But AI technology is far from new, and chatbots are just one application of this advanced tech. Indeed, nearly every industry has been impacted by AI, from healthcare to freight, and this growth shows no signs of slowing down. Prominent tech industry experts like Bill Gates predict the growing influence of AI technology, and current projections estimate that the global AI market is on track to total half a trillion dollars by the end of the decade. Naturally, this growth is attracting attention from investors. If you’re interested in bringing AI companies into your portfolio, you may want to get to know the biggest players in the field. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Top AI companies
• What to consider when researching AI companies

Top AI companies 

Since AI impacts so many industries, the missions of the top AI companies are incredibly diverse, as are the ways they apply this technology, running the gamut from autonomous driving to cybersecurity to application development and more. AI companies also range widely in terms of longevity, with the list of largest companies including long-term tech sector players and newer enterprises alike. These 15 companies represent the largest by market cap in the AI space as of summer 2023. 

Largest AI companies by market cap as of June 2023:

• Microsoft
• Alphabet
• NVIDIA
• Tesla
• IBM
• Mobileye
• Palantir
• Dynatrace
• Uipath
• C3 AI
• SentinelOne
• Upstart
• Bayonet AI
• Darktrace
• Aurora Innovation

1. Microsoft (MSFT)

Microsoft has remained a leader in end-user computer technology for nearly four decades and currently stands as the second largest company in the world. Its popular Windows desktop operating system claims approximately 74% of market share worldwide. With a $10 billion investment in OpenAi in January 2023 and subsequent integration of its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot and Dall-E image generation into the Bing search engine and Edge web browsing software, Microsoft has claimed its position as the world’s leading artificial intelligence company. 

• Market cap: $2.46 trillion
• Headquarters: Redmond, WA, USA
• Founded: 1975
• AI focus: Web search, image generation

2. Alphabet (GOOG)

Google’s suite of products extends to a large number of categories in the tech industry, with products that touch on everything from education to advertising and fitness to streaming video. 25 years after the company’s founding, its flagship product remains its eponymous search engine, which reportedly accounts for more than 90% of worldwide searches. Google and its parent company Alphabet expanded into AI and deep learning with the formation of its Google AI division in 2017. In February 2023, the company announced Bard, an AI chatbot designed to compete with Microsoft’s integration of ChatGPT into its Bing search engine, though the release was slightly marred by reported internal disapproval of the product’s rollout. At Google I/O in May 2023, their annual developer conference, AI took center stage with the reveal of Search Generative Experience, AI editing via Google Photos, and more.

• Market cap: $1.57 trillion
• Headquarters: Mountain View, CA, USA
• Founded: 1998
• AI focus: Web search

3. NVIDIA (NVDA)

Rounding out the top three AI companies, NVIDIA manufactures graphics processing units (GPUs), whose computing power has been foundational for several generative AI technologies. The company commands 82% of the GPU market and has had a hand in major AI technology advancements, including ChatGPT, which was trained using 10,000 NVIDIA GPUs. The NVIDIA NeMO LLM’s status as one of the most advanced large language models, along with a new partnership with Microsoft, further cement its place among prominent AI companies.

• Market cap: $975.20 billion
• Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA, USA
• Founded: 1993
• AI focus: GPU manufacturing

4. Tesla (TSLA)

Twenty years after Tesla launched with a vision for reimagining the automotive industry through technology, the company’s Model 3 vehicle stands as the all-time bestselling plug-in electric car. Tesla has also expanded far beyond the automotive industry, becoming one of the largest global suppliers of battery energy storage systems and solar panels. Among its innovations are self-driving cars and bipedal robotic units, both of which utilize AI technology to sense conditions and events to pilot themselves with minimal human intervention. 

