A look at how much of today's trading is already run by machines, and where AI fits in — neutral, but leaning optimistic on AI's role in markets.

• Most trading has been done by algorithms since around 2008, not by people clicking buy and sell.
• There is little real difference between an old-style algorithm and an AI "bot" — both only do what you tell them.
• AI today cannot invent a winning strategy from scratch, but it is strong at improving and fine-tuning ideas you bring to it.
• The bet is that within a few years, AI tools that manage money well could become common for regular investors.

Outlook: Expect AI trading assistants to keep getting better and more widely used, even if a fully hands-off "make me money" bot is still years away.