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Generative AI Started the Show; Agentic AI is Stealing It
OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 was a pivotal moment for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. ChatGPT quickly became the fastest-growing consumer application in history, proving the power of AI technology and showing that AI could be more than an abstract, behind-the-scenes technology and more of a mass market, investible technology. However, like the 1994 launch of Netscape, ChatGPT is unlikely to be the end of the technological wave, but a spark that ignites even more impressive technology.
In 2026, “Agentic AI” is stealing the show and proving that it’s the next big wave of the AI revolution. Unlike generative AI Chatbots such as ‘Gemini’ and ‘ChatGPT’ that require human queries and supervision, Agentic AI systems can accomplish a specific goal with limited supervision. Below are two examples of the differences between Agentic and Generative AI:
· Travel Booking: A Chatbot can write a travel itinerary for you. Agentic AI can log into your apps, find flights, compare prices, and book hotels.
· Customer Service: Generative AI can handle a response to a lost package email (if prompted). Agentic AI can track the box’s location, apply the company’s refund rules, verify a customer’s loyalty status, and process any necessary refunds or new shipments.
2026: The Year of the Agentic AI Breakthrough
Thus far in 2026, the software sector has lost hundreds of millions in market cap. Investors have taken a “sell first, ask questions later” approach amid fears that Agentic AI models like Anthropic’s Claude will make companies less dependent on expensive, legacy software subscriptions. Meanwhile, OpenClaw launched in January 2026.
The self-hosted AI agent can execute tasks directly from messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack. Unlike traditional LLMs that merely generate text responses, OpenClaw can read and write files, browse the web, and interact with other applications, all while running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result of these breakthroughs, searches for “Agentic AI” have soared recently.
Agentic AI: A Multi-Trillion-Dollar Opportunity
Although Agentic AI has soared in popularity in 2026, it has a long investing runway, which is in the early innings. In March, NVIDIA’s iconic CEO Jensen Huang said,“The world is now awakened to the Agentic AI inflection… Agentic AI has reached an inflection point, and it literally happened in the last two or three months.” Huang also says that he sees Agentic AI as a “multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.”
3 Stocks Riding the Agentic AI Inflection Point
Fastly: Fastly, an infrastructure software company, has proven to be an early winner of the Agentic AI revolution. The company’s technology helps AI agents handle “agentic traffic.” Meanwhile, Varnish, its web accelerator, lowers latency and bandwidth costs for Agentic AI tasks. Although FSLY shares are extended (up150% over the past two months), investors should watch for a pullback. Zacks Consensus Estimates see the company doubling its YoY EPS in 2026 (and this is probably a conservative estimate).
SK Telecom: Privately held Anthropic is considered the pioneer and leader in the Agentic AI industry because its technology is at the forefront of enabling AI to operate computers directly, like a human. Although Anthropic is private, South Korean telecom giant SKM provides a backdoor means for investors to gain exposure.
In the summer of 2023, SKM invested $100 million into Anthropic when the company had a $5 billion valuation. Today, Anthropic’s valuation is said to be closer to $400 billion (and rapidly ascending). SKM shares currently offer investors a juicy reward-to-risk setup as they pull back uniformly to the rising 50-day moving average.
While other public companies like Zoom hold stakes, SKM’s Anthropic purchase was both early and sizable.
Circle Group: Circle Group manages the world’s second-largest stablecoin – USDC. USDC is a regulated, fiat-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 with the US Dollar. USDC is the early favorite to be the preferred Agentic AI payment method because of its:
· Programmability: USDC can be programmed to make payments via smart contracts.
· 24/7 Usability: Unlike traditional payment methods, USDC transactions can be processed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
· Cost and Speed: USDC transactions process nearly instantaneously and at a fraction of the cost of legacy financial institutions.
Bottom Line
The Agentic AI revolution is a multi-trillion-dollar investment opportunity. While many of the top Agentic AI companies are held privately, public investors can find backdoor means to invest in them.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: NVIDIA, Fastly, SK Telecom, Zoom and Circle Group
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 25, 2026 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) , Fastly (FSLY - Free Report) , SK Telecom (SKM - Free Report) , Zoom (ZM - Free Report) and Circle Group (CRCL - Free Report) .
