diff --git a/freqtrade/rpc/api_server/api_backtest.py b/freqtrade/rpc/api_server/api_backtest.py
index 4e43a63b1..bc2a40d91 100644
--- a/freqtrade/rpc/api_server/api_backtest.py
+++ b/freqtrade/rpc/api_server/api_backtest.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async def api_start_backtest(bt_settings: BacktestRequest, background_tasks: Bac
 
     btconfig = deepcopy(config)
     settings = dict(bt_settings)
-    if 'freqai' in settings:
+    if settings.get('freqai', None) is not None:
         settings['freqai'] = dict(settings['freqai'])
     # Pydantic models will contain all keys, but non-provided ones are None