Owns companies working in artificial intelligence and robotics across technology, industrial and other businesses, following the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Index.
ROBT, the First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF, is a $775 million ETF whose main story is physical AI layer. It holds 4.7% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 5th of 53. Over the past year it returned +10.8%, against +16.8% for broad US ETFs. Figures to October 2, 2026; past performance, not a recommendation.
The narrative it carries
Its main narrative, at 0.7 of its exposure.
Physical AI layer →
Robots, factory automation and driverless vehicles: the machines AI puts to work in plants, warehouses and on roads.
The band is where this narrative’s level sits among the 22 this week. QUIET means less talked about, not falling.
| # | ETF | SHARE | ASSETS | 1 YEAR | COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOTZ | 28.7% | $3.33bn | −0.3% | 0.68% |
| 2 | ARTY | 25.4% | $4.22bn | +70.8% | 0.47% |
| 3 | ROBO | 17.4% | $2.02bn | +23.6% | 0.95% |
| 4 | ARKQ | 11.4% | $1.89bn | +8.0% | 0.75% |
| 5 | ROBT | 4.7% | $775.2m | +10.8% | 0.65% |
| 48 other ETFs | 12.4% |
Share is each ETF’s slice of the capital carrying this narrative. 1 year is market price total return; cost is the expense ratio. See all 53 ETFs on the narrative page →
Also carries: The AI compute core →
The chips, memory and data centers AI runs on, and the big technology companies that build and buy them.
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
| 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y* | 5Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROBT | +3.4% | +7.0% | +16.1% | +10.8% | +14.8% | +2.6% |
| Physical AI layerits narrative | +4.6% | +1.2% | +21.1% | +22.5% | +23.5% | +6.6% |
| The marketbroad US ETFs | +0.8% | +2.6% | +14.6% | +16.8% | +22.9% | +12.9% |
1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: one month to five years. YTD: year to date. * A year, annualised. A dash means the ETF has not traded for the whole period. Since it started trading on March 5, 2018: +8.7% a year.
$10,000 invested March 31, 2018
Year by year
Total return in each calendar year; this year is year to date. A year appears only if ROBT traded for all of it.
Total return on the market price, with each distribution reinvested on its ex-date. Not the NAV return the issuer publishes; the two differ when the ETF trades above or below the value of its holdings. The narrative is the asset-weighted return of the unlevered ETFs that carry it. The market is the asset-weighted return of broad US index ETFs. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
How closely it moves
ROBT moves closely with the market. When the market has moved 1%, ROBT has tended to move 1.43%.
ROBT moves closely with physical AI layer. When physical AI layer has moved 1%, ROBT has tended to move 0.89%.
Weekly returns over 157 weeks. The narrative is measured without ROBT in it, so it is not compared with itself.
ETFs it moves most and least like
Correlation of weekly returns over the last 3 years, among unlevered ETFs StoryVector covers.
Where it sits in Physical AI layer
Each dot is one of 17 unlevered ETFs whose main narrative is physical AI layer, placed by its return (up) and how much it swung (right) over the last year.
Risk
Cost against its peers
ROBT is the 7th cheapest of 17 ETFs in physical AI layer. The dashed line is the middle of the group, 0.68% a year.
How it is built
An unlevered long ETF that owns its holdings directly. It counts toward Share of Narrative.
Narrative exposure
Second narrative: read in the ETF’s own filing.
Common questions
What story is ROBT selling?
ROBT’s main story is physical AI layer, which covers robots, factory automation and driverless vehicles: the machines AI puts to work in plants, warehouses and on roads. Its second is the AI compute core.
Which ETFs compete with ROBT?
The ETFs whose weekly returns move most like ROBT’s over the past 3 years are AGIQ (0.94), FDIF (0.94) and XT (0.93).
How much of physical AI layer does ROBT hold?
ROBT holds 4.7% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 5th of 53.
How has ROBT performed against its story?
Over the past year ROBT returned +10.8%, the ETFs carrying physical AI layer +22.5% and broad US ETFs +16.8%, to October 2, 2026. Its weekly returns have a correlation of 0.93 with the story. Past performance only.
Run an ETF in physical AI layer? StoryVector shows issuers where their ETFs stand against the closest rivals, every week.
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