Ever wonder which AI model is the best at picking stocks? Well, so did the team at MarketBeat. They organized a simple contest in a tongue-in-cheek attempt at finding the answer, and the results may surprise you.
Let's look at the seven leading AI models, what they chose, and how their picks performed.
AI Stock Picking Contest Parameters
Seven popular AI models—ChatGPT, ChatGPT Deep Research, Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, Gemini, Grok, and Perplexity—and 30 humans were asked to submit stock picks under the same rules, providing a broad comparison for the AI choices.
The rules of the contest were simple:
- Choose one stock listed on NYSE, NASDAQ, TSE, or LON only.
- Exclude ETFs, crypto, and mutual funds.
- Avoid duplicate picks (i.e., you cannot pick stocks that other participants have already chosen).
- Select the stock you believe will deliver the greatest percentage gain on a $1,000 investment between the market close on July 21 and the market close on October 21.
1. ChatGPT: SoundHound's 55.7% Gain
ChatGPT, the original AI model that spawned the AI revolution, ranked 7th place overall and was the winner out of the AI models.
What makes ChatGPT different from its peers? It provides more coherent, conversational material and can maintain context over time while adapting to situations.
For the contest, ChatGPT chose SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN), which gained 56% during the time period driven by enthusiasm for real-world AI applications and new commercial partnerships. SoundHound is a leader in voice-actuated AI and speech-to-meaning approach, allowing faster, more accurate translations and conversational interfaces.
2. Claude Sonnet: ASTS Space Mobile's 38.7% Gain
Claude Sonnet, known for its balance of speech and intelligence, reasoning, and coding skills, picked ASTS Space Mobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) and leveraged its position to a nearly 39% gain.
While placing second among AI models, it took 13th place overall.
ASTS Space Mobile is an interesting choice because of its position in the mobile industry and rapidly expanding satellite network. It forecasts near-complete coverage of critical Northern Hemisphere markets within the next two years and a rapid ramp of revenue that began this quarter.
The analyst consensus predicts a quadruple-digit year-over-year revenue gain, with growth accelerating for the subsequent four quarters and sustaining a high triple-digit pace afterwards. Profitability is expected by 2027, and these forecasts are likely to be low.
3. ChatGPT Deep Research: Larimar Therapeutics' 31.9% Gain
ChatGPT Deep Research is a variation of ChatGPT that provides a more extensive and comprehensive answer in the form of a research paper.
This model didn't perform as well as the original, coming in 3rd among AI models and only 16th overall.
It chose Larimar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: LRMR), which was up nearly 32% for the trial period.
Larimar Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharma with catalysts on the horizon, including results from a Phase III study, the launch of new research, and the expected application for BLA and accelerated approvals. The analyst consensus forecasts over 300% upside, indicating strong optimism that the stock price could advance even further.
4. Perplexity: Regencell Biosciences' 12.2% Gain
Perplexity is an AI model known for its search-engine-like answers.
It surfs the web, synthesizing answers from existing material while providing source context.
Coming in 4th among AI and 21st overall, Perplexity picked Regencell Biosciences (NASDAQ: RGC) and got lucky with a 12% gain.
Regencell is trying to commercialize traditional Chinese medicine therapies for ADHD and autism, but it has virtually no market support. The single analyst tracked by MarketBeat rates the stock as a Sell, while institutions own less than 0.5% of the stock with no visible catalysts on the horizon.
5. Gemini: Super Micro Computers' 6.5% Gain
Google’s Gemini, which ranks 5th among AI and 23rd overall, chose Super Micro Computers (NASDAQ: SMCI).
Gemini is known for its multi-modality and integration with Google’s ecosystem.
Super Micro Computers is well-positioned for an AI-driven boom in revenue, but has yet to reveal one. That may come in the upcoming earnings report; until then, this stock has been—and continues to— struggle with market confidence due to last year’s financial issues.
The question now is whether AI demand will be reflected, and it seems likely that it will. The AI powerhouses have announced $100’s of billions in data center projects slated to be built over the next three to five years, and SMCI GPU servers will power many.
6. Claude Opus: Replimune's 34.3% Loss
Claude Opus, known for superior reasoning, multimodality, and context, turned out to be another risk-taking AI model, picking Replimune Group (NASDAQ: REPL) despite the high short-interest and negative trend in analyst sentiment.
Replimune's more than 34% loss places Claude 6th among AI and 3rd to last overall.
Replimune Group focuses on oncolytic therapies to treat cancers. The company does not have a good outlook for approvals, and its latest BLA submission was denied. The application has been resubmitted, but there’s little hope, judging by the market chatter.
Analyst sentiment has soured from Buy to Reduce, and the price target revision trend is leading this market lower.
7. Grok: MoonLake Immunotherapies' 82.9% Loss
Coming in dead last among AI and overall is Grok.
Better known for its personality and edgy tone, Grok utilizes real-time data gleaned from the X platform to help with its answers.
Unfortunately, its stock pick, MoonLake Immunotherapies (NASDAQ: MLTX), shed nearly 83% in price during the period.
MoonLake, which develops immunotherapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, released mixed trial results on Sept. 29 (in the middle of the contest period) that set back its research by an uncertain amount. The market response is a flurry of downgrades and price target reductions that led the stock price into the single-digit dollar range.
The Real Winner: A Human
While AI is good at picking stocks, not all do a good job and at the end of the day, it was a human who picked the ultimate winner: Hut 8 Corp. (NASDAQ: HUT).
Shares of Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing company Hut 8 soared 120.15% during the contest period.
This result underscores a crucial point: while AI can be a powerful tool, it hasn’t yet outpaced human instinct, research, and experience.
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The article "The Best AI for Picking Stocks, Ranked by Performance" first appeared on MarketBeat.
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