3 "Backdoor" Agentic AI Stocks to Buy Now
Generative AI Started the Show; Agentic AI is Stealing It
OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 was a pivotal moment for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. ChatGPT quickly became the fastest-growing consumer application in history, proving the power of AI technology and showing that AI could be more than an abstract, behind-the-scenes technology and more of a mass market, investible technology. However, like the 1994 launch of Netscape, ChatGPT is unlikely to be the end of the technological wave, but a spark that ignites even more impressive technology.
In 2026, “Agentic AI” is stealing the show and proving that it’s the next big wave of the AI revolution. Unlike generative AI Chatbots such as ‘Gemini’ and ‘ChatGPT’ that require human queries and supervision, Agentic AI systems can accomplish a specific goal with limited supervision. Below are two examples of the differences between Agentic and Generative AI:
· Travel Booking: A Chatbot can write a travel itinerary for you. Agentic AI can log into your apps, find flights, compare prices, and book hotels.
· Customer Service: Generative AI can handle a response to a lost package email (if prompted). Agentic AI can track the box’s location, apply the company’s refund rules, verify a customer’s loyalty status, and process any necessary refunds or new shipments.
2026: The Year of the Agentic AI Breakthrough
Thus far in 2026, the software sector has lost hundreds of millions in market cap. Investors have taken a “sell first, ask questions later” approach amid fears that Agentic AI models like Anthropic’s Claude will make companies less dependent on expensive, legacy software subscriptions. Meanwhile, OpenClaw launched in January 2026.
The self-hosted AI agent can execute tasks directly from messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack. Unlike traditional LLMs that merely generate text responses, OpenClaw can read and write files, browse the web, and interact with other applications, all while running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result of these breakthroughs, searches for “Agentic AI” have soared recently.
Agentic AI: A Multi-Trillion-Dollar Opportunity
Although Agentic AI has soared in popularity in 2026, it has a long investing runway, which is in the early innings. In March, NVIDIA’s iconic CEO Jensen Huang said,“The world is now awakened to the Agentic AI inflection… Agentic AI has reached an inflection point, and it literally happened in the last two or three months.” Huang also says that he sees Agentic AI as a “multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.”
3 Stocks Riding the Agentic AI Inflection Point
Fastly: Fastly, an infrastructure software company, has proven to be an early winner of the Agentic AI revolution. The company’s technology helps AI agents handle “agentic traffic.” Meanwhile, Varnish, its web accelerator, lowers latency and bandwidth costs for Agentic AI tasks. Although FSLY shares are extended (up150% over the past two months), investors should watch for a pullback. Zacks Consensus Estimates see the company doubling its YoY EPS in 2026 (and this is probably a conservative estimate).
SK Telecom: Privately held Anthropic is considered the pioneer and leader in the Agentic AI industry because its technology is at the forefront of enabling AI to operate computers directly, like a human. Although Anthropic is private, South Korean telecom giant SKM provides a backdoor means for investors to gain exposure.
In the summer of 2023, SKM invested $100 million into Anthropic when the company had a $5 billion valuation. Today, Anthropic’s valuation is said to be closer to $400 billion (and rapidly ascending). SKM shares currently offer investors a juicy reward-to-risk setup as they pull back uniformly to the rising 50-day moving average.
While other public companies like Zoom hold stakes, SKM’s Anthropic purchase was both early and sizable.
Circle Group: Circle Group manages the world’s second-largest stablecoin – USDC. USDC is a regulated, fiat-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 with the US Dollar. USDC is the early favorite to be the preferred Agentic AI payment method because of its:
· Programmability: USDC can be programmed to make payments via smart contracts.
· 24/7 Usability: Unlike traditional payment methods, USDC transactions can be processed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
· Cost and Speed: USDC transactions process nearly instantaneously and at a fraction of the cost of legacy financial institutions.
Bottom Line
The Agentic AI revolution is a multi-trillion-dollar investment opportunity. While many of the top Agentic AI companies are held privately, public investors can find backdoor means to invest in them.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.