Key Takeaways
About 70% of surveyed traders would let AI manage their portfolios autonomously or within preset risk limits.Real-time alerts and instant permission revocation were the most requested safeguards.Regulators warn that AI trading can expose investors to fraud, inaccurate information and wider market risks.
Traders Are Ready to Hand AI More Control
Seven in 10 U.S. crypto traders polled by OKX said they would be comfortable letting artificial intelligence manage their portfolios without human review, according to survey results published July 21.
The group included traders willing to grant AI complete autonomy and those prepared to allow automated decisions within risk limits they set themselves.
The company said:
“Approximately 7 out of 10 traders we surveyed said they’d be comfortable letting an AI manage their portfolio without a human checking every move, either with full autonomy or within risk limits they set themselves. That’s not a fringe position; it’s most of the market.”
Younger respondents showed the greatest willingness to surrender control. Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z traders and 37% of millennials said they would give AI full, unsupervised authority, compared with 11% of baby boomers.
AI-assisted research is also becoming routine. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they use AI tools for research or trading several times a week, while 77% had used a general-purpose chatbot to research a crypto position during the previous three months.
Investors Still Demand an Emergency Off Switch
The strongest consensus centered on the ability to regain control. When OKX asked what would increase trust in an AI agent making crypto payments, respondents overwhelmingly selected real-time notifications and the ability to revoke the system’s permissions instantly. The answer received more than twice as much support as any other safeguard and showed little variation between generations.
The report noted:
“That told us something we didn’t expect going in: trust in autonomous AI is about knowing you can take control back the moment you want to. Autonomy and control aren’t opposites here, they’re the same feature.”
That demand could influence competition among trading platforms. Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they would switch exchanges for better AI-powered tools, suggesting that automation, transparency and user controls could become important factors in where traders keep their assets.
Regulators Warn About Fraud and Market Risks
U.S. lawmakers are seeking clearer rules for autonomous trading tools. Reps. Bill Foster and Brad Sherman have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to clarify how securities laws apply to agentic AI trading.
U.S. financial regulators have also warned that criminals are exploiting enthusiasm for AI to promote unregistered trading platforms and fake investment systems. The SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state securities regulators urge investors to verify registrations and be skeptical of promises of high returns with little risk. In Regulatory Notice 24-09, FINRA said firms remain responsible for supervising AI-related activities and complying with securities rules.
Regulators also caution against relying solely on AI-generated research, warning that chatbots can produce inaccurate or fabricated information. They recommend verifying information with original sources before making investment decisions.
Concerns extend beyond individual losses. Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said autonomous trading systems may eventually require circuit breakers or “kill switches” because similar AI reactions during market stress could amplify volatility, echoing the OKX survey’s finding that investors want a way to quickly regain control.
