Research conducted by broker eToro and presented in its Retail Investor Beat (RIB) report has revealed that more than 27% of retail investors worldwide now hold stocks related to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector in their investment portfolio.

According to the survey, a quarter currently hold AI-related stocks, with a further 35% saying they plan to invest in the sector in the future and 30% not interested.

Further analysis revealed that young investors are most interested in this fast-growing sector: 43% of them currently hold AI-related stocks, compared to 34% of investors aged 35-44, 28% of those aged 45-54, and 11% of those aged 55+.

A breakdown by country shows that the US and the Czech Republic lead the way in terms of investment in the industry (32% and 33%, respectively), while Australia has the lowest level of investment of any country surveyed at 20%.

In addition, research has shown that 20% of investors aged 18-34 are using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT to achieve their goals. For those over the age of 55, the figure is only 3%.

"Artificial intelligence stocks have been a performance giant in 2023, leading the resurgence of the tech sector and pushing the S&P 500 into bull market territory. This time last year, many of us began to see the huge potential of new generative artificial intelligence technologies following the launch of ChatGPT, and retail investors have been voting for it over the past 12 months," commented Ben Laidler, eToro's Global Markets Strategist, on the report's data.

As part of the survey, investors were also asked which sectors and asset classes they were likely to favor in the coming months. 15% of respondents said they were likely to increase their investments in cryptocurrencies, 13% in cash assets such as savings accounts, and 12% in domestic equities.