Services activity in the United States is currently the strongest it has been in 20 months, which highlights how much of daily life is shifting toward digital and data driven experiences. That dependence on software and cloud infrastructure keeps artificial intelligence and ChatGPT linked tools in sharp focus for investors hunting for growth themes. This article walks through 3 AI stocks from the screener that help turn that theme into a practical watchlist.

The three stocks below are just a starting sample, while the full AI screen surfaced another 676 companies with stories that are not covered here but may be just as compelling for an AI focused watchlist.

To identify and analyze the opportunities that best fit your view on the ChatGPT and AI trend, head straight into the Artificial Intelligence/ AI Stocks screener.

Baidu (BIDU)

Baidu is best known for its search and online content services in China, but its ERNIE Bot large language model and Baidu AI Cloud platform are the clearest links to the ChatGPT and AI theme, powering conversational assistants and LLM hosting for both consumers and enterprises. The company generates its CN¥127.3b in revenue entirely from the Chinese market, across its Baidu General Business and iQIYI entertainment segments, so AI remains one important growth pillar rather than the whole story. With a market cap of about US$31.2b, Baidu sits in the large cap bracket of the AI universe.

Investors looking at Baidu today are really weighing two stories at once. On one side sits ERNIE Bot, fast growing AI Cloud infrastructure and Apollo Go robotaxis. Recent data points like 50% growth in AI Cloud Infra and a very large jump in GPU Cloud revenue hint at how central Baidu could become in China’s AI stack. On the other side, its core online advertising business has recently fallen around 18% to 19% year on year and heavy AI investment is pressuring margins, which has led to analyst downgrades this week. If Baidu can turn ERNIE and AI Cloud usage into durable, higher margin revenue while stabilising ads, the stock could look very different to investors who only focus on today’s earnings headlines.

Baidu’s AI story may be bigger than this week’s headlines suggest. Before deciding how ERNIE, AI Cloud and ads really fit together for you, scan the analyst forecasts for Baidu and see what the market might be missing.

Build your own AI shortlist around Baidu style growth themes

Baidu and the two other AI stocks in this list all came from a single screen, but the real edge is creating filters that fit how you invest. Use our flexible Screener to mix metrics like valuation, future growth, balance sheet strength and risks into your own watchlist, or take a shortcut with our curated Investing Ideas.

Cerebras Systems (CBRS)

Cerebras Systems is an AI infrastructure company that builds wafer scale chips and rack based CS systems specifically for training and running large language models and other generative AI workloads. All of its US$680.7 million in revenue comes from semiconductors, with customers ranging from hyperscalers and foundation model labs to enterprises across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The stock has a market cap of about US$49.9 billion, which puts Cerebras among the larger pure play AI hardware companies.

Investors watching the AI hardware race should have Cerebras Systems on their radar. Its wafer scale engine and CS platforms are built directly for large language models and agent style inference, and the company is already tied into high profile partners across hyperscalers and foundation model providers. At the same time, Cerebras is still unprofitable and funds its liabilities through higher risk external borrowing. Recent insider selling and sharp share price swings underline how sentiment can turn quickly. For investors who can handle that volatility, there is much more to unpack in its backlog, cloud shift and valuation story than headlines alone reveal.

Cerebras Systems is building AI hardware that some investors may still be underestimating. To understand how its growth potential compares with factors such as unprofitability, external funding and insider selling, start with the 3 key rewards and 2 important warning signs (1 is major!)

Oracle (ORCL)

Oracle is a global enterprise software and infrastructure company best known for its databases, cloud applications and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, where hosted large language models, Oracle Digital Assistant and AI services anchor its link to the ChatGPT and AI theme. The bulk of its revenue, about US$58.5b, comes from cloud and software, with smaller contributions from services at roughly US$5.7b and hardware at about US$3.1b. Oracle has a market cap of around US$409.2b, which puts it among the largest AI exposed software and cloud providers.

Investors watching the AI story may want Oracle on their radar because OCI and the AI infused Oracle Database are being used for some of the largest LLM and inference workloads in the market, from OpenAI superclusters to defense and healthcare contracts. At the same time, this AI push relies on heavy data center and GPU spending, high leverage and pressure on free cash flow, which credit markets have been tracking closely through 2026. The combination of a large AI contract backlog, embedded AI agents across Fusion and NetSuite, and multi cloud deals with providers like AWS and Google creates a very different earnings picture if Oracle can keep turning demand into usable capacity without stretching its balance sheet too far.

Oracle’s AI growth story is accelerating, and the real twist is how its debt load and data center buildout interact with that opportunity. Read the Oracle financial health report for the piece most investors may be missing

Seeking Fresh Alternatives Beyond AI?

Markets move fast and early AI enthusiasm can spread to the next breakout themes while many investors stay focused on yesterday’s momentum. Scan fresh ideas before the crowd and consider your options.

• Spot income opportunities that many overlook by reviewing a curated mix of higher yield companies inside the 12 dividend fortresses.
• Focus on financially stronger businesses by checking the carefully filtered list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (50 results) that highlights resilient balance sheets and consistent fundamentals.
• Explore the next materials swing by scanning the tightly selected 9 top copper producer stocks tied to long term demand for electrification and infrastructure build outs.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.