We recently compiled a list of the 10 Worst Artificial Intelligence Stocks to Buy Under $10. In this article, we are going to take a look at where IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) stands against the other worst AI stocks to buy under $10.

With technology evolving at a dynamic speed, many companies have changed their way of carrying out operations as they focus on integrating AI into their complex and day-to-day activities. Integration of AI into business operations requires significant investment in infrastructure and specialized talent. Experts believe that 2022 was the year in which generative artificial intelligence (AI) exploded in the public’s consciousness, and in 2023, the technology started to take root in the business world.

Therefore, 2024 and the upcoming years are expected to be critical years for the future of Al, with researchers and enterprises planning to integrate this revolutionary technology into their operations.  Some of the current AI trends that are expected in the upcoming years include multi-modal Al, smaller language models and open-source advancements, GPU shortages, cloud expenses, regulation, copyright, and ethical AI concerns, among others.

Surge in Al Adoption

As per the McKinsey Global Survey on AI, ~65% of respondents have highlighted that their organizations continue to use gen AI, nearly double the percentage compared to the survey conducted earlier. Organizations have been seeing strong benefits from the use of generative AI, reporting both cost decreases and revenue jumps in the segments using AI technology.

The interest in gen-AI seems to have brightened the spotlight. McKinsey mentioned that, for the previous 6 years, adoption of AI by respondents’ organizations was hovering at ~50%. However, this year, the survey revealed that adoption increased to ~72%. Notably, the interest has been global in scope. The company’s 2023 survey highlighted that AI adoption didn’t reach 66% percent in any region. However, this year over two-thirds of respondents in nearly every region mentioned that their organizations are deploying this transformative technology. Industry-wise, the strongest increase was seen in professional services.

AI’s rapid evolution and its potential to shape the future continue to revolutionize several industries throughout the globe. As per a survey published on Forbes Advisor, the most commonly used AI cases in businesses consist of customer relations, cybersecurity, fraud management, digital personal assistants, inventory management, content production, and others. When discussing leveraging the top AI trends, businesses continue to rely on predictive analytics to make strategic decisions. For example, using predictive analytics in the manufacturing industry can help in predicting unexpected machine failures and costly breakdowns.

Another factor because of which AI has seen increased adoption is the deployment of multi-modal Al. It leverages machine learning trained on multiple modalities, like speech, images, video, and traditional numerical data sets. As a result, it helps in creating holistic and human-like cognitive experiences.

Investments in Al

Al investments have been ramping up at an unmatched speed. As per Goldman Sachs Economic Research, global investment in AI technologies should touch $200 billion by 2025. Making investments in generative AI provides potential economic growth and improves labor productivity by ~1% annually. Additionally, the investment in AI can peak as high as ~2.5% to ~4% of GDP in the US and ~1.5% to ~2.5% in other AI leaders.

Global corporate investment in AI saw a strong increase over the past decade. A Stanford University analysis estimated that the sum of assets and acquisitions from minority stakes, private investments, and public offerings came in at $934.2 billion from 2013 to 2022. Moreover, recent investment peaked in 2021, reaching ~$276.1 billion with the evolution of ChatGPT.

As per EY’s recent survey, ~30% of respondents highlighted that their business is planning to invest at least $10 million in AI next year. This demonstrates an increase from the current level of 16%. With the transition to the next phase of full-scale AI integration, leaders are required to develop a holistic strategy that recreates the entire enterprise ecosystem to create an AI-centric business model.

Our methodology

We compiled an initial list of 25 possible stocks by sifting through online rankings and ETFs. We then picked the 10 stocks that were the least popular among hedge funds and were trading at less than $10 per share. Finally, the stocks were ranked in the descending order of their hedge fund sentiment, as of Q2 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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 12

Share Price As On September 19: $7.72

lonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) is engaged in the development of general-purpose quantum computing systems in the United States. The company recently announced a collaboration with Zapata to benchmark generative Al techniques on quantum hardware.

Bears believe that the stock price of IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) is expected to be impacted by its concerning financial position. The significant increase in its expenses has impacted its overall financial health. In 2Q 2024, its cost of revenue went up from $1.90 million in 2Q 2023 to $5.6 million in the current quarter. The bears believe that IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) is investing heavily in research and development, which is the primary reason why this company is operating at a loss. The company’s costs and expenses continue to exceed its revenue, and they are also growing at faster rates compared to its top line. The basic unit of a quantum computer’s power is the qubit, and these remain unstable. Also, creating hardware that has the potential to sustain them long enough can be a serious challenge.

On the other hand, Wall Street believes that IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ)’s advancements in qubit fidelity and error correction techniques demonstrate strong progress in the quantum computing field. Moreover, optimism prevails around its ongoing projects, including the ARLIS quantum networking contract. Its success in winning federal contracts is attributed to the company’s good product and low error rates.

In 2Q 2024, while the company was able to book $9 million in sales contracts, it increased its 2024 revenue outlook to between $38 million – $42 million. Moreover, the company continues to focus on pursuing strategic partnerships to strengthen its ecosystem and deliver the Tempo system in 2025. Wall Street is optimistic about lonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)’s commercialization abilities as it extended contracts with AWS to offer quantum computers via Amazon Braket.

As per Wall Street, the shares of IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) have an average price target of $10.63. As of the end of 2Q 2024, 12 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey reported having stakes in IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ).

Overall IONQ ranks 3rd on our list of the worst AI stocks to buy under $10. While we acknowledge the potential of IONQ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than IONQ 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.