7 in 10 U.S. crypto traders back AI portfolios, want off switch

OKX published results of a July 21, 2026 survey of 1,400 U.S. crypto traders showing roughly seven in 10 would allow artificial intelligence to manage portfolios either with full autonomy or within user-set risk limits. OKX wrote in the report: ‘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 traders expressed the strongest willingness to cede control. The survey found 38% of Gen Z respondents and 37% of millennials would grant AI full, unsupervised authority, compared with 11% of baby boomers. Use of AI tools is common: 51% reported using AI tools several times a week, and 77% had used a general-purpose chatbot to research a crypto position in the prior three months.

Respondents listed real-time notifications and the ability to revoke an AI system’s permissions instantly as the top safeguards for trusting AI agents in crypto payments. That choice received more than twice the support of any other proposed safeguard and showed little variation across age groups. 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.’

Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed said they would switch exchanges for better AI-powered tools.

U.S. lawmakers and financial regulators have raised questions about agentic AI trading. Representatives Bill Foster and Brad Sherman asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to clarify how securities laws apply to autonomous trading tools. The SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and state securities regulators warned investors to verify platform registrations and be cautious of promises of high returns with little risk, noting that criminals have used AI to promote unregistered trading venues and fake investment systems. FINRA’s Regulatory Notice 24-09 reminded firms they remain responsible for supervising AI-related activities and complying with securities rules.

Regulators also cautioned that AI-generated research can be inaccurate or fabricated and recommended verifying information with original sources before making investment decisions. Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden warned that autonomous trading systems may eventually require circuit breakers or ‘kill switches’ because similar AI reactions during market stress could amplify volatility, a concern that aligns with the survey’s strong preference for an immediate off switch.