• Market cap: $791.83 billion
• Headquarters: Austin, TX, USA
• Founded: 2003
• AI focus: Vehicular AI, robotics, clean energy

5. IBM (IBM)

While artificial intelligence may seem new to many people, one of the “big 5” AI companies has been innovating in this realm for decades. In the 110 years since its founding, IBM has consistently been a cornerstone of the tech industry, producing innovations that have become an ingrained part of everyday life, including the bar code, the hard disk drive, and the personal computer itself. Its Watson question-answering platform, initially developed from 2004-2011, could be seen as the first AI language model technology to attain global notoriety, as a result of its 2011 victory on the quiz show Jeopardy! Since then, its deep learning capabilities have been applied to a wide range of industries, including healthcare, cuisine, hospitality, water conservation, and more. In 2023, Watson earned IBM its second consecutive Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Conversational AI Platforms.

• Market cap: $123.87 billion
• Headquarters: Armonk, NY, USA
• Founded: 1911
• AI focus: Conversational AI

6. Mobileye (MBLY)

Mobileye is another AI company focused on autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. Through high-profile partnerships with Ford and Volkswagen, in addition to 25 other automobile manufacturers, the company’s technology is employed in vehicles across the world. Its products include lane assist, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision, all of which aim to increase the ease and safety of driving. Since its acquisition by Intel in 2017, the company has grown significantly and continued to expand its innovation in self-driving AI technology.  

• Market cap: $32.50 billion
• Headquarters: Jerusalem, Israel
• Founded: 1999
• AI focus: Vehicular AI

7. Palantir (PLTR)

Palantir Technologies specializes in big data analytics through three major software platforms for the public and private sectors. Each of these uses artificial intelligence to access information and strengthen correlations between data points. Palantir Gotham is used by the United States Intelligence Community to aggregate data for national security purposes, including predictive policing systems. Palantir Metropolis learns and uncovers relationships between data points in private and public databases and is primarily used in the finance industry, perhaps most famously by JP Morgan Chase to monitor employees. Palantir Foundry is a flexible system that integrates data and can make decisions using generative processes. The company reported its first-ever profitable quarter in February 2023.

• Market cap: $32.41 billion
• Headquarters: Denver, CO, USA
• Founded: 2003
• AI focus: Data aggregation

8. Dynatrace (DT)

The Dynatrace Software Intelligence Platform, driven by the company’s proprietary AI technology, Davis, is used in products by large companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft. The platform monitors software and uses artificial intelligence to detect issues, discover anomalies, and monitor performance. When problems are detected, the software is capable of generating and implementing its own solutions without human intervention. Their February 2023 announcement of the platform’s new ability to predict software issues before they occur is seen as a competitive differentiator by some industry analysts.

• Market cap: $15.01 billion
• Headquarters: Waltham, MA, USA
• Founded: 2005
• AI focus: Observability, application security, cloud computing

9. UiPath (PATH)

The defining function of UiPath’s robotic process automation software offerings is the automation of routine business tasks through AI and machine learning. Over the 18 years since the company’s founding, however, its capabilities have expanded significantly, and the software is now capable of executing customer relationship management (CRM) functions and more on a massive scale. UiPath’s financial picture has followed suit, claiming one of the largest US software IPOs in history. With its July 2022 acquisition of Re:infer, the company has added natural language processing to its artificial intelligence arsenal. 

• Market cap: $9.92 billion
• Headquarters: New York, NY, USA
• Founded: 2005
• AI focus: Process automation

10. C3 AI (AI)

The aptly named C3 AI’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform utilizes AI’s ability to interpret and translate ideas to provide innovative solutions for businesses. Its machine learning algorithm allows users to envision and create software applications even without expertise in data analytics. Its software has been utilized by major companies such as Shell and Koch in business applications in energy, chemicals, investments and more. The U.S. Air Force has also employed the platform to develop new technologies and improve upon existing ones.

• Market cap: $4.28 billion
• Headquarters: Redwood City, CA, USA
• Founded: 2009
• AI focus: Application development

11. SentinelOne (S)

SentinelOne became an industry leader by leveraging the power of AI for its next-gen cybersecurity software. The company’s AI technology detects abnormal use in endpoint devices and shuts down processes before viruses or bad actors can spread across networks. Its roster of clients includes high-profile brands such as Samsung, Aston Martin, Politico, EA, and Sysco, embedding its products in a number of industries and sectors. The ten year-old company continues to grow its market cap, recently reporting a 92% increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2023.

