Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the excitement around their potential drove the stock prices of some of the biggest companies in the world higher in 2024. But not every AI innovator was a big winner.

From acronyms like FANG, then FAANG, to the "Magnificent Seven," investors created ways to group the biggest and fastest growth technology names. While many tech companies should continue to show strong growth in revenue and earnings,

Artificial intelligence continued to be a driving force behind stock market returns in 2024. Here are some of the stocks that have benefited the most.

The U.S. stock market ended 2024 on a high note, with the benchmark S&P 500 index up by 23.3%. That came on the heels of its 24.2% rise in 2023, so overall, the S&P was up by 53.2% since 2022 -- one of its best two-year stretches of the 21st century.

But as we've witnessed from previous next-big-thing technologies, not all stocks are necessarily going to be winners. As we steam ahead into 2025 and the practical application of this game-changing technology comes into full focus, two unstoppable AI stocks stand out as no-brainer buys, while another highflier is worth avoiding.

Rather than focusing on quarterly earnings beats or temporary market sentiment, my investment strategy centers on identifying companies that can compound value over many years or even decades. While many view the current AI boom skeptically,

Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $885,388!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an