We recently compiled a list of the 10 AI Stocks Investors Are Watching Closely Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) stands against the other stocks.
The Trump administration is considering a ban against Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from U.S. government devices amid national-security concerns. According to people familiar with the matter, U.S. officials are worried about how DeepSeek handles user data, which is said to be stored in servers in China. They also expressed concerns over how DeepSeek hasn’t sufficiently explained how it uses the data it collects or who has access to it.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news, stating further how administration officials are further considering banning the chatbot from app stores and placing limits on how U.S.-based cloud service providers could offer DeepSeek’s AI models to their customers. These discussions, however, are still in the early stages.
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Several governments have been banning the use of DeepSeek ever since its emergence. South Korea, for instance, suspended new app downloads after the company failed to address regulators’ concerns about its privacy policy. Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs stated that DeepSeek “endangers national information security”, banning government agencies from using the company’s AI. Italy has also banned DeepSeek after an investigation by the country’s privacy watchdog into how DeepSeek handles personal data.
Within the US, certain agencies have independently acted as well. For instance, the US Navy has warned its members to avoid using DeepSeek “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns.” The email specifically asked recipients to “refrain from downloading, installing, or using the DeepSeek model in any capacity.”
Banning DeepSeek entirely for the general public, however, is complicated considering the AI models are open-source. This means that anyone can download and use them for free. Many US cloud vendors have been providing DeepSeek’s models as part of their services, and restricting access can anger investors and businesses who support the technology.
“U.S. officials considering technology controls are dealing with new territory here on what to do with open-sourced models.”
Paul Triolo, a partner at DGA-Albright Stonebridge in Washington, D.C.
For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 126
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is an automotive and clean energy company that leverages advanced artificial intelligence in its autonomous driving technology and robotics initiatives. On March 7, Wedbush reiterated the stock as “Outperform” with a $550 price target, adding the stock to its top picks list. The firm has reaffirmed that Tesla’s autonomous and AI-driven initiatives, including its Optimus robot program, could eventually contribute 90% of the company’s valuation. This may potentially push its market capitalization beyond $2 trillion.
“This is a gut check moment for the Tesla bulls (including ourselves) after this massive selloff in Tesla shares with fears mounting. The bears own the Tesla narrative in the near-term as lackluster sales numbers from Europe, China, and the US in January/ February along with Musk protests/brand worries have created many concerns.”
The firm estimates that less than 5% of Tesla’s global sales are at risk.
“We continue to believe the best thing that ever happened to Musk and Tesla was Trump in the White House as this will create a deregulatory environment with a federal autonomous roadmap central to the Tesla golden strategic vision.”
Overall TSLA ranks 5th on our list of AI stocks investors are watching closely right now. While we acknowledge the potential of TSLA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TSLA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
