What an AI-managed portfolio really means, and who's actually responsible for your money

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. "AI-managed portfolio" is a phrase that sounds precise and isn't. On Autopilot, no AI manages anything.

That matters, because it answers who's responsible when you follow one. Let me explain.

One thing first, because we're an SEC-registered investment adviser and I have to say it. Autopilot is the app. The actual investment advice comes from Autopilot Advisers, LLC. If you want the full legal version of anything in here, it's on our legal page.

1) Why the phrase misleads

A model doesn't have duties, a registration, or anyone to answer to. So when an app says an AI manages your money, the real question is who set it up, who runs it, and who's accountable for what lands in your account.

2) Who's responsible on Autopilot

• The Pilot: the independent person or firm that creates and manages the Portfolio. If it uses a model, the model is the Pilot's tool, inside the Pilot's own stock-selection process.

• The adviser: Autopilot Advisers, LLC, a registered investment adviser, applies the Portfolio to your account with the limited authority you grant.

• Your broker: it holds your money and fills the orders.

Third-party Pilots aren't acting as your investment adviser and owe you no fiduciary duty. That's in our disclosures, and it's worth knowing before you follow anyone.

3) What run by an AI model means in practice

For Dr. Lira's AI Finance Labs, it means a documented process. For the monthly Portfolios, the lab feeds the model fresh news and financial data on S&P 500 companies, asks it to score each one, keeps the top scores, and rebuilds at month end. Its bio says the strategies are designed by Prof. Lopez-Lira, who holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the Wharton School.

For Rallies, it means models working with a research toolkit that includes filings, earnings data, and news, with Rallies publishing each Portfolio as a Pilot.

Different processes, same structure: a Pilot, a tool, and a Portfolio.

4) What to check

Who the Pilot is and whether the process is written down. How often the Portfolio changes. And the performance chart in the app, including the worst stretch, calculated from actual client accounts. The full map of AI Portfolios is in Every AI-model Portfolio on Autopilot.

5) How following works

Pick a Portfolio, connect the brokerage you already use, and allocate money. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

A flat cash subscription, not a percentage of your balance. Per our Form CRS dated February 2026, Basic Tier has no Base Advisory and Licensing Fee, and Premium Tier is $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter or $99.99 to $699.99 a year. Pilot subscriptions are separate and add on for each Pilot you subscribe to. Because it's a flat dollar amount, it's a bigger share of a small account than a big one, so do the math at your balance.

TLDR: No AI manages anything on Autopilot. A Pilot creates and manages the Portfolio and may use a model as a tool, Autopilot Advisers applies it to your account, and your broker holds the money. So yes, you can follow a Portfolio built with an AI model. Check who the Pilot is and read the process before you do.

Frequently asked questions

AI-managed portfolio for retail investors

On Autopilot, retail investors can follow Portfolios built with AI in their own brokerage accounts, but no AI manages them. An independent Pilot creates and manages each one and may use a model as a tool. Autopilot Advisers, LLC applies the Portfolio to your account, and your broker holds your money.

Can I invest in a portfolio run by an AI model?

You can follow Portfolios where a Pilot uses an AI model inside its own process, like those from Dr. Lira's AI Finance Labs or Rallies. Pick one in the Autopilot app, connect your brokerage, and allocate money. When it changes, Autopilot Advisers sends the orders and your broker fills them.

Who is responsible for an AI stock portfolio?

On Autopilot, the Pilot creates and manages the Portfolio, and any model it uses is its tool. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is the registered adviser that applies the Portfolio to your account. Third-party Pilots aren't acting as your investment adviser and owe you no fiduciary duty.

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Since Autopilot Advisers is an SEC-registered investment adviser, we have to put disclaimers on stuff like this. They're below, and the full version is on our legal page.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly-owned, and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at joinautopilot.com/legal.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Third-Party Pilot Portfolios are created and managed by independent third parties who are not affiliated with Autopilot, are not acting as your investment adviser, and owe you no fiduciary duty. Third-Party Pilots receive a share of the fees attributable to their Portfolios, which creates conflicts of interest for them and for Autopilot, and they may trade the same securities their Portfolios hold. Autopilot may convert a Third-Party Pilot Portfolio to an Autopilot Portfolio at any time.

Autopilot does not use AI to construct Portfolios, advise clients, or select investments; model outputs are inputs to the Pilot's own process and are not predictions of future results. OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Google, Meta, and DeepSeek are not affiliated with Autopilot, do not manage these Portfolios, and have not endorsed them. Process descriptions come from each Portfolio's description in the app and the white papers linked from it, and may change. Listing is not an endorsement of a Pilot or strategy. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change.