With all the buzz surrounding OpenAI and artificial intelligence (AI), many investors want to get in on the action. Unfortunately, Open AI isn’t publicly listed, so you can’t buy stock in OpenAI or its flagship system, ChatGPT. In 2023, CEO Sam Altman said in 2023 that he has no plans to take the company public.(1)
While this might be disappointing, you can still back OpenAI indirectly by investing in its partners like Microsoft, which extended “a multiyear, multibillion dollar investment” in OpenAI back in 2023.(2)
OpenAI was founded in 2015 by a group of mostly computer scientists, with Sam Altman and Elon Musk serving as Chairmen. The startup shot to fame by 2023 with the launch of ChatGPT, a free AI-powered advanced language model that can be used to research, create content, write code, translate and more.
As of 2024, ChatGPT has over 180 million monthly users.(3) and is valued at $80 billion.(4)
In 2019, Microsoft partnered with OpenAI to continue developing ChatGPT, with Microsoft providing resources and cloud support in exchange for access to leading AI technologies. Microsoft’s cumulative investment in OpenAI reportedly sits at $13 billion as of December 2023.(5)
Microsoft owns 49% of OpenAI’s commercial arm. The rest of the company’s ownership is divided up among various other stakeholders.(6)
Though you can’t buy OpenAI stock directly, you can buy shares in companies connected with OpenAI, ChatGPT or other AI technologies:
Several companies and prominent figures are reported to have invested in OpenAI since its early beginnings in 2015, including Amazon, Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston and Microsoft. But as OpenAI is a private company, the exact details are unclear.
Other companies that could benefit from the rise of ChatGPT and related technologies are those building their own AI platforms or partnering with OpenAI to integrate technologies.
Ottawa-based Kinaxis is a market leader in using artificial intelligence to boost efficiency and sharpen decision making in supply chain management. The company has a market capitalization of more than CA$4.15 billion.
IT and business consulting juggernaut CGI Group is also a standout player in the industry, with AI-driven solutions for designing, automating and optimizing business processes. CGI’s market cap is over CA$31 billion.
Microsoft has the largest known stake in OpenAI, having invested $13 billion since 2019. Microsoft is also the exclusive provider of computing power for OpenAI’s research, products and programming interfaces for developers. GPT-3 is licensed exclusively to Microsoft.
In turn, Microsoft has integrated ChatGPT technology into its Bing search engine in the form of Bing Chat as well as its Microsoft 365 Azure cloud and other software applications.
Amazon is thought to have invested in OpenAI in the early days,(7) but the arrangement is unclear.
Today, Amazon is working on several of its own AI projects, including application technologies that directly rival ChatGPT technology. AI projects include its Alexa voice assistant and AI tools and services available through its Amazon Web Services.
NVIDIA’s graphic processing units (GPUs) have become foundational hardware in AI training, including ChatGPT. In fact, Microsoft has said the supercomputer used to build ChatGPT used thousands of NVIDIA GPUs to power it,(8) and rival companies are following suit.
Although they started in the gaming sector, their AI-specific hardware and software platforms, like CUDA, have made them central to the AI boom.
As NVIDIA’s main rival, AMD has positioned itself well in the AI and machine learning hardware space. Like NVIDIA, it produces GPUs that are applicable in AI processing.
Although NVIDIA’s GPUs are the top choice by companies building AI applications, AMD’s competitor chips may prove themselves in the coming years as demand for GPUs increases.
Google’s parent company invests heavily in AI. DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is at the forefront of AI research. Google also utilizes AI in its search algorithms, advertising, Google Assistant, and cloud services.
In early 2023, Google announced the launch of its own AI chatbot, Bard, a direct rival to ChatGPT.
Often referred to as the “Google of China,” Baidu has invested heavily in AI research and applications, including its Apollo autonomous driving platform and DuerOS voice assistant platform.
Baidu launched its own AI chat-style service called Ernie in March 2023—the first Chinese company to release a direct rival to ChatGPT.
Palantir is a data analytics company with platforms such as Palantir Gotham and Palantir Foundry that offer AI-driven solutions. As AI continues to grow and become a more integral part of various industries, Palantir’s stock could increase through the rising demand for such platforms.
OpenAI isn’t publicly traded, so there are no OpenAI exchange-traded fund (ETFs). But you can invest in funds that hold AI-related stocks. There are a number of AI-themed ETFs listed in Canada to choose from, including:
ARTI walks the talk, using Boosted.ai technology to score and identify companies that are likely to benefit highly from AI integration in the future. ARTI invests in these companies, allowing investors to benefit from diverse exposure to the industry.
The fund was launched in March 2024 and has a modest 0.60% management fee.
Like the name suggests, RBOT focuses on companies involved in robotics and AI across a range of global markets and industries. It aims to replicate the performance of the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index.
The fund was launched in 2017 and has a 0.45% management fee.
TEC invests in global mid- and large-capitalization technology companies. As of May 2024, its benchmark index is the Solactive Global Technology Leaders Index. Top holdings include Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon and Google (Alphabet).
The fund was launched in 2019 and has a 0.35% management fee.
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