The AI Agent Playbook: 2 Stocks That Could Double

In the very early 1990s, the Internet was like an uncharted island: No maps … no compasses … no navigation aids.

Early inventions like Gopher, Archie and Jughead gave searchers some help. Then British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee created the user-friendly World Wide Web (WWW), a crucial milestone in how folks accessed online content.

Innovations like WebCrawler, Yahoo!, Lycos and AltaVista were incremental next steps.

But it was Google that cleared a path across that “jungle” – and kinda “mapped” the Web. In September 1998, it launched a “search engine” that used advanced algorithms and indexing to deliver hyper-relevant results – in effect, getting us where we needed to go.

By November 2002, Google controlled 84% of the desktop search-engine market. And it wasn’t just market share: Google also had a near-monopoly “mindshare” — its name became a verb, one synonymous with “search” (“I don’t know, but I can Google it.”).

When that happens, it’s brand magic (and a copyright nightmare).

We saw that with photocopying (“Just Xerox it”), tissue paper (“I need a Kleenex”), and a few others. 

But time passed. The early 2020s arrived. And so did a promised new technology called AI. 

The original search engines delivered destinations  – a website, a menu of news stories or the app you need.

But AI promised to deliver answers.

In November 2022, OpenAI debuted ChatGPT and we got to see how much of that “promise” was real.

As with Google, you can ask ChatGPT a question. But the answers feel more interactive, engaging, and highly personalized. It can also remember previous interactions, transforming “search” into a “conversation.”

ChatGPT outshines Google in another way, too: While the newest version of Google search leads you to answers, ChatGPT can take work off your plate, acting as a kind of “automatic you” with such capabilities as coding and drafting emails.

Suddenly, Google’s popular search engine is feeling the squeeze.

Google’s share of the desktop search market — as high as 91% in November 2018 — dropped under the 80% level back in January, as folks shifted to the AI-powered Bing from Microsoft Corp. $MSFT ( ▲ 0.21% ), chatbots, social media, and other services.

And the disruption hasn’t stopped. The AI market is changing – quickly. It’s shifted from high-performance search to task automation – and something called “AI Agents.”

Google improved search relevance, and ChatGPT provided more personalization and automation around productivity tasks.

For retail consumers, AI Agents will be a true “digital assistant.”

And, for enlightened investors, those “agents” are “AI’s Next Act.”

Let’s take a look …

Big Ideas, Bold Returns

From Ark Invest’s 2025 “Big Idea” presentation, we can see AI Agents in action:

So from a simple query — “Which local bakeries offer the best birthday cakes” — the AI Agent:

1. Found the best bakeries in the area by review.

2. Showed the top five options.

3. And placed a customized order for the individual based on their schedule availability.

That’s a time-saver for sure. But we’re just scratching the surface here: This technology has far-reaching capabilities that can significantly enhance our daily lives far beyond just finding and ordering a birthday cake.

We’re talking about advances that will:

· Let a self-driving car “sense” when the oil needs changing or brakes replaced, schedule the appointment, drive itself there, pay the bill and drive itself home – and you’ll never have to lift a finger.

· Allow for real-time health monitoring – where an agent manages your medication schedules and books your doctor appointments.

· Even create “early warning systems” for earthquakes and tornadoes – using advanced pattern recognition and data analysis to save lives with super-early evacuations.

This sounds “science fiction-ish.” But it’s not. The latest projections tell us this tech will be mainstream before we know it.

🤖The AI Agent Outlook … And What to Do

Researcher MarketsandMarkets says we’re just getting started. The AI Agent market was worth about $5.1 billion last year. But it could jump to $47.1 billion by 2030. That’s a ninefold jump in just six years – for a sizzling compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.8%. 

The 2030 forecast from Market.us comes in only-slightly-lower $46.58 billion. But its outlook extends out to 2033, which sees the AI Agent market valued at $139.12 billion.

Over a 10-year span (2023-2033), that’s a 43.8% CAGR.

Who wouldn’t want to invest in a market that’ll grow almost 50% a year for six years or more?

So here's what you do about it …

A Double-Dose of AI Agent Stocks

 AI Agent Stock No. 1: Salesforce Inc. $CRM ( ▼ 4.86% )  

One of the companies Chief Stock Picker Bill Patalon is reviewing for inclusion in our SPC Premium Model Portfolio is Salesforce.

Quick Facts

• Founded: 1999

• CEO: Marc Benioff

• Consensus One-Year Price Target: $346.31

• Potential Gain: +47%

Salesforce Snapshot: Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that specializes in “customer relationship management” (CRM) – and works with customers to put that technology into action. It helps businesses manage sales, customer service, marketing, and analytics through a unified platform. Known for its flagship product, Sales Cloud, Salesforce also offers tools like Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud and some newer AI-powered features.

This guide focuses on Salesforce’s AI Agent capabilities—particularly its “Agentforce” solution.

What Is Agentforce?

Agentforce is Salesforce’s AI-driven customer service tool. It helps businesses automate routine support tasks, allowing human employees to focus on more complex and strategic work.

AI Agents can:

✅Engage with sales leads and schedule appointments.

✅Help with shipping and ordering – providing tracking information, handling returns and issuing refunds.

✅Provide pricing and product specifications.

✅And resolve system and software issues.

Some of the company’s most well-known customers include the publishing giant Wiley, the pharma behemoth Pfizer and the luxury retailer Saks.

Wiley found that its switch to Agentforce to handle routine inquiries from an earlier chatbot led to a 40% increase in case resolutions in just the first few weeks. That frees up customer service employees for more complex and higher value tasks.  

But what makes Salesforce more interesting as an AI Agent stock is that it “eats its own cooking.”

Not only does Salesforce provide AI Agents to businesses … it’s a prolific user of its own technology.

