Several stocks could see the most gains from artificial intelligence automation in 2026, according to Goldman Sachs. AI drove the stock market to record highs last year, with strong gains from chipmaker Nvidia and other AI-related names. In 2026, the big advances may come from companies that can make the most of AI. Goldman Sachs expects AI spending to decelerate from the previous year while company adoption increases, "causing rotations among the largest US tech stocks that create two-way risk for the aggregate index." The bank identified some of the trend's greatest potential beneficiaries. The report analyzed Russell 1000 index stocks and excluded those that "did not mention AI in the context of productivity or efficiency on 2Q or 3Q earnings calls."Â Analysts based their findings on each company's labor costs alongside payroll exposure to AI automation. EPAM Systems , a software engineering services company, has been on fire since it raised full-year revenue and earnings outlook in early November . "By investing in AI and AI-Native innovation, talent, and partnerships we are accelerating our own transformation, building on top of our core engineering heritage and strengthening our strategic positioning to lead in the future world of AI-Native enterprises," noted CEO Balazs Fejes in the Nov. 6 earnings report. EPAM 1Y mountain EPAM Systems stock performance over the past year. Affirm , the buy-now-pay-later company, could also benefit from AI productivity increases. Affirm already leverages AI to maximize sales for its merchants. AdaptAI, launched in mid-2025, provides customers with personalized payment options, which the company said drives greater engagement. "As we refine these models using data other lenders can't access, we improve credit approvals and consumer take-up at the point of sale, which improves merchant value, as well as credit outcomes," wrote Affirm CEO Max Levchin in its most recent earnings report. Shares are up more than 30% over the past year. However, they are down more than 12% over the past week after President Donald Trump on Friday proposed a one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates. Whether the proposal will go into effect on Jan. 20 per Trump's recommendation is unclear, however. AFRM 1Y mountain Affirm's stock performance over the past year. LabCorp , H & R Block and Bank of America are also on the list. The latter hit its all-time high last week and has been outperforming the stock market over the past three months.
