Hunting for the best AI ETF to buy now usually surfaces last year's winner. A calmer approach: compare fees first, then compare substance. Fees are certain. Performance is not. Winners rotate. Fees do not. Chasing recent performance is the most expensive habit in investing.
The spread is wide. IRBO charges 0.47% and QTUM 0.40%, while AIQ and BOTZ each charge 0.68% and ROBO charges 0.95%. Held for a decade, that gap compounds into real money out of your pocket. That is money you pay whether the fund wins or loses. The cheapest fund is not automatically the best, but the priciest needs to earn its premium every single year.
Then check what the fee buys. A cheap fund full of AI tourists is worse than a pricier fund full of real AI spenders. Fee first, filings second, ticker last. If the expensive fund cannot justify its premium with substance, the fee is just a drag with better branding.
Buy the best fee-to-substance ratio, not the best story.