AI could be the 21st century's biggest new industry. Long a focal point of science fiction, AI is no longer a curious theme to ponder for the distant future -- it's here. The best artificial intelligence stocks to buy already use processes like machine learning and neural networks on a daily basis. In fact, if you took away AI capabilities from the following companies, their profitability would instantly plummet -- and five of them are trillion-dollar businesses, underscoring the new technology's importance to 2021's economy. The growth of artificial intelligence is also enviable.

The technology sector is in an interesting place today. On the one hand, technology has historically tended to be cyclical, with technology demand fluctuating with GDP growth. On the other hand, technology is achieving more extraordinary feats by the day, and is helping to solve a lot of the problems caused by coronavirus. That may actually lead to a surge in demand for some tech products and services due to the stay-at-home economy. These cross-currents came into focus in the first quarter earnings release of technology bell-weather Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM).

The technology sector is in an interesting place today. On the one hand, technology has historically tended to be cyclical, with technology demand fluctuating with GDP growth. On the other hand, technology is achieving more extraordinary feats by the day, and is helping to solve a lot of the problems caused by coronavirus. That may actually lead to a surge in demand for some tech products and services due to the stay-at-home economy. These cross-currents came into focus in the first quarter earnings release of technology bell-weather Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM).