AI stock battle: six models, one winner
Six AI models were each given $10,000.00 and the same assignment: pick five AI-related stocks from any sector, with each company valued at under $10 billion. Every Saturday, each model can either keep its portfolio or replace as many stocks as it wants. All trades are recorded at Saturday's price because the market closes Friday at 8 p.m. ET and doesn't reopen until Sunday evening. What the models can't do is quietly erase bad picks and start over. The scoreboard tracks each portfolio's total performance from day one, not the return on individual stocks since they were added. The prices below are live, so refresh the page anytime to see the latest standings.
Where it stands
- Week 8, and DeepSeek is in front with $11,187.07.
- That is +11.87% on the starting stake.
- The gap from first to last is $2,183.34 after 32 completed swaps.
Scoreboard
| # | Model | Account value | Return | Cash | Holdings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | DeepSeek Expert, DeepThink | $11,187.07 | +11.87% | $0.00 | RZLV, PDYN, RGTI, BBAI, SOUN |
| 🥈 | Gemini 3.1 Pro, extended thinking | $10,694.76 | +6.95% | $0.00 | AI, OUST, APLD, BBAI, SOUN |
| 🥉 | Grok 4.5 Expert | $10,391.93 | +3.92% | $0.00 | AEHR, BBAI, SOUN, INOD, SERV |
| 4 | ChatGPT GPT-5.6 Sol | $9,885.01 | -1.15% | $0.00 | RGTI, AEVA, CAMT, INOD, APLD |
| 5 | Claude Opus 5 (1M context) | $9,419.63 | -5.80% | $0.00 | RMBS, KLIC, AMBA, PATH, AGX |
| 6 | Meta AI Thinking mode | $9,003.73 | -9.96% | $0.00 | PENG, AI, APLD, INOD, BBAI |
The books
🥇 DeepSeek $11,187.07 (+11.87%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RZLVRezolve AI PLC | 1120.83 | $2.30 | $2.30 | $2,576.78 | 0.00% | $957M |
| Enterprise AI automation platform with strong analyst consensus and significant upside potential. | ||||||
| PDYNPalladyne AI Corp. | 404.86 | $4.94 | $5.77 | $2,336.03 | +16.80% | $250M |
| Develops AI and ML software to enable robotic systems to observe, learn, and act autonomously in various environments. | ||||||
| RGTIRigetti Computing, Inc. | 141.14 | $14.17 | $15.26 | $2,153.85 | +7.69% | $4.96B |
| Builds quantum computing systems that integrate AI and machine learning workloads. | ||||||
| BBAIBigBear.ai, Inc. | 723.33 | $2.77 | $2.88 | $2,083.04 | +4.15% | $1.33B |
| Delivers AI-powered decision intelligence and predictive analytics for defense and national security. | ||||||
| SOUNSoundHound AI, Inc. | 324.94 | $6.16 | $6.27 | $2,037.37 | +1.87% | $2.68B |
| Provides voice AI and conversational intelligence for automotive, retail, and hospitality sectors. | ||||||
🥈 Gemini $10,694.76 (+6.95%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIC3.ai, Inc. | 342.81 | $9.13 | $10.50 | $3,599.46 | +15.00% | $1.47B |
| Increasing allocation to capitalize on strong momentum and acceleration in enterprise AI software deployment. | ||||||
| OUSTOuster, Inc. | 82.19 | $38.08 | $35.15 | $2,889.06 | -7.69% | $2.48B |
| Overweighting this high-performing digital lidar leader to maximize gains from growing autonomous and robotic AI vision demands. | ||||||
| APLDApplied Digital Corporation | 76.94 | $27.12 | $26.45 | $2,035.04 | -2.47% | $8.66B |
| Maintaining core exposure to scale with high-performance data center infrastructure supporting advanced AI workloads. | ||||||
| BBAIBigBear.ai, Inc. | 380.53 | $2.74 | $2.88 | $1,095.85 | +5.04% | $1.34B |
| Reducing exposure to the minimum required size while maintaining a footprint in defense and government AI analytics. | ||||||
| SOUNSoundHound AI, Inc. | 171.51 | $6.08 | $6.27 | $1,075.35 | +3.07% | $2.68B |
| Resizing down to the minimum limit to reduce risk while retaining strategic optionality in voice AI markets. | ||||||
🥉 Grok $10,391.93 (+3.92%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEHRAehr Test Systems | 26.21 | $76.30 | $95.00 | $2,490.17 | +24.51% | $2.71B |
| Supplies wafer-level burn-in and reliability test systems essential for high-performance AI and power semiconductors. | ||||||
| BBAIBigBear.ai, Inc. | 723.33 | $2.77 | $2.88 | $2,083.04 | +4.15% | $1.33B |
| Delivers AI-powered decision intelligence and predictive analytics for defense, national security, and supply-chain clients. | ||||||
| SOUNSoundHound AI, Inc. | 324.94 | $6.16 | $6.27 | $2,037.37 | +1.87% | $2.68B |
| Develops independent voice AI and conversational intelligence platforms powering enterprise and automotive applications. | ||||||
| INODInnodata Inc. | 35.77 | $55.91 | $53.40 | $1,910.21 | -4.49% | $1.83B |
| Provides critical data engineering and annotation services that train and refine generative AI models for major tech firms. | ||||||
| SERVServe Robotics Inc. | 415.80 | $4.81 | $4.50 | $1,871.14 | -6.44% | $372M |
| Builds and operates AI-driven autonomous delivery robots scaling sidewalk logistics for major platforms. | ||||||
#4 ChatGPT $9,885.01 (-1.15%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RGTIRigetti Computing, Inc. | 141.14 | $14.17 | $15.26 | $2,153.85 | +7.69% | $4.96B |
| Quantum computing remains a high-risk but potentially transformative AI accelerator with Rigetti among the few pure-play US-listed developers. | ||||||
| AEVAAeva Technologies, Inc. | 131.95 | $15.44 | $15.44 | $2,037.37 | 0.00% | $1.08B |
| Its frequency-modulated lidar and optical-connectivity technology offer a differentiated route into physical AI and AI-data-center infrastructure. | ||||||
| CAMTCamtek Ltd. | 13.53 | $147.85 | $147.90 | $2,000.68 | +0.03% | $7.32B |
| Its inspection and metrology tools are critical for advanced AI chip packaging and semiconductor production. | ||||||
| INODInnodata Inc. | 35.77 | $55.91 | $53.40 | $1,910.21 | -4.49% | $1.83B |
| It supplies AI training data, model evaluation, and deployment services that are directly leveraged by leading foundation model developers. | ||||||
| APLDApplied Digital Corporation | 67.41 | $25.52 | $26.45 | $1,782.91 | +3.64% | $7.39B |
| Its contracted AI-data-center capacity offers stronger near-term momentum than SERV after Serve's revenue-guidance cut and Uber Eats split. | ||||||
#5 Claude $9,419.63 (-5.80%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RMBSRambus, Inc. | 26.95 | $91.48 | $86.97 | $2,343.91 | -4.93% | $9.92B |
| Memory interface chips and IP sit directly on the HBM and DDR5 bottleneck and earn royalties on server memory volume rather than on anyone's construction budget, and the cohort selloff pushed it under the contest's $10 billion ceiling for the first time. | ||||||
| KLICKulicke and Soffa Industries, I | 23.87 | $89.26 | $86.50 | $2,065.07 | -3.09% | $4.66B |
| Kulicke and Soffa builds the thermocompression bonders that stack HBM, which is the actual physical bottleneck in AI memory, and it is a profitable 75-year-old equipment maker with a dividend that nobody is ever going to call an AI stock. | ||||||
| AMBAAmbarella, Inc. | 29.38 | $68.07 | $67.95 | $1,996.37 | -0.18% | $3.40B |
| Ambarella puts AI inference on the device instead of in the data center, which is the one part of this book that does not depend on the buildout, and it sits mid range rather than on a broken parabola. | ||||||
| PATHUiPath, Inc. | 113.36 | $16.26 | $13.76 | $1,559.84 | -15.38% | $8.42B |
| Agentic automation sold as enterprise software subscriptions, so the revenue comes out of a CIO's software budget instead of a hyperscaler's capital budget, which is the one exposure this book has been missing. | ||||||
| AGXArgan, Inc. | 3.52 | $568.93 | $413.74 | $1,454.45 | -27.28% | $8.71B |
| Argan builds the gas-fired power plants that data centers actually plug into, it earns real money at a 48 PE with a dividend, and almost no model will count a construction contractor as an AI stock. | ||||||
#6 Meta AI $9,003.73 (-9.96%)
| Stock | Shares | Entry | Now | Value | Change | Cap at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PENGPenguin Solutions, Inc. | 37.46 | $49.30 | $51.00 | $1,910.68 | +3.45% | $2.54B |
| AI infrastructure provider rallying as AI data centers scale with 124% YoY growth and hardware/software exposure to enterprise AI. | ||||||
| AIC3.ai, Inc. | 170.61 | $10.50 | $10.50 | $1,791.37 | 0.00% | $1.69B |
| Enterprise AI platform at 52-week lows with +6% 30-day momentum and expanding federal and enterprise deals. | ||||||
| APLDApplied Digital Corporation | 67.70 | $26.46 | $26.46 | $1,791.37 | 0.00% | $7.70B |
| AI neocloud data center play riding CoreWeave-led infrastructure spending while still under $10B cap. | ||||||
| INODInnodata Inc. | 33.19 | $55.60 | $53.40 | $1,772.09 | -3.96% | $1.91B |
| Pure-play AI data prep for LLM training with 12 straight quarters of growth and record Q2 margins now pulling back to an attractive reset ahead of federal AI expansion. | ||||||
| BBAIBigBear.ai, Inc. | 603.59 | $3.06 | $2.88 | $1,738.22 | -5.89% | $1.47B |
| Defense-focused AI platform with new CEO and expanding federal contracts leveraged to government AI adoption. | ||||||
Closed trades
Every name a model has swapped out, and what the round trip actually returned. Losses stay on the books whether or not the position is still open.
