AI investors and high-income earners are especially focused on valuation, while Gen Z and middle-income earners place greater emphasis on data security.
Americans take a long-term approach to AI stock investing
American adults, particularly those already invested in AI stocks, see the technology as a lasting market force rather than a short-lived trend. Most plan to hold or increase their positions in the next year, and confidence is strongest among younger, tech-savvy, and higher-earning investors.
“The question is whether you're positioned to benefit from the applications already being built. For investors willing to weather near-term volatility, the AI transformation represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to participate in technology that's restructuring how the world works,” Riccio said.
Investors who were ahead of the curve and took a long-term approach to AI investing might have already come out ahead. AI stocks that scored highest in The Motley Fool’s Moneyball database have outperformed the market over the past five years, and individual investors surveyed by The Motley Fool appear to be aligning behind that bullish sentiment. That signals that the faith in AI stocks isn’t just hype but a calculated, long-term play.
As for which parts of the market will see the biggest boost from AI, Sharma offered a few thoughts.
“For the biggest opportunities, look to smaller semiconductor and data center ecosystem players, such as data interconnect specialists, high-bandwidth memory providers, and cutting-edge data storage designers. The 'best of breed' in these categories will likely outpace the market in the next three to five years,” he said.
“We also foresee an influx of privately held AI companies coming to the public markets for capital in the near future,” Sharma added. “A few vertical markets, healthcare in particular, could also be poised to reap the benefits of significant investments in generative AI and machine learning over the intermediate term.”
Methodology
The Motley Fool surveyed 2,600 American adults via Pollfish between Nov. 3 and Nov. 18, 2025. Results were post-stratified to generate nationally representative data based on age and gender. Pollfish employs organic random device engagement sampling, a method that recruits survey respondents through a randomized invitation process across various digital platforms. This technique helps to minimize selection bias and ensure a diverse participant pool.
Motley Fool Moneyball is a proprietary AI-powered investment tool that analyzes and scores thousands of public companies across a variety of key categories, such as financial performance, product market position, technological capabilities, leadership quality, and relative valuation. Returns for this article were measured from the public companies with the 10 highest Moneyball AI scores on Nov. 24, 2025. Motley Fool Moneyball-scored stock returns versus the S&P 500 are from Nov. 23, 2020, to Nov. 23, 2025.
