I doubled my number of Google shares in the end of March when its price crossed a psychological resistance line at $150 per share, while keeping in mind my first target around $175. Today we happily celebrate touching $185 per share already. The AI rally creates wonders, and Google brand is now leading "in AI mindshare among consumers", Jefferies investment house wrote today. It happened so that 63% of all its surveyed consumers associated Google with AI technology. This percentage number is running surprisingly well ahead of OpenAI (51%), Meta Platforms (44%), and Microsoft (28%). Roughly 1,500 consumers were polled by the firm.

The survey revealed that Google’s AI-powered search appealed to so many ordinary users compared to traditional search results. In particular, 41% of respondents voiced a positive reaction compared to 29% who didn’t like new Google's features. 60% of consumers said they are "very or somewhat likely" to use a non-Google AI platform for search. For "at-work use", OpenAI remains a leader, with 27% of workers using its ChatGPT and DALL-E text-to-image models, well above Google at 15%, and Microsoft’s Bing at 14%. Yet, Microsoft is OpenAI's closest, and, of course, "non-commercial" partner, and so shares of Microsoft are also hitting the skies.

Meanwhile, the survey prompted Jefferies to lift their price target on Google-parent Alphabet stock from $200 to $215 this week. I am going to hold my Google at least until hitting $215. Commerzbank is even more optimistic when raising its target to $220, still recommending the stock as a Strong Buy. Its analysts emphasised "the dynamic development and stable growth potential", as Google created a basis for long-term "real-time experiences" by integrating AI modules "into its wide range of products, including Google Search, YouTube, Google Cloud, and Android smartphones". Well, I just totally agree.