• Market cap: $4.24 billion
• Headquarters: Mountain View, CA, USA
• Founded: 2013
• AI focus: Cybersecurity

12. Upstart (UPST)

Founded by another ex-Googler, Upstart is a company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to provide lending and credit services. Using advanced algorithms and data analytics to assess creditworthiness, their AI lending firm enables faster and more accurate loan approvals for individuals and small businesses.

• Market cap: $2.78 billion
• Headquarters: San Mateo, CA, USA
• Founded: 2012
• AI focus: Dynamic pricing, revenue optimization

13. Bayanat AI (BAYANAT.AI)

Born out of the commercialization of the United Arab Emirates’ military survey department, Bayanat AI’s technology now serves enterprises around the world with informed solutions for geospatial business needs. The company’s core offerings include AI-powered data analytics, computer vision, natural language processing, and predictive modeling. Now under the umbrella of the G42 investment group, Bayanat’s products are used widely in the automotive, academic, and tech industries.

• Market cap: $2.82 billion
• Headquarters: Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Founded: 2008
• AI focus: Geospatial processing

14. Darktrace (DARK.L)

The Darktrace AI platform learns to detect normal behavior across a network and its users, forming a profile of typical use. When it detects behavior that diverges from this profile, the software intelligently determines whether a threat is present and calculates the most efficient way to attack and dismantle it. The company recently launched its product as a viable solution to new email security threats posed by generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, arguing that existing tools are not strong enough to address the concerns raised by such advanced chatbots.

• Market cap: $2.75 billion
• Headquarters: Cambridge, UK; London, UK; San Francisco, CA, USA; Singapore
• Founded: 2013
• AI focus: Cybersecurity

15. Aurora Innovation (AUR)

Founded by executives from Google, Tesla, and Uber, Aurora Innovation is another of the top AI companies developing self-driving vehicle solutions, envisioning a fleet of autonomous vehicles to be used in applications including freight and ridesharing. Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, and Volvo, are just a few of the manufacturers using their Aurora Driver technology. In 2022, the company announced its new Aurora Beacon platform, which will assist users with maximizing uptime and other optimization concerns for these fleets, as well as an expanded pilot with FedEx to bring self-driving technology to the shipping industry. In April 2023, the company revealed that it plans to begin a driverless truck route connecting Dallas and Houston by 2024.

• Market cap: $2.64 billion
• Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Founded: 2017
• AI focus: Autonomous driving

What to consider when researching AI stocks

If you’re enticed by this quick-moving aspect of the tech industry, you may be wondering if investing in the top AI companies is the right move for your portfolio. Before you make the leap, make sure to do your research. Like any competitive market, there are a number of factors you might consider before investing.

The company’s financial statements should give you a window into its revenue, profits, debt, and cash flow for a better understanding of its finances. Another factor you may consider is the company’s management: what previous organizations have company leaders worked for? What goals have they set? Have they shown success in achieving them? Investors often also investigate the potential risks associated with a stock, such as the company’s regulatory risks, legal risks, and macroeconomic risks, as well as the volatility of its share prices over time. 

Additionally, since AI technology is rapidly evolving, it may be helpful to follow the news on a company in which you’re planning to invest, as well as the performance of stocks in the tech industry overall.

Ready to invest in the top AI companies?

There are many options for investing in the technology sector, and Stash can help you get started with shares in top AI companies, as well as an ETF focused on robotics. And with fractional shares, you can begin investing with any amount. 

Start investing in AI.

Start today with any dollar amount.

Get Started

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But some attitudes have shifted. It’s becoming clear that just because some jobs can be automated or handed off to robots, we don’t necessarily mean that we want them to be. People need those jobs, and every robot assembling parts on an assembly line or managing a cash register means there’s one less paycheck for a human being.

Robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence are making us more efficient and lowering the costs to produce some goods and services. So, while there are clear benefits to incorporating robotics into the worldwide economy, many people are still worried that their jobs could be automated and their career, as a result, redundant.

