All anyone can talk about right now is artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia, the leading chipmaker that powers AI computing, has seen its stock nearly triple this year and recently hit a market capitalization of $1 trillion. Microsoft and Alphabet are investing heavily in a plethora of AI tools, which has their share prices soaring as well. Over a trillion dollars in market value have been added to the big technology stocks this year, all because of AI.
Investors seem to have a feverish optimism about the profit potential for AI and how it could impact the market this decade. But there are other companies besides Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft that will use artificial intelligence to great effect. Here's why online dating leader Match Group (MTCH 0.63%) and audio streamer Spotify Technology (SPOT 0.20%) will benefit from the current AI boom.
1. A match made in (artificial) heaven?
Match Group is the company behind almost every popular dating application worldwide. From Tinder and Hinge to legacy brands like Match.com and Plenty of Fish, Match Group is the key intermediary -- especially for young people -- for finding dates and romantic encounters. Around 16 million people last quarter paid for a premium service across Match Group's products.
One problem with online dating is that it can be time-consuming. Users have to build a strong profile, spend time searching for potential mates, and manage messages across potential partners. This problem is a big deal for women, who get an order of magnitude more inbounds and matches (on average) than their male counterparts on apps like Tinder. And let's not forget all the scammers and fake accounts across dating applications that ruin the experience for many users.
Match Group executives think AI tools can help eliminate these frustrations. First, it wants to use AI to improve user verification and help quickly build profiles. Then, it wants to use automated chatbots to do things like spark conversation starters or respectfully close out conversations the user is not interested in. All of these tools will either improve safety, reduce onboarding time, or increase activity on the platforms, which in turn will increase the value proposition for every user.
You won't immediately see AI improve Match Group's earnings. But if it can steadily improve the value proposition of daters across its properties, they will be more likely to spend time on the services, which should lead to more customer spending in the long run. I think investing in AI tools is a smart move for Match Group and can help the business grow paying users this decade.
2. Spotify: AI-powered music streaming
As a leading audio streamer, Spotify has been investing in AI products for quite some time. One of its most popular playlists, called Discover Weekly, is essentially an AI tool that finds new music for its 500 million users each week.
But with all these new tools that have come to market, Spotify is looking to accelerate its investments in AI products for its users. It recently launched "AI DJ," which is a new playlist/radio tool with -- as you might expect -- an AI DJ curating your music. However, unlike other products like this in the past, this new DJ actually has a lifelike voice that is indistinguishable from a human's. I have started using the AI DJ as one of my playlists on Spotify and was impressed with how seamless the service was.
Outside of music, Spotify is using AI to produce advertisement reads that sound as if they come from podcast hosts. This will help with advertising monetization and increase efficiency for podcast creators, a win-win for all parties as Spotify looks to grow its advertising marketplace.
As with Match Group, you won't immediately see a financial boost from all these AI products from Spotify. But if they increase usage of the service and delight customers, these tools will likely reduce subscriber churn and increase pricing power over the long run, which is a great thing for Spotify.
