We often see posts on Social Media by individuals who claim to have invented a Bot that can trade. Almost always the poster declines to mention specifics of the algorithm they have implemented, resorting to using vague and emotive terms such as "Artificial Intelligence" or "Machine Learning". Frequently they'll also post claims of profits, but these are what we call "unaudited financial results" . In other words, we have to take the poster's word of their trading Bot's skill. But how seriously should we consider this threat?

I grew up in Western New York, and studied Math & Computer Science at University in the early 1980s. After my time as an undergraduate I took a variety of programming jobs available in the local area. I started my career coding payroll applications, which was well paying but dull work. I later took a job with DARPA, programming avionics for military aircraft. After a few years I moved to AT&T Bell Labs in Homdel, New Jersey, where I programmed Expert Systems.

It is a brand new year and analysts are scrambling to promote their top picks. EquBot, an exchange traded fund manager, is out with its list for 2022 with a twist: the stock picker is not human. Artificial intelligence is the driving force at its AI Powered Equity ETF (AIEQ). If its algorithms are correct, 2022 will be another great year for the biggest companies with strong momentum. As with all top pick lists, investors should tread carefully.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (see: robots) are slowly seeping into every industry in the market, from manufacturing to health care to agriculture by way of tomato picking. A.I. has even taken hold in the world of investing, with Morgan Stanley using deep learning to test and fine tune its analysts' investment strategies. "It's powered by IBM Watson, " EquBot co-founder and chief operating officer Art Amador tells CNBC's "ETF Edge." "The idea is to recognize patterns across management teams, across financial statements, across news [and] things like social media, to identify trends that are occurring in the marketplace and to capture the companies that are going to appreciate the most over the next six to 12 months," he said. The function is similar to what Morgan Stanley is using to bolster its analysts' calls. The machine behind the ETF reads through over 1 million pieces of data per day including SEC filings, earnings reports, news stories and social media posts to determine which stocks it thinks are heading higher, Amador said.

Artificial intelligence has myriad applications and that includes some in the investment world. Some exchange traded funds are even backed by AI capabilities. The AI Powered Equity ETF (NYSE: AIEQ) is one of the original AI-powered ETFs. "The underlying fund investments in AIEQ are based on the results of proprietary quantitative models developed by Equbot with IBM Watson artificial intelligence," according to the issuer. Investment strategies rooted in technology, machine learning and related fare aren't new concepts, but simply leaving things to computers doesn't ensure guaranteed success in all market environments.

Is artificial intelligence the next hot thing in ETFs? One big-name investor seems to think so. On Friday, ETF Managers Group filed for the Rogers AI Global Macro ETF (BIKR), blending two popular elements in finance--Jim Rogers and artificial intelligence. BIKR will track an index of single-country ETFs that was developed by Ocean Capital Advisors, a company headed by Rogers, the famous commodity investor and author of several best-selling books on the topic. Rogers' Ocean Capital will also act as the sponsor of BIKR.

EquBot, the company behind the AI Powered Equity ETF AIEQ, 0.04% that runs on the Watson platform, is taking its artificial intelligence capabilities international with a new exchange traded fund. The AI Powered International Equity ETF AIIQ, -0.16% debuted Wednesday. AIIQ is actively managed and holds ex-U.S. developed markets stocks. EquBot launched the AI Powered Equity ETF in October. The product has gotten off to impressive start, as highlighted by its $137.63 million in assets under management.

EquBot, the company behind the AI Powered Equity ETF (NYSE: AIEQ) that runs on the Watson platform, is taking its artificial intelligence capabilities international with a new exchange traded fund. The AI Powered International Equity ETF (NYSE: AIIQ) debuted Wednesday. AIIQ is actively managed and holds ex-U.S. developed markets stocks. EquBot launched the AI Powered Equity ETF in October. The product has gotten off to impressive start, as highlighted by its $137.63 million in assets under management.

The artificial intelligence ETF is going global. The AI Powered International Equity ETF, ticker AIIQ, debuted Wednesday, according to a statement from its creator, EquBot. The exchange-traded fund is the first to use AI technology to pick stocks from developed markets outside of the U.S. It arrives about eight months after San Francisco-based EquBot's first product, the AI Powered Equity ETF, ticker AIEQ, which has gathered almost $140 million in assets. The same software that underpins AIEQ's stock selection system and runs on International Business Machines Corp.'s Watson platform will drive AIIQ. The ETF will create a portfolio of between 80 and 250 stocks -- choosing from more than 15,000 companies across the globe.

AI Powered Equity ETF (ticker: AIEQ) is an actively managed fund, but the stocks are selected by IBM's Watson using algorithms developed by EquBot. The San Francisco firm's co-founders, Chida Khatua and Art Amador, joined Bloomberg's Scarlet Fu to discuss how the ETF is structured, AIEQ's performance and the limits of AI-investing.