Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has garnered widespread attention from users and investors after the viral rollout of the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT. To give you an idea of how successful the launch has been, ChatGPT is now the fastest consumer app to reach 100 million active users – taking just two months to reach the milestone. As a result of the meteoric rise to popularity, privately held ChatGPT creator OpenAI has secured more than $10 billion in investments from Microsoft. Companies like Amazonhave been using AI under the hood for years. For example, Amazon leverages AI on its back end to increase sales on its e-commerce platform (if you add a table to your shopping cart, it will suggest chairs).

The metaverse is a shared virtual 3D world or worlds, which are interactive and collaborative. It encompasses a range of technologies in the field of collaborative spatial computing. The technologies include interactive 3D graphics, augmented reality ("AR"), virtual reality ("VR"), online economies, multi-user gaming and more. Once viewed as science fiction, the metaverse is now viewed as the future of gaming, entertainment, brands, e-commerce and enterprises. Any device capable of rendering an immersive 3-dimensional experience (including a PC or even an iPhone) is considered to be metaverse capable.

In this episode of ETF Spotlight, I speak with Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook, about investing in advanced technologies, which are bringing science fiction to our offices, homes, cars, and portfolios. London-based research company DeepMind, which was acquired by Alphabet parent Google GOOGL in 2014, has developed an AI system that can predict the 3D shape of all known proteins with almost perfect accuracy. This is a huge development for life sciences and medicine. Exponential advancements in AI have changed the nature of computing, making Moore's law irrelevant. Per WSJ, Huang's law named for Nvidia's NVDA CEO, is in full effect now.

Machine learning ("ML") has been gaining precedence over the past few years as organizations are rapidly implementing ML solutions to increase efficiency by delivering more accurate results as well as providing a better customer experience. Notably, when it comes to automation, ML has become a driving force as it involves training the Artificial Intelligence ("AI") to learn a task and carry it out efficiently, minimizing the need for human intervention. In any case, ML was already witnessing rapid adoption and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year helped in accelerating that demand, as organizations began to rely heavily on automation to carry out their operations. Markedly, ML is gradually becoming an integral part across various sectors as the trend of digitization is picking up. Notably, ML is finding application in the finance sector as among other usages, it helps in better fraud detection and enabling automated trading for investors.

For investors looking for momentum, Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF BOTZ is probably a suitable pick. The fund just hit a 52-week high and is up 99.4% from its 52-week low price of $18.49/share. Let's take a look at the fund and its near-term outlook to gain an insight into where it might be headed: This ETF seeks to invest in companies that potentially stand to benefit from increased adoption and utilization of robotics and AI, including those involved with industrial robotics and automation, non-industrial robots, and autonomous vehicles. It has AUM of $2.60 billion and charges 68 basis points (bps) in annual fees. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the robotics market is flooded with opportunities as robots are being used for jobs such as sanitizing hospitals, homes and workplaces along with monitoring, surveying, handling, and delivering food and medicines.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given employers ample reasons to look for ways to substitute man with machine. The shift in trend toward automation has accelerated in the past year. Businesses were suffering huge losses due to the lockdowns, leading to decline in productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools that were perceived to give a competitive edge or a'nice-to-have' technology prior to 2020 became essential for several companies across the globe to stay afloat. All the more, AI has been deployed by several organizations during the pandemic to provide information to the public, when physical interactions were a complete no-no.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given employers ample reasons to look for ways to substitute man with machine. The shift in trend toward automation has accelerated in the past year. Businesses were suffering huge losses due to the lockdowns, leading to decline in productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools that were perceived to give a competitive edge or a'nice-to-have' technology prior to 2020 became essential for several companies across the globe to stay afloat. All the more, AI has been deployed by several organizations during the pandemic to provide information to the public, when physical interactions were a complete no-no.

For investors looking for momentum, First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF ROBT is probably a suitable pick. The fund just hit a 52-week high and is up 96.8% from its 52-week low price of $22.51/share. Let's take a look at the fund and its near-term outlook to gain an insight into where it might be headed: This ETF seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield, before the fees and expenses of the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Index. It has AUM of $137.5 million and charges 65 basis points in annual fees. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the robotics market is flooded with opportunities as robots are being used for jobs such as sanitizing hospitals, homes and workplaces along with monitoring, surveying, handling, and delivering food and medicines.

International Business Machines Corporation IBM recently announced that it will be leveraging its artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities of Watson as well as open hybrid cloud architecture, to provide tennis fans with enriched experiences. United States Tennis Association ("USTA") is conducting this year's US Open without fans present at the stadium due to the coronavirus outbreak. Markedly, the US Open 2020 will be held from Aug 31 to Sep 13. Nevertheless, USTA, with IBM's help, will provide fans with an interactive and engaging digital experience to enjoy the tournament. IBM has been USTA's technology partner for almost three decades.

For investors looking for momentum, iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF IRBO is probably a suitable pick. The fund just hit a 52-week high and is up 71.9% from its 52-week low price of $19.10/share. Let's take a look at the fund and its near-term outlook to gain an insight into where it might be headed: This ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of developed and emerging market companies that could benefit from the long-term growth and innovation in robotics technologies and AI. It has AUM of $176.1 million and charges 47 basis points (bps) in annual fees. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the robotics market is flooded with opportunities as robots are being used for jobs such as sanitizing hospitals, homes and workplaces along with monitoring, surveying, handling, and delivering food and medicines.