In a July 2025 interview with Forbes, Benioff said his company has completed over one million conversations between customers and agents, reducing support costs by 17% in less than a year.

He also says AI Agents help his sales team.

“We have so many leads that we can’t follow up on them all,” he told the reporter. “Salespeople basically cherry pick what leads they want to call back. Thousands of leads, tens of thousands of leads, hundreds of thousands of leads have never been called back. But in the agentic world, there’s no excuse for that. Every lead can be followed up on.”

Growth Outlook 

Slowing sales growth (sales are growing, just not as fast as before) have caused Salesforce’s share price to skid a bit recently. Investors have seen the top-line growth rate decelerate from the accustomed double-digit pace down to 7.7% in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.

But context matters. Analyst forecasts from the institutional data provider Simply Wall St. show that revenue growth in the low-double digits or high single digits still will translate into double-digit profit growth.

We look for “Money Doublers.” By putting a bit of time on our side and finding a beaten-down stock like Salesforce, we believe we’ve found a kind of Wealth Builder opportunity.

On June 5, investment researcher Morningstar raised its “fair value estimate” to $325 or 23% higher from where the stock was trading. Morningstar likes the company because of the economic moat it’s built: It is difficult and costly to completely switch from Salesforce to another provider. Morningstar also found that Salesforce’s sound finances – with $14 billion in cash and investments.

Consensus estimates suggest the stock could climb 47% over the next year.

Bottom Line for Salesforce

Salesforce’s AI Agent strategy—both as a product and internal tool—positions it for long-term success. While short-term growth may be slower, the company’s focus on efficiency and profitability – combined with its undervaluation – makes this a “Money Doubler” opportunity.

AI Agent Stock No. 2: Okta Inc. $OKTA ( ▲ 0.31% )  

Quick Facts

• Founded: 2009

• CEO: Tod McKinnon

• Consensus One-Year Price Target: $121.55

• Potential Gain From Current Prices: +37%

Okta Snapshot: The company was founded as a kind of digital gate guard – one that protects the “crown jewels” of its customers. You want to get into your company’s e-mail system, HR platform, and cloud storage? Instead of remembering a bunch of passwords, you log in once through Okta. Using passwords, fingerprints, face scans or even a code sent to your phone, Okta asks: “Is that really you?”

If you pass the check, Okta lets you access anything you need. And that includes developers – a complicating factor since they need access, even as they create new behind-the-gate tools that need protection.

In the Age of AI Agents – these security layers will see a 100x jump in importance and sophistication. Those agents often act autonomously—accessing data, triggering workflows and making decisions. Without the very best identity controls, there’s no way to be certain security is maintained while this happens.

In short, the market is “coming to” Okta.

In terms of AI agents, the San Francisco-based company launched its generative AI initiative, Okta AI, at its Oktane conference on October 4, 2023.

As companies rush to integrate AI tools that automate tasks and generate insights, Okta keeps making sure that only the “right” people (or correct systems) —can access the right data. With features like adaptive multi-factor authentication, automated provisioning and role-based access controls, Okta AI helps businesses unlock the benefits of generative AI without compromising security or compliance.

What benefits companies is that Okta connects AI tools to the rest of a company’s tools and tech that it already uses to operate, while enforcing strict identity oversight.

Whether a company is onboarding employees, managing contractors or protecting customer data, Okta automates access and enforces permissions dynamically. This means faster deployment of AI tools, reduced IT burden, and stronger protection for sensitive information.

According to the research platform MarketsandMarkets, the AI agent market size is expected to grow from $7.84 billion in 2025 to $52.62 billion by 2030 – a massive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46.3%.

Okta believes the total addressable market (TAM) for workplace identity and identity governance and administration is even larger with the proliferation of AI agents; an $80 billion opportunity that’s just starting.

Okta shares are up on the year, unlike Salesforce, but Okta shares are only slightly higher than the benchmark S&P 500.

However, both companies share a similarity that they may be undervalued AI agent stocks compared to where shares could be trading in just a few years.

Growth Outlook

Similar to Salesforce, Okta revenue is in the single digits but earnings growth is impressive.

Using a few different earning growth models, if the stock price follows earnings growth higher, here are a few scenarios for how long it would take for shares of Okta to double:

Even at a slower and conservative annual earnings growth rate, you could still see shares double in roughly five years. With a higher earnings growth rate, you are looking at a little over two years. 

Bottom Line for Okta

As more companies integrate AI agents into their daily workflows, they will also need to increase their security for those agents. As a legacy security and identity management provider, Okta can start carving out a nice chunk of a market it believes will reach $80 billion in value. 

Recap: Why AI Agents Matter — and Who’s Leading the Charge

AI Agents are reshaping how we interact with technology—automating tasks, making decisions and connecting seamlessly with our lives.

Salesforce and Okta stand out as two companies building those AI Agent tools.

Salesforce’s Agentforce is transforming customer service, while Okta’s identity-first approach ensures secure, scalable AI adoption.

Both stocks are forecast to grow earnings at double-digit rates, with the potential for shares to double in value within just a few years.

But that doesn’t mean they will go straight up, as these stocks could wobble or face steep drops on any setbacks in the AI industry, as well as from geopolitics and economic uncertainty.

You can consider Bill’s “Accumulate” strategy here, where you set up a foundational stake and buy shares on pullbacks. So, for example, if your “budget” for either stock was $10,000, you could buy a $5,000 initial stake and use the rest of the $5,000 to buy on pullbacks.

You could also consider an automated strategy where you set up recurring investments, buying the same amount of shares each week or month.

We hope you found this guide useful, and we truly appreciate everyone who stops by our little corner of the investing world here at Stock Picker’s Corner (SPC). 

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