So, are those fears baseless? Or should you actually be worried?

Will robots take your job? What the experts say

U.S. jobs will be lost to automation—there’s no getting around it. Here’s a look at some telling statistics.

Only 26% of employers think they will lay off workers in favor of digital or robotic replacements, according to recent research from consulting firm Deloitte. And there’s likely to be large political battles waged by labor unions to try and keep certain jobs around.

A labor union representing 50,000 culinary and food service workers in Las Vegas, for example, recently brought up concerns about automation in their most recent round of negotiations, voicing concerns about automation’s potential impact on job numbers, as well as worker safety.

Evidently, humans aren’t willing to let their jobs slip into the hands of robots easily.

The jobs that are in danger

While the numbers from Deloitte may offer a small degree of relief for some workers, not everyone can rest easy. There are some jobs that are in clear danger of being automated.

A total of 210 million jobs in 32 different countries are at risk of being automated over the next 10-20 years, according to research from the OECD.

Workers in developing economies, such as Eastern Europe, are more at risk than U.S. workers. That’s because jobs in the former are generally less advanced and more easily automated than jobs in the latter.

Nevertheless, research also found that of more than 700 different jobs in the U.S., roughly half of them could be automated. As for which jobs are the most at risk, here’s a breakdown:

So, when it comes to the question as to whether or not a robot will take your job? It’ll likely depend on two key factors: What you do, and where you do it.

Want to invest in the future robo-workforce? You can invest in companies working in and around the robotics industry on Stash.

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What is Watson?

The cognitive computing platform, which can read and understand natural language queries and can sort through gigantic sets of data to arrive at relevant answers, has found uses in numerous settings.

Named after Charles J. Watson, one of IBM’s founders, Watson started out as a project involving 25 computer science researchers, starting in 2007. Their goal was to create a machine that could comprehend both the meaning and context of human language.  Today Watson uses the equivalent of 90 servers, capable of holding roughly 1 million books’ worth of data, according to IBM.

Where is Watson?

Healthcare: Watson has been used to help doctors choose the right treatments for cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, and in cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, part of the University of Texas. The latter shelved its use of Watson after it delivered less than optimal results assisting in cancer research in 2013, at the cost of $62 million.

Nevertheless, researchers expressed amazement at Watson’s ability to process and synthesize reams of data from patient histories.

The Mayo Clinic is also using Watson to more accurately match patients to clinical trials.

Call Centers: IBM has rolled out an Ask Watson feature, in testing now, that reportedly lets customers ask open-ended questions, such as how much data they have left on their phone bills, how to diversify a retirement plan or flights between different cities for which mileage points can be used.

U.S. software company Autodesk currently uses Watson for customer support, reportedly compressing the time it took process requests to minutes, from days. Australian bank ANZ has used Watson in call centers since 2013, in its private bank.

Your dinner: Watson has even turned chef, capable of sorting through 10,000 recipes to come up with new creations for dinner–not all of them tasty, according to some reports.

Watson even has its own cookbook, though don’t expect help cleaning up the dishes afterward.

Stock-picking: At least one investment company, called EquBot, uses Watson to pick stocks that it thinks are most likely to increase in value over the next 12 months, based on economic conditions, trends and world events, according to the fund managers.

EquBot says it mines millions of pieces of data from regulatory filings, quarterly results, news articles, even social media pots.

Watson’s got competition

IBM is far from alone in its aspirations to develop thinking, problem-solving computers. Google has an entire division devoted to artificial intelligence, called Google AI. Facebook has a branch called Facebook Reality Lab, focused on virtual reality and other products. Similarly, Microsoft has an AI research division. Customer relationship management software company Salesforce even has its own version of Watson, which it calls Einstein.

Watson may be just the beginning of a revolution in computing that connects humans and machines.

Want to learn more about investing in the world of machine learning technology? Check out these investments and single stocks on Stash.

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Robotics and artificial intelligence are exciting new fields that are currently enabling machines to work alongside people in a variety of manufacturing industries including automotive and electronics production.

