Latest Tech: Profitable Pivots: 3 Companies That Look Unrecognizable Thanks to AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is unarguably a transformational technology. Pundits anticipate massive upheavals in the marketplace due to AI’s proliferation. Cathie Wood anticipates the global economy enjoying a $200 trillion in productivity by 2030.

And, some companies are being transformed by it too. Their entire business models are completely altered after AI was introduced. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) injected OpenAI‘s Chat GPT generative AI into virtually every product and service it offers, from its Azure cloud services to its Bing search engine.

The following three stocks have been even more fundamentally changed by AI. They are virtually unrecognizable compared to just a few years ago.

Nvidia (NVDA)

Indeed, no company that has been transformed by AI more than Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA). As its blowout earnings report highlighted, the today’s NVDA stock is totally different from a couple years back. 

Nvidia’s data center segment that houses its AI business saw revenue climb fourfold from the prior year. Sales of $18.4 billion were 409% greater than the $3.6 billion the segment notched in the fourth quarter of 2022. It more than tripled for the full year to $47.5 billion. Further, data center revenue represented 83% of total Q4 sales.

It was a different story 10 years ago. Back then Nvidia had just $1.25 billion in Q4 sales and about 86% of it came from its gaming graphics processor units (GPUs). Even five years ago, 43% of Nvidia’s revenue was derived from gaming. 

Then, the dawn of AI completely upset and tilted the balance. Today it is all AI all the time, even in gaming. In fact, it’s growing the gaming business again. Sales were up 56% in the quarter as Nvidia introduced AI capabilities into its technology to improve the experience and functionality of games and gaming.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR)

AI has been a component of Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) technology for some time but it was still barely worth mentioning as recently as 2021.

PLTR only called out AI a handful of times first annual report as a public company. Even then, it was only concerning the risks it posed to its business. The Big Data firm noted the technology was integrated into some of its platforms but represented “a significant and potentially growing element of our business.” 

Fast forward to the beginning of this month when Palantir Technologies reported its latest full-year report. AI was everywhere in it. Not only has PLTR infused AI into its Gotham and Foundry platforms, the data analytics services for government and private enterprise, respectively, but it launched a standalone AI Platform (AIP) that works with both platforms to leverage its existing machine learning technologies. Essentially, it’s an AI-powered operating system for business. It allows Palantir Technologies to integrate much more data to crunch. More than just numbers, the platform allows for the analysis of video, images, audio, Slack channels, PDFs, and more.

Because of AIP specifically, Palantir Technologies saw its U.S. commercial bookings and backlog more than double in the fourth quarter to $343 million in total contract value. Also, PLTR closed 103 deals valued at more than $1 million due to AI. Therefore, this will continue to transform Palantir Technologies in the years to come.

Crowdstrike (CRWD)

Cybersecurity specialist Crowdstrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) might not be so different today than it was at the start due to AI

But that’s only because AI was a core technology from the start. Founded as an AI cloud-scale cybersecurity outfit, the launch of its Falcon threat assessment platform enabled Crowdstrike to become a growth engine for the company.

The Falcon platform sifts through trillions of events every week that it uses to automatically prevent threats in real time. It is only because of AI that it offers such precision and ongoing protection. As Falcon receives more data, it grows smarter over time creating a network effect across its customer base.

To continuously improve the platform’s threat assessment capabilities, Crowdstrike needs to continually feed new client data into the algorithm. It uses what it calls a land-and-expand sales strategy to capture new customers. Crowdstrike first introduces a client to Falcon. Then it offers additional modules to add to the platform as their needs grow. It has found customers quickly scale up to using four, five, six or more modules over time. Since it is a subscription-based model, Crowdstrike sees annual recurring revenue growth.

So, the cybersecurity firm isn’t so much transformed by AI but has it coursing through its veins. AI expands its utility to Crowdstrike over time.

On the date of publication, Rich Duprey did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.