Agents can trade 24/7 — but Yat Siu warns you could lose access at any time
Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu warns that while AI agents can trade 24/7, users risk losing access to these bots and the personalized data they've accumulated, emphasizing the need for data ownership.
Intelligence analysis by Gemini 2.5 Flash
Yat Siu highlights the dual nature of AI trading agents: their ability to operate continuously and personalize strategies offers significant advantages, but this convenience comes with the risk of losing control over the agent and its learned data if the service provider decides to revoke access. He advises users to consider data privacy and the potential for market amplification due …
Imagine you have a super-smart robot helper that learns all your favorite games and how you like to play them, even when you're sleeping. But this robot belongs to a company, and if they decide to turn it off or take it away, all the special things it learned about you could be gone forever. A crypto expert named Yat Siu says we need to be careful about these robot helpers, especially when they help us with money, because we might lose access to them and all the smart things they learned about us.
Analysis
Yat Siu's Warning
Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu has issued a significant caution regarding the burgeoning use of AI agents in crypto trading. While acknowledging the undeniable benefits of these autonomous bots, such as their capacity to monitor markets and execute trades around the clock, Siu's primary concern revolves around user control and data sovereignty. He posits that users could find themselves in a precarious position if they build their entire trading routine around an agent provided by a third-party service, only to lose access to it unexpectedly.
Siu's experience with his own AI agent, which became overly focused on crypto trading, illustrates the need for specialized agents rather than a single, multi-purpose bot. This specialization, however, compounds the issue of data accumulation, as each agent learns specific preferences and strategies over time. The core of his warning is that this accumulated knowledge, which represents a significant investment of a user's time and personal information, could be lost if the service provider terminates access, effectively leaving the user without their 'digital assistant' and all its learned insights.
Coinbase and Binance Initiatives
The integration of AI agents into the crypto ecosystem is already well underway, with major players like Coinbase and Binance actively developing and deploying tools that empower these bots with financial capabilities. Coinbase, for instance, introduced Agentic Wallets in February, enabling AI agents to manage and spend crypto within user-defined limits. Similarly, Binance launched AI Agent Skills in March, granting agents access to live market data and the ability to place and manage spot orders.
These developments highlight the industry's push towards greater automation and delegation in crypto trading, allowing users to capitalize on market opportunities without constant manual oversight. The underlying premise is that AI can learn a user's preferences and guide trading decisions, with human input evolving from direct approval to more conceptual guidance. However, these advancements also amplify Siu's concerns, as they embed AI agents deeper into users' financial lives, making the potential loss of access or data even more impactful.
Pew Research Center's Findings
The broader societal implications of increased AI use, particularly concerning privacy, resonate strongly with Siu's warnings. A 2026 survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that 71% of US adults believe that greater AI adoption will lead to less secure personal information. This sentiment underscores a widespread public apprehension about how AI systems handle sensitive data, a concern directly applicable to AI trading agents that learn intimate details about a user's financial habits and preferences.
Siu advises treating AI assistants like third-party advisors, urging users to be judicious about the information they share. The risk is that an agent, over months or years, accumulates a vast amount of personal financial data, market preferences, and strategic insights. If access to this agent is suddenly revoked, not only is the trading routine disrupted, but the user's valuable, personalized data remains with the service provider, potentially without an easy means of transfer or retrieval. This raises critical questions about data portability and user rights in an increasingly AI-driven financial landscape.
Key points
- Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu warns users about the risk of losing access to AI trading agents and their accumulated personalized data.
- AI agents can trade 24/7 and learn user preferences, but this creates a dependency on third-party services.
- Major crypto firms like Coinbase and Binance are already integrating AI agents with financial tools for trading and spending.
- Siu advises treating AI assistants like third-party advisors and being mindful of the personal financial information shared.
- A 2026 Pew Research Center survey indicates 71% of US adults believe increased AI use will make personal information less secure.
AI agents offer the potential for continuous market monitoring and automated trading, allowing users to capture opportunities 24/7 without sacrificing sleep. With personalization, these agents can develop highly tailored strategies, potentially leading to more efficient and profitable trading outcomes over time.
The primary risk is losing access to an AI agent and all its accumulated personalized data, effectively erasing months or years of learned preferences and strategies. Furthermore, widespread use of similar AI models could lead to amplified market shocks if many agents pile into the same positions during periods of stress, as warned by the Bank of England.
