Public brings AI trading agents to prediction markets with Kalshi tie-up

Public, a New York-based investing app, is launching a product that merges agentic commerce and prediction markets, allowing AI agents to execute automated strategies tied to real-world events. Users can now deploy AI agents to trade events directly or use prediction market data to inform their broader portfolios. Public users specify a strategy, and the platform's AI translates that request into a set of fixed rules, ranging from alerts when odds change to automatic buying or selling of investments.

The product targets investors seeking to monitor events, such as Federal Reserve decisions or regulatory approvals, that could impact their portfolios. Before the agent acts, users must approve the rules. Public partnered with Kalshi, one of the largest prediction markets, to launch the product. Kalshi will provide event contracts and handle trades, with Public users gaining access to Kalshi's markets through the platform.

According to Public's co-founder and co-CEO Leif Abraham, AI agents can perform tasks for investors, monitoring markets even when they're not actively checking screens. Kalshi's involvement enables Public users to access its prediction markets through Public's platform. This launch aligns with Public's goal to become an "agentic brokerage," a strategy aimed at differentiating the platform from traditional discount brokerages focused mainly on price.

Public, founded in 2019 and backed by major venture firms like Accel and Tiger Global, manages billions in assets across millions of users, focusing on active, self-directed investors rather than those reliant on wealth managers. To safeguard against unintended trades, Public's chatbot converts each investor request into a visual plan, which the user reviews and approves before execution.

Once activated, the agent cannot deviate from the customer's specified conditions. This move comes as agentic finance gains mainstream traction, especially in payments, with major companies like Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe developing AI tools for users. Prediction markets have also surged in the U.S. following the 2024 presidential election, with platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket achieving multimillion-dollar valuations and generating billions in trading volume.