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6 of the Best AI ETFs to Buy for 2026

Money Brief / ETF Watch

6 of the Best AI ETFs to Buy for 2026

Artificial intelligence has moved from a speculative theme to one of the defining forces in public markets, but AI ETFs vary widely by cost, holdings, volatility and exposure type.

Published: June 2026
Category: Money Brief
Topic: AI ETFs
Editorial note: This article is for general education only. It is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. ETF holdings, fees, assets, performance data and risk metrics can change. Always verify current fund data before making an investment decision.

Quick Take

Artificial intelligence has moved from a speculative theme to one of the defining forces in public markets. AI-linked ETFs have attracted heavy investor attention as capital spending on chips, cloud infrastructure, data centers, robotics and enterprise software continues to reshape the technology sector.

The enthusiasm is visible in fund assets: Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF holds about $10.63 billion, Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF holds about $3.40 billion, and iShares Future AI & Tech ETF holds about $3.81 billion, all as of June 24, 2026.[1]

Performance has been strong but uneven. Some AI-focused funds have delivered very large gains over the past year, while others have lagged due to heavier robotics, industrials or international exposure. For example, ARTY showed a one-year return of 86.46% on BestETF data, while THNQ showed 60.64%; AIQ’s official March 31, 2026 data showed a one-year NAV return of 27.47%, and BOTZ showed 15.46%.[2]

The opportunity is compelling, but the risks are not trivial. AI ETFs often carry higher expense ratios, elevated valuation multiples, heavy semiconductor exposure, and above-market volatility. AIQ, for instance, had a beta of 1.69 versus the S&P 500, while BOTZ had a beta of 1.62, according to Global X risk data.[1]

Not all AI funds are created equal: some are broad technology portfolios with AI exposure, while others are concentrated bets on robotics, generative AI, semiconductors or active manager selection.

AI ETF Comparison

ETF / Stock Name (Ticker)Expense Ratio / Key Metric
Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ)0.68%; $10.63B net assets
iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY)0.47%; $3.81B net assets
Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ)0.68%; $3.40B net assets
Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF (CHAT)0.75%; active generative AI strategy
ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence ETF (THNQ)0.68%; 58 holdings
iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (IRBO)0.47%; 123 holdings
Table of Contents
  1. Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ)
  2. iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY)
  3. Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ)
  4. Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF (CHAT)
  5. ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence ETF (THNQ)
  6. iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (IRBO)
  7. Bottom Line
  8. Sources

Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ)

Expert Insights

“The strongest AI portfolios are not just about owning the most obvious chip winner,” as one thematic ETF strategist might put it. “They should capture the broader AI stack: semiconductors, data infrastructure, software, cloud and applied automation.”

Investment Methodology

AIQ tracks the Indxx Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Index, targeting companies that may benefit from the development and use of AI technology, as well as hardware providers enabling big-data analysis. That makes AIQ one of the more diversified “full ecosystem” AI ETFs rather than a narrow robotics or semiconductor-only product.[1]

Portfolio Characteristics

AIQ is heavily tilted toward technology, with 79.4% in information technology, followed by communication services at 7.9% and consumer discretionary at 7.3%. Top holdings recently included SK Hynix, Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, Cisco, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Apple, Broadcom and Nvidia.[1]

Cost & Risk Metrics

The fund’s 0.68% expense ratio is above plain-vanilla index ETF costs but typical for thematic strategies. AIQ’s portfolio traded at a 2026 P/E of 24.86, with a 20.20% standard deviation and 1.69 beta versus the S&P 500, underscoring that this is a growth-oriented, higher-volatility holding.[1]

iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY)

Expert Insights

“For many investors, the most important question is whether the fund owns the entire AI value chain or just the headline names,” a BlackRock-style index strategist might say. “A rules-based global index can help reduce single-stock narrative risk.”

Investment Methodology

ARTY tracks the Morningstar Global Artificial Intelligence Select Index, giving exposure to companies contributing to AI technologies across software, infrastructure and services. Its index-based structure makes it more transparent than actively managed AI ETFs.[3]

Portfolio Characteristics

ARTY had 49 holdings as of June 24, 2026. The fund was dominated by information technology at 87.37%, with smaller allocations to industrials, communication services, utilities, real estate and health care. Geographically, it was led by the U.S. at 65.81%, followed by Taiwan at 16.98% and South Korea at 6.58%.[3]

Cost & Risk Metrics

ARTY’s 0.47% expense ratio is one of the more competitive fees in the AI ETF category. The trade-off is volatility: iShares listed a 30.94% three-year standard deviation, 1.89 three-year equity beta, 42.34 P/E ratio and 6.89 price-to-book ratio, making this a high-growth, high-multiple strategy.[3]

Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ)

Expert Insights

“AI does not stop at software,” a robotics-sector research director might argue. “The next phase is AI entering the physical economy through automation, factory systems, surgical robotics and autonomous machines.”