Robots and artificial intelligence will drive $15.7 trillion of global economic gains by 2030

Pretty soon, robots and other thinking machines will be helping everywhere, assisting in health care, energy production, even farming.  

Robots, robots, everywhere

A new study from consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) about artificial intelligence predicts the world is on the cusp of enormous change, driven by robots and the next generation of thinking computers. The study forecasts enormous productivity gains for economies across the globe as robots and artificial intelligence enable greater efficiency.

The two countries expected to benefit most from advances in artificial intelligence are the United States and China, also the two largest economies in the world. But emerging markets have an opportunity to ramp up really fast.

Here are some highlights from the report:

Robots and artificial intelligence will drive $15.7 trillion of global economic gains by 2030. Roughly half of these gains will come from increases in productivity. The other half will come from increased consumer demand as products become more specialized and targeted to individual buyers.

While all economies in the world will experience the economic impact from smarter machines, China and the U.S. will experience 70% of the total GDP gains. PWC estimates the U.S. will see economic increases worth $3.7 trillion. China will see nearly twice as much economic gain, valued at $7 trillion.

Emerging market economies, or nations whose economies are still developing, stand to gain the most from robotics and artificial intelligence. Think of it this way: advanced economies like the U.S. already have extremely sophisticated systems in place for manufacturing, production, and delivery of services.

Developing nations have a huge opportunity to become market leaders by adopting artificial intelligence in processes more quickly.

The post Robots and Artificial Intelligence: It’s the Way of the World appeared first on Stash Learn.

There are two kinds of people who invest in Westworld. There’s the Board who sees the park as a business to capitalize on self-discovery getaways for the rich; and the founders who view it as a laboratory to advance the robotic technology of the “hosts.”

Westworld as a Park for Guests

Guests are openly invited to participate in acts of questionable morality against the hosts. But members of the Board, like Charlotte Hale and William, view the park as a place for guests to have a good time and find their true selves. Westworld has the potential to become a new kind of vacation. As a truly immersive experience that tests your principles, it may transform you into a new, and more confident person.

Will this be what makes Westworld profitable for years to come?

There’s a lot of intrigue going on in Westworld, including sabotage of the robots’ code. That makes it a scary park to actually go visit. Some of the more cunning robots are becoming violent towards guests. However, depending on the kind of risk you’re willing to take, this might not bother you as a potential investor.

Westworld for Robot Technology

Another way to view Westworld as a potential investment is if you’re in it for the hosts, like Arnold and Ford. They are investors in the sense that they’ve used their time, intellect, and care to cultivate the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of hosts. As we learned in this last episode, Arnold was developing these hosts with the goal of creating consciousness. Through various tests, Arnold was learning more and more about creating consciousness by building off memories (particularly those that incite grief) and incorporating improvisation. Because of Westworld, Arnold had the opportunity to experiment with robotic consciousness. Would Westworld be a valuable investment opportunity if it furthered innovation in robot technology?

Is some version of “Westworld” a possibility for us?

Westworld in Our Future?

Maybe the reason why “Westworld” is such an entertaining show is because it’s a place that we could potentially see existing in our future. Whether it’s a park where the extremely wealthy can relieve their psychological issues, or a proving ground to develop complex robots, we’re drawn to the show because it could exist.

The roots of the park’s existence are drawn from our current reality. Take the wealthy park goers, for example. The wealth gap continues to widen, cultivating an exclusive group of people with extravagant wealth. Trips to private islands get old motivating ever newer experiences like traveling to space or spending $40,000 day in a place like Westworld doing whatever you desire. Is some version of “Westworld” a possibility for us?

It’s possible we could use something like Westworld to test the ethical nature and conscientious boundaries of robots. We’re already discussing the ethics of using robots in life-or-death situations. We may not be too far from developing robot consciousness, and we’ll need a large, free space (like the desert in Westworld) to do it. The way we see it, Westworld is a venture that has private individual and institutional investors. But perhaps, in real life, it would be a government venture. Or the venture of a tech start-up that belongs to someone like Elon Musk.

