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Freedom251 › Blog › AI ETFs

How to Evaluate an AI ETF’s Holdings, Fees, and Concentration Risk

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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Evaluate an AI ETF by checking what its rules count as AI exposure, what it actually owns, how much its largest positions dominate the portfolio, and what it costs to hold. Start with the latest prospectus, shareholder report, and holdings file—not the fund name. An ETF can own dozens of companies and still be heavily exposed to a small group of technology stocks, industries, or countries.

What should you check first when evaluating an AI ETF?

Use the fund’s current documents to test whether its strategy, risks, and costs match what you want to add to your portfolio. A practical review has five parts: documents, definition of AI exposure, holdings and concentration, total costs, and trading and portfolio fit.

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  1. Read the latest prospectus and shareholder report. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor.gov guidance recommends reviewing these documents before investing. They are available from a fund’s website or through EDGAR. Also obtain the fund’s current holdings file; a prospectus describes the strategy, while the holdings file shows what the portfolio owned on its stated date.
  2. Write down the fund’s method. Record whether it is actively managed or follows an index, how it defines AI exposure, any minimum exposure test or investment policy, where it can invest, and how often it reconstitutes or rebalances.
  3. Measure concentration. Calculate the top-five and top-ten portfolio weights, the largest single holding, and the proportions invested by sector, country, and market-cap range. Then compare those exposures with your other funds and individual stocks.
  4. Estimate total ownership costs. Check the expense ratio and fee table, then consider trading costs, commissions, turnover, and acquired-fund expenses if applicable.
  5. Review implementation and fit. Check assets, trading volume, bid-ask spreads, premium-or-discount history, securities lending, and—if it is an index fund—tracking difference. Consider whether the fund adds a distinct exposure or simply increases a risk you already have.

Investor.gov cautions that a narrowly focused fund may not provide meaningful diversification and recommends comparing holdings across funds. The right question is not simply “How many stocks does it own?” but “What risks drive those holdings, and do I already have them elsewhere?”

What does “AI exposure” mean in an ETF?

There is no single definition shared by every AI ETF. The prospectus and index methodology determine whether a fund seeks companies with substantial AI revenue, businesses that enable AI, or firms its manager considers part of a broader AI value chain.

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Active funds can use broader judgment

The January 27, 2026 prospectus for the Pictet AI & Automation ETF says the fund normally invests at least 80% of net assets in global AI and automation companies. Its approach considers a company’s links to the AI value chain using measures that include sales, EBITDA, enterprise value, and capital expenditure. That range of measures illustrates why an “AI company” need not be defined only by the share of revenue directly attributed to AI.

For an actively managed fund, look for the manager’s selection criteria, the investment policy, and the discretion the manager retains. Ask whether the policy sets a threshold for qualifying investments, whether it includes automation as well as AI, and how the manager can change holdings as its view evolves.

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Index funds follow a stated screening process

The Themes China Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF tracks a proprietary BITA index. Its prospectus says the index contained 24 companies as of December 31, 2025, and used a revenue-based Thematic Exposure Score derived from company filings, earnings materials, and other public information. That is a particular methodology and a dated constituent count, not a general measure of how many companies belong in every AI fund.

For an index ETF, find the index name and its methodology. Check what evidence qualifies a company, whether the index imposes minimum exposure or liquidity tests, how often it selects or weights constituents, and which countries and market-cap sizes it permits. A score or label is only as informative as the rules behind it.

How do you tell whether an AI ETF is concentrated?

Look at portfolio weights and shared business risks, not just the number of line items. Concentration can arise in a few large companies, a single sector, a small number of countries, or companies whose share prices are exposed to similar drivers.

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Calculate the largest-position weights

Add the weights of the five and ten largest holdings in the current holdings file. Also note the largest individual position. A large top-ten share means a handful of companies can have a substantial influence on returns, even if the ETF owns many more names.

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A dated example shows why this check matters. The First Trust Bloomberg Artificial Intelligence ETF shareholder report for the six-month period ending March 31, 2026, listed 50 holdings. Its top ten were NVIDIA (8.3%), Amazon (8.2%), Alphabet A (8.2%), Broadcom (8.0%), Microsoft (6.8%), ASML (5.1%), Taiwan Semiconductor (5.1%), Micron (4.6%), AMD (4.1%), and Meta A (3.9%). Adding those published weights gives 62.3%; that total is a calculation from the reported components, not a figure quoted by the report. The remaining holdings therefore accounted for about 37.7% based on the displayed weights, subject to rounding. The example is a snapshot, not a statement of the fund’s current portfolio.

Measure What to record What it helps reveal
Largest holding Weight of the single biggest position How much one company can affect the fund
Top five Combined weight of the five largest holdings Whether a small group has substantial influence
Top ten Combined weight of the ten largest holdings How much of the portfolio sits in its leading names
Sector and country shares Portfolio weights by industry and geography Whether exposure is clustered beyond individual names
Overlap Holdings and weights also present in your other investments Whether the ETF adds exposure or duplicates it

Check sector, country, and portfolio overlap

Use the fund’s stated classifications to review sector and country weights, and compare them with your existing investments. Two funds with different names may own many of the same large companies. A broad count of holdings will not expose that overlap; compare the underlying names and their weights.

Also consider correlated business drivers. Several companies may depend on demand for data-center equipment, semiconductor production, cloud computing, or digital advertising. They are distinct securities, but a common shock to one part of the technology supply chain can affect several of them. The SEC’s Investor.gov prospectus guidance describes concentration risk as the possibility that investing in a particular industry, sector, or geographical area results in a less diversified portfolio that may be more volatile than one without that concentration.

Are AI ETF fees worth paying?

