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The S&P 500 had another fantastic year, even though no Santa Claus rally came to town to power a year-end bounce. While the AI trade picked up the turbulence into year’s end, odds are that AI-heavy portfolios had an edge over the broad market. And in this piece, we’ll go over a trio of AI-focused tech ETFs that outperformed the S&P last year and could make for a great addition to the portfolios that don’t have quite enough exposure to the AI revolution.
While AI bubble concerns might steer you away from more AI exposure, I do think that a strong showing by the likes of Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), as well as the rise of agentic AI, could help spark more strength in the group of innovators as they look for guidance after a quarter of relative consolidation. In short, the AI trade might be a bit on the expensive side, but a bubble and its bust are not guaranteed, even with smart folks, like Michael Burry, pointing to an AI bubble that could pop at some point.
Either way, here are the S&P-topping AI ETFs that might have another shot at pulling off another market beater in 2026, should the AI trade find a way to regain speed, even as it takes more than an outstanding quarter to impress investors.
Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF
First up, we have the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (NASDAQ:AIQ), which is one of the most popular AI ETFs on the market. Over the past year, shares gained more than 37%. And while the final quarter of 2025 got increasingly choppy, it appears the high-growth ETF looks ready to break out and pick up where it left off before shares briefly fell into correction territory back in November.
The ETF isn’t just looking to bet on the frontier AI names in the U.S.; it seeks to take a broad “unconstrained” approach to investing in the world’s best AI innovators. In my view, access to AI outside of the U.S. might be the edge the AI ETF has over the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 or most other traditional U.S.-focused tech ETFs.
Underneath the hood, the ETF has significant exposure to U.S. AI names, including Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL). However, what’s more interesting is that it also has a good amount of exposure to South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, two names that have exploded higher in the past year, thanks in part to the memory supercycle.
It’s names like these that have helped the AI ETF to the likes of the S&P by a fairly wide margin. Add other Asian and European AI plays into the equation, and I’m inclined to view the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF as a fantastic pick that’s deserving of all four of its Morningstar rating stars. Though the total expense ratio of 0.68% is on the higher end, I still find the mix worth paying up for, especially if you’re light on AI innovation and want something that bets on the theme more globally.
Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities is a pretty smart guy, especially when it comes to emerging technologies like AI. What many investors may not know is that the man, who’s always dressed to impress, has an ETF in the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF (NYSEARCA:IVES). So, if you’re a fan of Ives’ commentary or his accurate track record of bullish calls on AI names, there’s now an ETF for that. In the past year, the AI ETF has gained just shy of 29%, handsomely beating the S&P.
Under the hood, you’ll see a good mix of AI innovators, including the Mag Seven plays, as well as a few international names and some smaller-cap up-and-comers with more explosive potential (think Oklo (NASDAQ:OKLO) and CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV). For the most part, the basket of 30 stocks (the Ives 30, if you will) is comprised mostly of U.S. names, with good representation of some of the smaller AI innovators that most other ETFs may miss out on.
With the Ives AI stocks, you’re getting exposure to the proven AI titans, but also the most promising up-and-comers with market caps south of $100 billion. Perhaps it’s stocks in the latter category that warrant the 0.75% total expense ratio. Also, with Dan Ives in the driver’s seat, the ETF certainly packs a punch.