Robinhood CEO says AI agents could bring institutional-grade trading tools to retail investors

Robinhood is betting that artificial intelligence will play a much bigger role in investing, with CEO Vlad Tenev saying AI agents could eventually carry out the same trading functions as human professionals and make sophisticated investment capabilities available to everyday users.Speaking about the company's long-term AI strategy, Tenev said the goal is to develop "agentic trading" systems that can perform a broad range of trading tasks on behalf of users, mirroring capabilities that institutional investors have relied on for years.According to Tenev, much of professional trading is already powered by automated systems, but those technologies have largely remained inaccessible to retail investors. Robinhood aims to bridge that gap by integrating AI-driven decision-making into its platform.The comments build on Robinhood's recent push into AI-powered financial services. In May, the company introduced AI-based features designed to help users execute stock trades and make purchases, positioning them as an early step towards more autonomous investing tools.Also read: Sridhar Vembu backs Palantir CEO Alex Karp, says enterprises should own AI instead of renting itThe company's ambitions come as AI agents gain momentum across industries. Technology firms have increasingly deployed AI to automate software development, customer support and other business functions, while AI startups are building systems capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with limited human intervention.Another area where agentic AI can change how technology is used is financial markets, Tenev said, particularly for individual investors who want to get their hands on sophisticated trading tools that were once only available to big financial institutions and high-frequency trading firms.But outside of AI Robinhood’s also expanding its global footprint. The company has recently launched cryptocurrency trading in the UK as part of a wider European growth strategy.Robinhood has close to 28 million customers in 38 countries. Earlier this month, the company cut about 10% of its staff as part of an efficiency drive, although Tenev said the brokerage remains focused on growth while maintaining a lean operating structure.