In a world flooded with hype about AI 'beating the market' and bots printing passive income, this book cuts through the noise to deliver what you actually need: a clear, honest framework for understanding and building algorithmic trading systems that use machine learning. Written for the educated general reader with no finance background, The Future of Algorithmic Trading explains how markets truly operate, what AI can and cannot do, and why most automated strategies fail. You'll learn the real steps—from sourcing clean data and developing a robust hypothesis to backtesting honestly, managing risk, and avoiding the overfitting traps that doom most quantitative experiments. There are no guaranteed returns here, no 'get rich quick' secrets. Instead, you'll gain the critical thinking and practical skills to evaluate strategies critically, build simple bots, and navigate the regulatory and ethical landscape of automated finance. Whether you're a curious technologist or a cautious investor, this book will help you separate enduring principles from fleeting fads. Part of The AI Trading Library.