Could Microsoft Be the Best Artificial Intelligence Stock to Buy Right Now?

Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been somewhat out of favor in recent months as investors grow concerned about the economy and just how much companies will be spending on AI in the near future. Given these concerns, it's critical for many AI stocks to maintain high growth rates; otherwise, their valuations could dive even further.

One company that isn't as vulnerable to AI-related trends is Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). While it benefits from AI and has some promising growth opportunities due to it, its shares have been fairly stable this year. And for investors who want a fairly low-risk way to invest in AI, Microsoft could be the ideal stock to own.

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Microsoft's diverse business makes it less vulnerable to AI-related bearishness

On April 30, Microsoft reported its latest earnings numbers, which highlight one of the best reasons for buying this AI stock: its diversification. While Microsoft is an AI play and that is a big part of its long-term strategy, it doesn't define its business by any means.

With its cloud business, its game studios and products, its office software suite, its social network (LinkedIn), and its Bing search engine, Microsoft has plenty of ways to grow its business in the long run. During the first three months of 2025, several of its business segments generated at least 20% revenue growth, including Azure (33%), server products and cloud services (22%), and Microsoft Cloud (20%). Overall, its fiscal 2025 third-quarter revenue rose by 13% year over year to $70.1 billion.

Microsoft may experience a slowdown in business if there is a decline in AI-related spending, but the company and the stock won't be as vulnerable as other tech companies. As of Tuesday, Microsoft's stock is up around 3% since the start of the year. Meanwhile, chip giant Nvidia, which has become almost synonymous with AI, has seen its shares fall by 15.5%. And Apple, whose slow AI deployment has been criticized, has declined nearly 21%.

If not for Microsoft's robust operations and diversified growth opportunities, its stock might have followed a similar path to Apple's, as some critics have compared its Copilot assistant to its much-maligned "assistant" Clippy from the late 1990s-early 2000s.

The company has many ways to incorporate AI into its operations

While Microsoft isn't a pure AI play, it does stand to benefit significantly from it. With around 1.6 billion devices running its Windows operating system, the company has a massive user base to market AI-related services to. Earlier this year, the company said that its AI business was generating revenue at an annual run rate of $13 billion, an increase of 175% year over year and better than its initial goal of $10 billion. And this is with the company's AI strategy still in its early stages.

One growth opportunity is Copilot+ PCs, which can give users much more computing power than normal PCs and enable them to run AI locally. However, given current macroeconomic conditions and worries about a recession looming, it may be a while before there's strong demand for these higher-priced machines.

Microsoft is a great option for long-term investors

Whether you want to invest in an AI stock or just want a safe long-term investment, Microsoft can be an ideal stock to put in your portfolio and forget about. It can benefit from AI-related growth, but at the same time, it offers a great deal of stability given how prevalent and essential to users its products and services are.

The stock currently trades at around 34 times its trailing earnings, and while it isn't dirt cheap, it can generate great returns for investors who are willing to buy and hold for years.

Should you invest $1,000 in Microsoft right now?

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David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.