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"It is simply not good enough that, for many advisers, their understanding of AI is that information goes into a black box,'magic happens' and something comes out."
So said the outgoing director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Investment Management Division in March.
The Wall Street Journal reports William Birdthistle was speaking at the Investment Advisers Association Conference, and that's when things got a little more complicated.
Birdthistle was referring to robo-advisers, which, as the name suggests, use artificial intelligence to get around SEC rules.
Robo-advisers, as they're known, " rely on algorithms, provide advisory services over the internet, and may offer limited, if any, direct human interaction to their clients, their unique business models may raise certain considerations when seeking to comply with the Advisers Act," the SEC said in its 2017 guidance on robo-advisers, which noted that advisers must " obtain information from clients about the robo-adviser and the investment advisory services it offers" and must "implement effective compliance programs reasonably designed to address particular concerns relevant to providing automated advice."
The Journal reports the SEC is now looking into the use of robo-advisers by registered investment advisers, or RIAs, which, as the name suggests