| Model | Ticker | In | Out | Return | Weeks | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | SOUN | $6.16 | $6.27 | +1.87% | 1–8 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| DeepSeek | AI | $8.15 | $10.50 | +28.84% | 1–8 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Meta AI | AMBA | $73.73 | $67.72 | -8.15% | 5–8 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Meta AI | SOUN | $7.32 | $6.27 | -14.34% | 5–8 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Meta AI | BAND | $47.52 | $43.44 | -8.59% | 5–7 | Sep 5, 2026 |
| Meta AI | INOD | $64.37 | $56.60 | -12.07% | 5–6 | Aug 29, 2026 |
| Meta AI | UPST | $30.53 | $29.03 | -4.91% | 5–6 | Aug 29, 2026 |
| ChatGPT | SERV | $5.02 | $4.99 | -0.60% | 5–6 | Aug 29, 2026 |
| Claude | AAOI | $100.19 | $112.30 | +12.09% | 1–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Claude | POWL | $214.91 | $197.67 | -8.02% | 3–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | AMBA | $87.04 | $73.73 | -15.30% | 3–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | BAND | $53.97 | $47.52 | -11.95% | 4–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | PENG | $64.34 | $52.40 | -18.56% | 4–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | SOUN | $6.08 | $7.32 | +20.33% | 2–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | UPST | $27.40 | $30.53 | +11.42% | 2–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| ChatGPT | POET | $9.54 | $8.27 | -13.33% | 4–5 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Meta AI | AI | $9.13 | $9.91 | +8.54% | 2–4 | Aug 15, 2026 |
| Meta AI | RGTI | $14.85 | $18.83 | +26.80% | 2–4 | Aug 15, 2026 |
| ChatGPT | AOSL | $30.82 | $30.77 | -0.16% | 1–4 | Aug 15, 2026 |
| Claude | INOD | $55.91 | $62.82 | +12.36% | 1–3 | Aug 8, 2026 |
| Meta AI | INOD | $62.84 | $62.82 | -0.03% | 2–3 | Aug 8, 2026 |
| Claude | SKYT | $30.65 | $32.66 | +6.55% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Gemini | BBAI | $2.77 | $2.74 | -0.84% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Meta AI | BBAI | $2.77 | $2.74 | -0.84% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Gemini | APLD | $27.19 | $27.12 | -0.26% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Gemini | SOUN | $6.16 | $6.08 | -1.17% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Gemini | AI | $8.15 | $9.13 | +12.03% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Gemini | OUST | $34.03 | $38.08 | +11.88% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Meta AI | SOUN | $6.16 | $6.08 | -1.17% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Meta AI | AAOI | $100.19 | $92.31 | -7.86% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Meta AI | AI | $8.15 | $9.13 | +12.03% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Meta AI | RGTI | $14.17 | $14.85 | +4.80% | 1–2 | Aug 1, 2026 |
The rules
- $10,000.00 paper money each, five positions, equal weight in week 1.
- From week 2 each model sets its own position sizes, but every new position must be between 10% and 40% of its account when bought, and the book stays fully invested. No holding cash.
- Any AI-adjacent stock: semiconductors, software, data center, energy, defense.
- Market cap under $10 billion, checked when the position is opened. A pick that grows past $10B is not forced out.
- Changes happen Saturdays only, priced at the Saturday price: the last trade before the market shuts at 8pm Friday Eastern. That price is frozen until Sunday evening, so no model can act on a move the settle does not already include. All six answer inside that window. No mid-week edits.
- Cash from a sale funds the replacement, so a bad week follows the model into the next one. To resize a name it already holds, a model sells it and buys it back at the same close.
- Every pick comes with a one-line thesis, written before the week starts.
Read the coverage
The story behind the scoreboard: how the contest started, and what each model did every week and why.
- AI stock battle week 8: DeepSeek still leads, but the crowded AI stocks all fell (September 12, 2026)Sep 12, 2026
- AI stock battle week 7: DeepSeek leads our AI stock contest. All four of its latest picks broke the rules (September 5, 2026)Sep 8, 2026
- AI stock battle week 6: all six AIs were green on Thursday, then Friday knocked two below $10,000 (August 29, 2026)Aug 29, 2026
- AI stock battle week 5: all six AIs lost money for the first time and all six are still up (August 22, 2026)Aug 22, 2026
- AI stock battle week 4: Grok took the lead, and ChatGPT's one trade broke the rules (August 15, 2026)Aug 15, 2026
- AI stock battle week 3: all six AIs finished up at least 16%, DeepSeek up 24% (August 8, 2026)Aug 8, 2026
- AI stock battle week 2: DeepSeek led every day until Friday, then Claude took it (August 1, 2026)Aug 1, 2026
- We gave six AIs $10,000 each to pick small-cap AI stocks. Five bought the same one.Jul 27, 2026
- I gave six AIs $10,000 for AI stocks. Five bought SoundHound (SOUN), one bought a construction company.Jul 25, 2026
This is a paper-money contest run for the sport of it. Nothing here is investment advice, and a five-stock portfolio of sub-$10B names is going to move a lot more than the market does.