Investment Methodology

BOTZ tracks the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index. It invests in companies positioned to benefit from increased adoption of robotics and AI, including industrial robotics, automation, non-industrial robots and autonomous vehicles.[4]

Portfolio Characteristics

BOTZ is more industrial and international than many AI ETFs. Sector exposure was 45.4% industrials, 35.0% information technology and 8.6% health care. Top holdings included ABB, Keyence, Fanuc, Nvidia, Intuitive Surgical, SMC, Shenzhen Inovance Technology, Daifuku and Yaskawa Electric.[4]

Cost & Risk Metrics

BOTZ charges 0.68% and had $3.40 billion in net assets as of June 24, 2026. Its 2026 P/E ratio was 29.50, with a 22.40% standard deviation and 1.62 beta versus the S&P 500. The main risk is that BOTZ is not a pure generative AI fund; it is a robotics and automation fund, which can behave differently from software- or chip-heavy AI portfolios.[4]

Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF (CHAT)

Expert Insights

“Generative AI is not just another software upgrade,” a growth-technology portfolio manager might say. “It changes how enterprises create content, write code, analyze data and automate workflows.”

Investment Methodology

CHAT is an actively managed ETF focused on companies developing generative AI and related technologies. That active structure gives the manager flexibility to shift exposure as the AI market changes, but it also creates manager-selection risk and possible style drift. Roundhill describes CHAT as the world’s first generative AI ETF.[5]

Portfolio Characteristics

CHAT’s holdings have recently included major AI infrastructure and platform companies. BestETF listed top holdings including Nvidia, SK Hynix, Alphabet, Broadcom, AMD, Micron, Nebius, Samsung Electronics, Astera Labs, Arm, CoreWeave, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and ASML.[6]

Cost & Risk Metrics

CHAT’s 0.75% expense ratio is the highest on this list, reflecting the active approach. The strategy may appeal to investors seeking a focused generative AI portfolio, but its risks include concentration in high-multiple technology stocks, active-management underperformance and sharper drawdowns if AI capital spending slows. Roundhill listed CHAT’s launch date as May 18, 2023 and its management style as active.[5]

ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence ETF (THNQ)

Expert Insights

“A useful AI portfolio should include both the companies building AI and the companies commercializing it,” a thematic-index specialist might say. “The challenge is avoiding overconcentration in yesterday’s winners.”

Investment Methodology

THNQ tracks the ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence Index, investing in companies tied to the global AI ecosystem. The fund is rules-based rather than discretionary, but it is also non-diversified, which can increase portfolio risk.[7]

Portfolio Characteristics

THNQ had 58 assets on BestETF data, with top holdings including Nebius Group, Astera Labs, Advanced Micro Devices, MediaTek, Credo Technology, Infineon Technologies and Datadog. Country exposure was led by the U.S. at 73.28%, followed by Taiwan at 9.28%, the Netherlands at 5.01%, China at 4.65% and Germany at 2.43%.[8]

Cost & Risk Metrics

THNQ charges 0.68% and had about $439.9 million in AUM. It also carried a 1.63 beta, 44.15 P/E ratio and 7.53 price-to-book ratio, according to BestETF. Those figures make clear that THNQ is a high-growth thematic fund, not a defensive technology allocation.[8]

iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (IRBO)

Expert Insights

“Equal-weighted thematic portfolios can be useful when investors do not want the biggest mega-cap names to dominate every outcome,” an ETF portfolio analyst might say. “But they also introduce more mid-cap and smaller-company volatility.”

Investment Methodology

IRBO tracks an equal-weighted index of global equities involved in robotics and artificial intelligence. That makes it structurally different from market-cap-weighted AI funds, because it spreads exposure more evenly across a broader set of companies.[9]

Portfolio Characteristics

IRBO had 123 holdings and about $582.95 million in assets under management, according to MarketBeat. Its top holdings recently included Micron Technology, SK Hynix and CoreWeave, while the top 25 holdings represented 77.50% of the fund.[10]

Cost & Risk Metrics

IRBO’s 0.47% expense ratio is competitive for a thematic ETF. Its key risk is that equal weighting can increase exposure to less mature or more volatile companies, while the global mandate introduces currency, regional and liquidity considerations. MarketBeat listed IRBO’s benchmark as the NYSE FactSet Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Index.[9]

Bottom Line

AI ETFs remain one of the most compelling thematic corners of the ETF market, but the category is far from uniform. AIQ offers broad AI ecosystem exposure, ARTY combines lower fees with a rules-based global AI index, BOTZ targets robotics and automation, CHAT focuses on generative AI through active management, THNQ provides a concentrated global AI portfolio, and IRBO uses a broader equal-weighted robotics and AI approach.

The main investor question is not simply “Which AI ETF is best?” but which version of AI exposure is being purchased: chips, cloud, software, robotics, infrastructure, international automation or active generative AI stock selection.

This is general information only and not financial advice. For personal guidance, please talk to a licensed professional.

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Sources


  1. Global X ETFs: Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ)

  2. BestETF: ARTY ETF — Expense Ratio, Performance, Holdings & Dividends

  3. iShares: Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY)

  4. Global X ETFs: Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ)

  5. Roundhill Investments: Generative AI & Technology ETF (CHAT)

  6. BestETF: CHAT Holdings

  7. ROBO Global ETFs: THNQ Summary

  8. BestETF: THNQ ETF — Expense Ratio, Performance, Holdings & Dividends

  9. MarketBeat: iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF Price, Holdings & News

  10. MarketBeat: IRBO Top Holdings List & Exposure

This article is for general education only and should not be treated as financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. ETF holdings, fees, AUM, valuation metrics, performance data and risk measures can change. Always verify current information before making financial decisions.

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