your work."

But as AI tech continues to advance, one Wall Street executive is wondering if there isn't some wiggle room on those types of policies.

On Wednesday, Nasdaq CEO and Chair Adena Friedman $4 while speaking at Bloomberg Invest. Part of those plans included the adoption of algorithms for sussing out criminal activity.

But what really caught my eye was Friedman's comments around having to fully understand how the AI works.

"We want to engage with the regulators to say, 'What's the next generation of AI going to do that's going to make it even more effective? And, therefore, maybe it's not totally explainable, but you understand we're using it for the right purpose,'" she said.

That's a fascinating thought exercise, and one worth having with how quick AI tech seems to be evolving these days.

On the one hand, it makes total sense. Why limit how you can use AI? As long as you have some good guardrails in place and can verify the answers are accurate, does it really matter if you don't completely understand how it got there?

I realize this wouldn't be acceptable for everything — like $4 — but there seem to be lots of scenarios where having to "show your work" shouldn't get in the way of being able to solve the bigger problem.

The counter argument is that we shouldn't be using tools in the financial markets we don't fully understand. (Fair point!) Even if you keep the AI siloed to a specific environment, focused on a single task, you're still playing with fire.

Because at the end of the day, you just don't know what it's capable of.

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Curated by Dan DeFrancesco in New York. Feedback or tips? Email ddefrancesco@insider.com, tweet $4, or $4. Edited by Jeffrey Cane (tweet @jeffrey_cane>$4) in New York and Nathan Rennolds (tweet $4) in London.



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