Income investors can find their portfolios loaded with boring companies. That's not a bad thing, though. Boring companies often provide the most reliable dividends.

However, it's possible to receive income and invest in one of the most exciting opportunities on the planet -- artificial intelligence (AI). Here are three top AI stocks that pay dividends.

1. IBM

IBM (IBM 0.18%) has been a favorite for income investors for years, and it still is. The tech giant offers a dividend yield of nearly 5.2%. IBM has paid a dividend in every quarter since 1916 and increased its dividend for 28 consecutive years.

Sure, IBM hasn't been at the center of attention with the recent surge in interest in AI. However, the company has been an AI pioneer for a long time. For example, its Watson technology made headlines in 2011 by beating Jeopardy! champions Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings.

But is IBM still a contender in AI? Yep. IBM remains an industry leader in the number of AI patents held. Gartner's Magic Quadrant ranks the company as a leader in conversational AI. IBM Watson is now being used across of wide range of industries.

2. Microsoft

Unlike IBM, Microsoft (MSFT 0.46%) has been at the forefront of the AI world this year. The company has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Microsoft has also integrated OpenAI's generative AI technology into its products, including its Bing search engine.

These AI efforts have caught investors' attention. Microsoft stock is up more than 30% year to date, largely as a result of its AI-related moves. CEO Satya Nadella proclaimed in Microsoft's recent quarterly conference call that the company is "going to lead in the AI era."

While Microsoft is well-known these days for its AI leadership, it's easy to forget that the company offers a dividend, but its yield of under 0.9% isn't anything to get excited about. However, Microsoft has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. It's also in a strong financial position to keep that streak going.

3. Apple

Apple (AAPL 0.51%) reigns as the largest company in the world, based on market cap. But the huge technology company doesn't get much attention these days for its AI expertise or its dividend.

The company's Siri virtual assistant is still one of the most widely used AI tools, although it seems dated after the introduction of ChatGPT. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently stated that the company "view[s] AI as huge."

He added that Apple plans to "continue weaving it in our products on a very thoughtful basis." Recent staff recruiting by the company indicates that it's accelerating its efforts in multiple areas of AI development.

Apple's dividend is the lowest of these three AI stocks, with a yield of under 0.6%. But the company has increased its dividend every year since initiating the program in 2012. Apple also has plenty of financial flexibility to continue boosting its dividend payout in the future.

Are they buys?

My view is that all three of these AI dividend stocks are solid picks, depending on your investing style. Income investors will probably like IBM the most since it pays the most attractive dividend. Growth investors will be more interested in Apple and Microsoft, both of which should be able to capitalize on the AI boom in the coming years.