2 Stocks That Could Quietly Become Big Winners in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution

Shopify reported Q2 revenue of $3.6 billion, up 34% year over year and above analyst estimates, while adjusted net income rose 30% to $439 million; the company said AI tools contributed to merchant traffic, product discovery, conversions and productivity. The article sees agent-driven commerce and AI-enabled shopping as long-term opportunities for Shopify. Dexcom is applying AI to its glucose-monitoring tools, while CGM penetration remains about 10–12 million users versus an estimated 70–80 million people with diabetes who could benefit; these prospects are presented as potential long-term growth drivers.

Analysis

The investable question is not whether either company uses AI, but whether it strengthens a monetizable customer relationship faster than it raises costs or shifts control to a new intermediary. For Shopify, better merchant discovery and conversion could deepen retention and support payments/merchant-services attach. The counter-risk is that AI shopping agents become the customer-facing layer: if they own discovery, comparison, and checkout, Shopify may retain transaction plumbing but lose data, brand engagement, or pricing leverage. Track merchant adoption and monetization—not tool launches—and whether agent-led transactions remain on Shopify rails. Near term, strong results can support sentiment, but this article supplies no valuation or incremental AI revenue attribution, so it does not establish upside from here.

For Dexcom, AI-enabled coaching may improve engagement and device stickiness, but features are replicable; durable advantage depends on clinical utility, adherence, reimbursement, and distribution. Abbott can compete through its scale and CGM portfolio, while broader adoption also depends on coverage and access rather than software alone. Over 6–18 months, evidence of improved retention or expanded covered populations matters more than feature announcements. Main downside risks are reimbursement/pricing pressure, weaker-than-expected adoption, regulatory or privacy friction, and an agentic-commerce model that bypasses merchant platforms. The article is promotional and provides no independent evidence that AI has yet produced material incremental financial impact.

Key Decisions for Investors

• SHOP: Do not add solely on this AI narrative. Consider initiating on a broad-market or post-earnings pullback, sized as a growth-platform exposure; add only if subsequent reporting shows durable merchant growth/monetization and agent-led commerce continues to route through Shopify. Falsifier: evidence that third-party agents divert transactions or weaken merchant economics.
• DXCM: Keep on a catalyst watch rather than buying the AI claim alone. Verify that AI features improve engagement/retention and that coverage or geographic access expands; a feature launch without measurable adoption is not an earnings catalyst. Reassess if reimbursement, pricing, or competitive disclosures weaken.
• Avoid a SHOP-versus-DXCM pair as a pure AI trade: their key drivers differ, and the supplied information gives neither relative valuation nor measured AI contribution. Review valuation, guidance, and adoption metrics before committing capital.
• For the next 1–3 months, monitor SHOP’s merchant/GMV and monetization commentary, and DXCM’s user growth, retention, reimbursement, and product adoption disclosures. If those indicators fail to confirm the narrative, treat any AI-led multiple expansion as vulnerable rather than as proof of structural earnings acceleration.