How I'd Invest $4,500 in Canadian Artificial Intelligence Stocks to Outsmart the Market

How I’d Invest $4,500 in Canadian Artificial Intelligence Stocks to Outsmart the Market

If you’re an investor wanting in on AI stocks, but want to do so safely, here’s where to invest.

Amy Legate-Wolfe

Amy became interested in investing in 2018 after having her first daughter. After receiving a masters degree in journalism from Western University, she became frustrated that the finance industry remained a confusing place for Canadians like her: new parents, millennials, and other young people who needed to understand their finances. Now, Amy focuses on tech companies and renewable energy for growth opportunities, coupling that with long-term investing strategies and equities. She also provides investors with a daily newsletter, Canada Stock Digest, for daily market updates. Before joining Motley Fool Canada, she wrote for major news organizations including HuffPost, CTVNews.ca, and CBC. When she’s not researching investing strategies, Amy’s time is pretty much monopolized by her two wild daughters, but in what little spare time she has she loves to do yoga, go on walks with her dog, and travel with her husband. Follow Amy on LinkedIn and Canada Stock Digest. Favorite Investment Quote: “October: This is one of the particularly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February.” – Mark Twain

Published April 30, 2025 5:00 pm EDT

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the buzzword of the decade, and for good reason. It’s changing how companies operate, how people interact with technology, and even how businesses make money. If you have $4,500 to invest right now and want a smart way to tap into the AI boom in Canada, there are some very solid options. Rather than gamble on risky start-ups, it might be smart to focus on well-established companies that are already using AI to drive real growth. In Canada, let’s look at three standout AI stocks.

The virtual button with the letters AI in a circle hovering above a keyboard, about to be clicked by a cursor. — Source: Getty Images

OpenText

OpenText (TSX:OTEX) is a quiet powerhouse that’s been helping businesses manage and secure information for decades. Lately, it has been pushing hard into AI, using it to boost data analytics, automate workflows, and make smarter security systems. In its most recent earnings report for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, OpenText pulled in revenue of $1.3 billion. While that was a small drop from the year before, the AI stock’s cloud segment grew by 2.7%, and it locked in $250 million in new cloud contract value.

What really stands out is its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $501 million, with a 37.6% margin and $307 million in free cash flow. That kind of financial strength means OpenText has the resources to keep investing in AI technology without blinking. With a market cap just under $10 billion and a dividend yield close to 2.5%, OpenText offers both stability and a little income while you wait for AI-driven growth to unfold.

CGI

Then there’s CGI (TSX:GIB.A). If you want to invest in an AI stock that touches pretty much every sector of the economy, CGI is a great pick. It’s one of the world’s largest IT and business consulting firms, with services that range from cloud computing to cybersecurity to AI solutions.

In its first quarter of fiscal 2025, CGI reported revenue of $3.8 billion, up 5.1% year over year. Earnings before income taxes hit $592 million, and its backlog reached an eye-popping $29.8 billion. That backlog gives CGI two full years of revenue visibility, which is a huge comfort in an uncertain market. AI is not a side project for CGI, but becoming a core offering across healthcare, government, financial services, and more. CGI feels like a safe and smart way to invest in the growing demand for AI services.

Tecsys

The third AI stock to consider is Tecsys (TSX:TCS). Tecsys might not be a household name, but it is making a big splash in supply chain management. Tecsys uses AI to help businesses optimize how they move goods from suppliers to customers. This sounds simple, but in a world where supply chain disruptions have become a major headache, AI-powered logistics solutions are in high demand.

Tecsys just reported record revenue of $45.2 million for its third quarter of fiscal 2025. Software as a Service (SaaS) revenue, the lifeblood of any modern software company, rose 22% year over year to $17.3 million. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 34% to $3.5 million. Perhaps most exciting, Tecsys’s remaining performance obligations now stand at $210 million. That number shows that clients are signing long-term contracts, giving Tecsys a strong foundation to grow revenue for years to come.

Bottom line

Artificial intelligence is still in the early innings of transforming industries, and picking companies that are using AI to make businesses smarter, faster, and more efficient is a smart way to invest. You don’t need to chase the latest flashy AI start-up when Canada already has some fantastic homegrown companies using AI to build real value today. With OpenText, CGI, and Tecsys, you could be setting yourself up to outsmart the market and build real wealth over time.