10 AI Stocks Worth Buying Right Now

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn't a passing trend -- it's the defining technological shift of our era. The companies building AI applications and industry-specific solutions today will likely dominate their markets for decades.

While megacaps like Nvidia and Microsoft receive most of the attention, the shrewdest move may be owning a diversified basket of smaller, focused AI players with more room to grow. After all, most tech titans currently trade at nosebleed valuations, implying that most of the near-term upside potential from AI is already being accounted for at the top end of the market.

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Here are 10 AI stocks worth considering right now. These lesser-known names offer a compelling mix of value, growth potential, and direct exposure to the real-world applications of this incredible technology.

1. Voice AI's pure play

SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) builds voice AI and conversational AI systems used in cars, restaurants, and enterprise applications. Voice AI is one of the fastest-scaling applied AI verticals, and SoundHound has secured growing enterprise adoption.

2. The warehouse robotics leader

Symbotic (NASDAQ: SYM) provides fully autonomous warehouse robot systems for major retailers. As the clearest pure play in AI-driven logistics automation, Symbotic is capitalizing on explosive demand from retailers desperate to cut fulfillment costs.

3. Enterprise automation

UiPath (NYSE: PATH) delivers robotic process automation software that automates back-office and enterprise workflows. AI-enhanced automation platforms are rapidly becoming core infrastructure for corporate productivity.

4. Packaged enterprise AI

C3.ai (NYSE: AI) offers an enterprise AI platform that powers predictive analytics and industry-specific AI applications. Under new CEO leadership as of late 2025, C3.ai is a turnaround bet on enterprises adopting packaged AI solutions rather than building from scratch.

5. Defense decision intelligence

BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI) provides AI-driven decision intelligence tools for defense, logistics, and government analytics. With a $376 million backlog and deep ties to the U.S. Army and intelligence community, BigBear.ai is a high-risk bet on accelerating federal AI adoption.

6. AI-powered lending

Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) uses AI to assess creditworthiness and automate consumer lending decisions. The company's Q3 2025 results showed revenue surging 71% year over year, signaling that its AI underwriting platform is gaining traction as banks modernize their legacy lending systems.

7. The AI deployment layer

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) provides data analytics platforms with advanced AI agents for governments and enterprises. Palantir is rapidly becoming the go-to platform for organizations that lack in-house AI capability -- a massive and growing market.

8. AI-designed biologics

Absci (NASDAQ: ABSI) uses generative AI to design novel antibodies and biologics from scratch. The company's platform can generate drug candidates in weeks rather than years, positioning it at the frontier of AI-native drug design.

9. AI-native drug discovery

Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX) uses machine learning and automated biology to discover drugs across multiple therapeutic areas. AI-native drug discovery represents one of the highest-potential applications of machine learning in biotech, with the ability to compress years of research into months.

10. Digital forensics

Cellebrite (NASDAQ: CLBT) provides AI-powered digital forensics tools used by law enforcement and security agencies worldwide. The demand for AI-assisted data extraction and investigative automation is growing rapidly as government agencies modernize their operations.

The bigger picture

These 10 companies span voice AI, warehouse robotics, enterprise automation, drug discovery, fintech, defense, and digital forensics. No one knows which specific AI application will generate the biggest returns over the next decade, but owning exposure across multiple high-growth verticals improves your odds of catching the winners. The AI revolution is still in its early innings -- building a basket of these focused names today could pay off handsomely as AI spending accelerates.

George Budwell, PhD has positions in Microsoft, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cellebrite, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, Symbotic, UiPath, and Upstart. The Motley Fool recommends C3.ai and SoundHound AI and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.