Compare the expense ratio with the strategy and the costs of alternatives, but do not treat the fee as the only measure of value. Operating expenses are deducted from fund assets and reduce returns; a higher-cost fund must perform better than a lower-cost one to deliver the same return to investors.

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The Investment Company Institute’s 2025 figures, based on 2024 data, put the asset-weighted average expense ratio at 0.14% for index equity ETFs and 0.44% for actively managed equity ETFs. These are broad category averages, not a required price or a direct comparison between otherwise identical AI funds.

For context, the First Trust Bloomberg Artificial Intelligence ETF shareholder report for the six-month period ending March 31, 2026, reported a 0.65% annualized expense ratio and listed 50 holdings. That dated report provides a specific fund example; it does not establish what another AI ETF should charge or what any fund currently charges.

Translate an expense ratio into dollars

For a rough first-year illustration, multiply the investment amount by the annual expense ratio: $10,000 at 0.65% is about $65 for a year, before considering changes in the investment’s value or the timing of expenses. This is an estimate, not a separate invoice; the fund deducts operating expenses from its assets. Small percentage differences can compound because costs reduce the assets left invested over time.

Look beyond the headline ratio

Read the prospectus fee table for the fund’s stated operating expenses and any relevant acquired-fund expenses. Then check the trading spread and commissions that may apply when buying or selling shares. Turnover can also matter to implementation; compare it across funds and review the report for details such as securities lending. A low expense ratio alone does not tell you how easily or cheaply you can trade.

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The SEC’s July 23, 2025 bulletin illustrates the long-term effect of fees with a hypothetical $100,000 investment growing at 4% annually for 20 years and a 0.25% annual fee. Investor.gov points investors to FINRA’s Fund Analyzer for cost comparisons. Use such tools to compare like with like, and confirm their inputs against each fund’s current documents.

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How should you compare two AI ETFs with different methods?

Put the methods and portfolio consequences side by side. One fund may be active and use a broad value-chain definition; another may follow a rules-based index with a narrower revenue-related score. Neither label alone says which fund is more diversified, cheaper to trade, or better suited to your portfolio.

Comparison point Questions to answer from fund documents
Management approach Is the fund active or index-based? If index-based, which index does it track?
AI definition What makes a company eligible, and is there a minimum exposure test or investment policy?
Universe and schedule Which countries and market caps are eligible? How often are constituents selected, rebalanced, or reconstituted?
Concentration What are the top-five, top-ten, and largest-position weights? How do sector and country exposures compare?
Portfolio overlap Which holdings do you already own through other funds or individual stocks?
Costs What are the expense ratio and other fund expenses? What trading spread or commission may apply?
Implementation What are the fund’s assets, trading volume, turnover, and premium-or-discount history? For an index fund, how has it tracked its index?
Investor fit Does the exposure fit your risk tolerance and time horizon, and will you need to rebalance if weights drift?

Use current holdings for concentration and overlap, and dated reports for historical context. A fund’s holdings can change; note the “as of” date on every file and compare documents from similar dates. If an important figure is not disclosed in the material you reviewed, treat it as unknown rather than assuming the two funds are equivalent.

What risks can an AI ETF’s name hide?

The name does not tell you how narrowly a fund is invested, whether its holdings meet a particular revenue threshold, or how closely it overlaps with the rest of your portfolio. The prospectus is where to verify the fund’s stated policy and risks, while the holdings file shows the actual portfolio at a point in time.

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  • Many holdings, few effective drivers: a long list can still be top-heavy or clustered in related businesses.
  • Thematic label, flexible exposure: a value-chain definition may include suppliers or other enablers, not only companies that sell AI products.
  • Past portfolio, not current portfolio: shareholder reports are dated snapshots. Check the latest holdings file for the present allocation.
  • Cost beyond the expense ratio: the stated ratio does not by itself describe the bid-ask spread, commissions, or all trading frictions.
  • Overlap mistaken for diversification: buying a second technology-themed fund may increase exposure to the same companies rather than diversify it.

How do you decide whether the ETF fits your portfolio?

Judge the fund as one part of your overall allocation, not as a standalone bet on a theme. Investor.gov says risk tolerance and time horizon should guide allocation and notes that rebalancing may be needed as weights drift.

Before investing, write down what exposure you expect the fund to add, then check whether its actual holdings support that expectation. If the largest positions, sector mix, or country exposure largely repeat investments you already own, the ETF may intensify concentration rather than broaden your portfolio. Weigh that against the fund’s costs, trading characteristics, and your ability to tolerate volatility over your investment horizon.

This is an evaluation framework, not a recommendation to buy or sell any particular ETF. Holdings, fees, and methods can change, so use the latest prospectus, shareholder report, and holdings file before making a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does tracking difference mean for an index ETF?

Tracking difference is the gap between an ETF’s return and the return of the index it seeks to follow over a particular period. It reflects the result investors experienced after fund expenses and implementation effects, rather than simply the stated expense ratio.

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Does a company’s inclusion mean most of its revenue comes from AI?

Not necessarily. Eligibility depends on the fund’s own rules: some approaches consider value-chain measures such as sales, capital expenditure, or other business links, while others use a thematic score. Read the methodology rather than inferring a revenue share from a company’s presence in the portfolio.

What does an ETF premium or discount to NAV mean?

It describes whether the ETF’s market price is above or below the per-share value of its underlying assets at a given time. Reviewing the fund’s history can help you understand this trading feature, but a past premium or discount does not guarantee what you will pay in a future transaction.

Why can two AI ETFs have different holdings even if both track indexes?

They may track indexes with different eligible markets, AI definitions, screening rules, weighting methods, or rebalance schedules. Compare the index methodologies and dated holdings files to identify which differences are structural and which may reflect when each file was produced.

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