The era in which artificial intelligence (AI) agents autonomously handle online tasks on behalf of users is drawing closer with the advancement of AI assistants. In line with this trend, U.S. securities trading platform Robinhood is rolling out a feature that connects its brokerage accounts to AI agents, allowing them to handle stock investments and even ticket payments.
According to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Robinhood is preparing to launch a feature that lets customers delegate stock trading and credit card purchase decisions to their preferred AI tools. Robinhood customers will be able to connect AI agents such as Anthropic's Claude or coding agent Cursor to a separate dedicated investment account. The agents will access these dedicated funds and execute trades according to instructions.
"Invest $100 in Stocks Picked by Private Equity Investors"
For example, users can instruct an agent to identify loss risks stemming from overconcentration in a particular sector, or to monitor a curated list of promising semiconductor stocks. More specific instructions are also possible. In an example presented by Abhishek Fatehpuria, vice president of product management at Robinhood, an AI agent could be asked to analyze startup fundraising, corporate investment activity and private company valuation data, then invest $100 by following companies that private equity investors are backing. Private equity, typically the domain of institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals, generates high returns through analytical capabilities and investment information that ordinary retail investors cannot easily replicate. By precisely analyzing these investment patterns, retail investors can pursue similar outcomes. However, since private equity offers limited investment opportunities and generates returns through large-scale, long-term investments that endure periods of loss, simply mimicking investment patterns has its limits.
Currently, only stock trading is supported, with options, cryptocurrencies and event contracts to follow. Robinhood is reviewing credit card payments as the next AI-connected service. Deepak Rao, vice president and general manager of Robinhood Money, explained that the feature would enable "monitoring hard-to-book restaurant reservations, booking flights, and purchasing Broadway show tickets that match specific date and price-cap conditions."
Agents will only have access to virtual cards and cannot access customers' actual credit card numbers or other account information. Customers can set spending limits for the agent or require approval each time the agent makes a purchase with the Gold card. In addition, push notifications will be sent to investors whenever the agent executes a transaction, and a real-time activity feed can be viewed in the Robinhood app. Customers can also disconnect the agent at any time.
Will AI Take Over Even Sensitive Financial Payments?
Over the past several years, Robinhood has rolled out a series of features including AI-based portfolio analysis and analysis of individual stocks and the broader market. Fatehpuria said additional AI-related announcements are scheduled for later this year. Many financial institutions, including Robinhood, are accelerating the adoption of AI technology. Whether investors will readily entrust their financial lives to AI algorithms, however, remains uncertain.
According to a report released in February by financial research firm Cerulli Associates, only 38% of high-net-worth individuals felt at least somewhat comfortable with AI technology. That is little changed from 39% in 2024. Younger investors are most positive about using AI in financial relationships, with more than 60% of those under 50 saying they feel comfortable with it. The figure plunges to 42% among those in their 50s and drops further to 16% among those aged 70 and older.
