Gratitude is no longer important in the tech world. Although users may be using these words to remain on AI’s good side in the event it takes over, it is costing companies millions of dollars. In the latest news, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed how showing good manners to a ChatGPT model, such as saying “please” and “thank you,” adds up to millions of dollars in operational expenses.

When asked how much the company has lost in electricity costs from people being polite, this is what Altman had to say:

“Tens of millions of dollars well spent — you never know.”

While that may be so, Kurt Beavers, a director on the design team for Microsoft Copilot, noted how “using polite language sets a tone for the response,” and that when an AI model “clocks politeness, it’s more likely to be polite back.”

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Even though politeness may come at a cost for the ChatGPT maker, these may be trivial when it comes to the immense scale at which the company operates itself. The company has recently released its latest artificial intelligence model, claiming that it can “ think with images”.

The main new reasoning model from OpenAI is known as the o3, while the smaller model released simultaneously is known as the o4-mini. The o3 allows users to upload whiteboards, sketches, and other images that AI can analyze and discuss.

The company is fiercely competing to stay ahead in the artificial intelligence race, facing intense competition from companies such as Google and Anthropic.

“For the first time, our reasoning models can independently use all ChatGPT tools — web browsing, Python, image understanding, and image generation. This helps them solve complex, multi-step problems more effectively and take real steps toward acting independently.”

-OpenAI

O3 and o4-mini are OpenAI’s first AI models that have the ability to “think with images.” This implies that “they don’t just see an image, they can integrate visual information directly into the reasoning chain,” OpenAI noted.

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).

10. Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:TEM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17

Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:TEM) is a healthcare technology company that provides AI-enabled precision medicine solutions. On April 21, BTIG initiated the stock at “Buy”  with a $60 price target. The firm said that it is bullish on the shares of the AI medtech company, highlighting its AI-driven precision medicine platform.

“We initiate coverage of Tempus AI with a Buy rating and $60 PT.”

9. Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42

Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE) develops solid-oxide fuel cell systems for on-site power generation, helping meet the growing energy demands of AI data centers. On April 21, Truist lowered the firm’s price target on the stock to $19 from $22 and kept a “Hold” rating on the shares. The analyst told investors in a research note how the stock is down due to a pullback in AI spend as well as macroeconomic uncertainty. Even though Bloom holds the potential to grow in the data center space, tariff and macroeconomic uncertainty, coupled with LLM efficiency, is causing near-term headwinds. That said, analysts believe that a further premium multiple requires greater urgency among hyperscaler and datacenter customers.

8. 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 April 21, Barclays reiterated the stock as “ Equal Weight” and cut its price target to $275 per share from $325 ahead of earnings on Tuesday. Some of the reasons for cutting the price target include Tesla’s weaker fundamentals and challenges in reaching 2025 unit volume growth.

“1. Confusing set-up on 1Q with weak fundamentals, but could see positive reaction on better narrative (more engaged Elon, [Full Self Driving] event); 2. Expecting trough gross margin driven by volume decline, production inefficiencies.”

7. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 162

Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is a cloud-based CRM company that has gained popularity after it unveiled its AI-powered platform called Agentforce. On April 21, D.A. Davidson downgraded the stock to “Underperform” from “Neutral” and cut its price target to $200 from $250. The rating comes amid concerns about slowing growth across legacy products and its recent acquisitions.

“We believe Salesforce is neglecting its core business in an effort to pursue a premature AI opportunity, changing the nature of the company enough for us to downgrade to UNDERPERFORM from Neutral, reduce our PT to $200, and remove it from our Best-of-Breed Bison list.”

6. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is a technology company. On April 21, Moffett Nathanson reiterated the stock as “Sell” and cut its price target to $141 per share from $184.

“There are no easy answers here. Apple is inextricably tied to opposing forces at the center of the trade tensions. China is the beating heart of the global electronics supply chain. Paying a fortune in tariffs or paying a fortune in re-architecting supply chains only to finish with much higher costs is a lose-lose choice.”

According to the firm, Apple is also behind its peer when it comes to monetization from artificial intelligence. Moreover, it is also falling short of fueling a robust upgrade cycle for its premier product, the iPhone.

5. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 186

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) manufactures and sells advanced chips used in artificial intelligence applications. On April 21, Barclays analyst Simon Coles lowered the firm’s price target on the stock to $215 from $255 and kept an Overweight” rating on the shares. According to the analysts, TSMC shares are already pricing in a slowdown and “thus look increasingly attractive.” It further noted how the company’s fiscal 2025 guidance was maintained which reflected some slowdown in the second half of the year. The slowdown “makes sense.”

4. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 223

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) specializes in AI-driven solutions, offering platforms for data centers, self-driving cars, robotics, and cloud services. One of the most notable analyst calls on Monday, April 21, was for Nvidia Corporation. Susquehanna reiterated the stock as “Positive.” The firm said that survey checks remain positive despite China’s export restrictions.

“China accelerator export restrictions to weigh on AI hardware, though demand checks remain positive. For AI DC, Blackwell continues to ramp well and even with GB200 delays, we expect Blackwell revenue to surpass Hopper during 1Q. Despite the strong transition, newly announced China accelerator export restrictions weaken 2Q/2025 outlooks for NVIDIA and particularly AMD.”

3. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 234

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is an American multinational technology conglomerate holding company wholly owning the internet giant Google, amongst other businesses. On April 21, Jefferies reiterated the stock as “Buy”. The firm believes that the risk/reward is favorable for Alphabet ahead of earnings later this week.

“While we expect stable Q1 results, macro/tariffs cast a haze over Q2-Q3. Ads (~75% of revs) face headwinds, esp. brand spend and China-based sellers for performance spend, though should be somewhat resilient as advertisers favor scaled platforms. Cloud/AI should remain sticky.”

2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 317

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) provides AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions, focusing on efficiency, security, and AI advancements. On April 21, Barclays reiterated the stock as “Overweight” and lowered its price target to $430 from $475. Nevertheless, the firm said that it is sticking with Microsoft.

“We update our model to include restated numbers post Q2 and to adjust for macro uncertainty. We lower our PT to $430 (was $475) based on 29x P/E (was 33x) and CY26E EPS of $14.74.”

1.     Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is an American technology company offering e-commerce, cloud computing, and other services, including digital streaming and artificial intelligence solutions. On April 21, Raymond James downgraded the stock to “ Outperform” from “ Strong Buy” owing to “limited monetization progress.”

“We take a fresh look at the AMZN investment cycle (supply chain, logistics, AI, other bets) and based on an uneven macro/tariff and steepening investment intensity, walk away with a bias that the Street is underestimating EBIT pressures in 2025-26 and thus downgrade from Strong Buy to Outperform as we look for greater investment/ROI visibility.”

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