“Westworld” offers a valuable lesson when it comes to investing. William chose to invest in the park because he believed, as a young man, in the park’s powerful impact on a guest’s self-discovery. He, and the rest of the board, saw an ability for profit in creating such an alluring environment for paying guests. Arnold invested himself in the park because he thought the long standing impact on robot technology would be an astounding feat, lead to industry growth, and have a profound impact on humanity.

Would you invest in Westworld?

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In simple terms, cloud computing is a way of storing, accessing, and syncing data and software through the internet instead of your local computer hard drive. The ‘cloud’ is actually a global network of servers. To say those servers host massive amounts of data is an understatement.

Through web-based tools and applications, information is accessible anytime from any device with internet access and can be shared with others as you choose. Have a Gmail account? Your web-based email system is in the cloud. Share business documents with colleagues via Dropbox or Google Docs? That’s the cloud.

According to a 2016 study, the big data and business analytics industry is expected to grow 56% and become a $203 billion market by 2020.

Backup your phone’s photos and videos? Stored in the cloud. Netflix? You guessed it – they host their video content on Amazon Web Services, aka the cloud.

The cloud takes shape

The cloud isn’t only about data storage. Cloud-based applications have transformed the way we do business. Remember the days when email chains included twenty different versions of the same document, all at various stages in the editing process? As part of a whole suite of cloud-based applications, Google Docs allows users to collaborate and work simultaneously, showing real-time updates from anywhere in the world.

The cloud isn’t only about data storage. Cloud-based applications have transformed the way we do business.

Businesses that leverage big data use the cloud to capture, organize, and analyze massive data sets, something that was not possible before the cloud. According to a 2016 study, the big data and business analytics industry is expected to grow 56% and become a $203 billion market by 2020. In 2016, the banking industry led the way, investing almost $17 billion in software for risk management and fraud prevention.

Salesforce, Netflix, and Facebook don’t offer cloud services, but they rely on the cloud to provide their service to you

It takes more than just computer software companies to make the cloud possible. Sure, there are the pure play cloud computing companies that offer direct services such as network hardware and software, internet marketing and services, IT support, communications equipment, storage, and peripherals.

But there’s also non-pure players, like Salesforce, Netflix, and Facebook. They don’t offer cloud services, but they rely on the cloud to provide their service to you.

The technology behind cloud computing was first developed in the 1950s, but what we have come to know as ‘the cloud’ didn’t take shape until the turn of the 21st century when Salesforce stopped selling its software on disc and started providing their applications via the web.

If you think the best is yet to come with cloud technology, then consider an investment in an ETF on Stash that’s all about the cloud.

What’s inside On Cloud 9?

This investment (Ticker: SKYY) includes cloud computing companies – both pure play and non-pure play alike. Remember, pure play means the company actively supports and forms the cloud, and non-pure play companies utilize the cloud to provide their service.

• Tech hardware companies like Netapp and Hewlett Packard that create the systems and the equipment
• Software masters like Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe
• Industry giants like Amazon and Apple that provide cloud storage data centers
• Companies like Google that provide industry-leading cloud-based applications
• And yes, even social media giants like Facebook and providers like Netflix who rely on the cloud to enable your binge-watching marathons.

At the time of this post, On Cloud 9 includes 33 companies. On Cloud 9 is ‘The First Trust ISE Cloud Computing Index Fund’ (SKYY) and has a 0.60% expense ratio.

Is the sky the limit?

What’s next in the world of cloud computing? More mobile capabilities, wearable technology, machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence). The Internet of Things (IoT), where machines connect to other machines and sensors, gathering data and leveraging it thanks to cloud computing, will one day revolutionize everything from smart refrigerators to smart stethoscopes to smart roads, bridges, and cars.

The cloud has the potential to touch almost everything we do – and companies of all sizes, including those that are still only an idea, will use the cloud to grow bigger, faster, and more innovative.

If you think that we’re just getting started, consider an investment in On Cloud 9.

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