Artificial intelligence (AI) will help create new market opportunities over the coming decades. Who knows: Some of the great AI companies of the future probably aren't even public yet. That said, there are some standout AI stocks that investors can already feel confident buying and holding for the long term.
Meta Platforms (META 1.03%) jumps off the page as a clear AI winner. The company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads dominates a sticky social media world, where users have become cash cows for digital advertisers.
Here is why Meta is one of the top AI stocks you can hold forever.
Image source: Getty Images.
AI is pouring gasoline on a smoking-hot core business
Studies have proved social media to be addictive, making it arguably the digital tobacco of the 21st century. Meta's dominance of such a lucrative industry speaks to the company's expertise and competitive advantages in social media. It launched Threads to compete with X (Twitter) in 2023, and it took less than three years to catch up in daily active users.
Its social media apps have more than 3.5 billion daily active users, entrenching it as a global force in digital advertising. Now, AI is taking Meta's core advertising business to new heights. The company is using the technology to automate ads, target audiences more effectively, and even generate content.
NASDAQ: META
Key Data Points
As a result, Meta continues to better monetize its users. Its price per ad rose by 9% in 2025, and the business is now converting nearly 58% of its total revenue into operating cash flow. Then, it turns around and pumps that money into its AI efforts.
Mark Zuckerberg isn't shying away from placing huge bets for the future
That's arguably the biggest reason for long-term optimism. While not every project has worked for CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- (cough) Reality Labs -- he recognizes that AI is a high-stakes game and that a home run or two is all the company needs to forge a bright future. Aside from chatbot apps, consumer-facing AI is really only getting started.
One key advantage for Meta is that it's not dumping billions of dollars into AI, unsure of whether it will see a return on that investment. The technology is actively improving the core business, which helps justify the spending. Its newly announced custom AI chips should make it even more efficient, and the company is developing a new frontier AI model.
Meta has already shown enough AI benefits to make the stock a no-brainer for the future. If Zuckerberg and company can successfully open new revenue streams using the tech in new apps, devices, or other applications, it adds more upside to what's already a world-class business.
