ROBT ETF: What Is It? A Complete Guide to Returns, Expense Ratio, Holdings, and Alternative ETFs
The First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF is a global thematic product that invests in artificial intelligence and robotics companies, holding a broad mix of technology, industrials, and healthcare stocks. Theme concentration, fees, and the industry outlook are the key points to check, and comparison with other AI and robotics ETFs is the main selection criterion. Its trading ticker is ROBT.
SubscribeWhat Is the First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF?
This ETF tracks a thematic index of companies around the world that develop and use artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. It is centered on technology stocks and diversified across multiple industries and regions.
It suits growth-oriented investors who want to bet on the long-term growth of the artificial intelligence and robotics industries through global diversification.
It is a passively managed (index-tracking) ETF run by First Trust.
How Does the First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Invest?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Tracked Index | Nasdaq AI & Robotics Index |
| Management Style | Passive (index tracking) |
| Rebalancing Frequency | Semiannual (per index rules) |
| Dividend Frequency | Irregular |
| Expense Ratio | 0.65% |
The fund classifies companies by their degree of involvement in AI and robotics technologies and assigns weights according to index rules. It centers on the technology sector while also including industrial and healthcare companies, and it diversifies across companies in the United States as well as Japan, Europe, Israel, and other regions.
- A thematic portfolio covering both AI and robotics
- Global diversification across multiple regions and industries
First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Size and Costs (AUM and Management Fee)
Assets under management (AUM) are $765.0M, and the expense ratio is 0.65% per year.
Unlike broad technology ETFs, it is concentrated in the AI and robotics theme, so both its growth potential and its volatility tend to be high, while global diversification keeps its US concentration relatively low.
First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Performance and Trends
1-Year Price Performance
Dividend & Yield
52-Week Price RangeThe theme as a whole tends to move together with investment flows into AI and robotics. It performs strongly when expectations for technological innovation are high, but volatility can widen during corrections in technology stocks, and its overseas exposure also makes it sensitive to exchange rates.
Money tends to flow into thematic ETFs when interest in artificial intelligence and automation rises, and because of the large weighting in growth stocks, outflows can also occur when risk aversion strengthens.
First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Pros and Cons
Its strength is investing in the AI and robotics theme through global diversification, while theme concentration, currency exposure, and the fee burden are its drawbacks.
💪 Key Strengths
⚠️ Points to Watch
First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Alternative ETFs and Related Products
BOTZ and AIS in the table are similar ETFs with the same AI and robotics theme, while GRID, TAN, and NASA cover other infrastructure themes such as power grids, solar energy, and space. To focus more on robotics, you can also compare ROBO; for broad coverage of AI as a whole, AIQ; and for a next-generation AI theme, IGPT. For thematic ETFs, differences in holdings and regional weightings drive performance, so it is wise to check the portfolio composition as well.
Peer Comparison ETFs| Ticker | Name | Price | Change | AUM | Total Expense Ratio | Dividend Yield | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 GRID | First Trust Clean Edge Smart Grid | $170.34 | +0.6% | $11.5B | 0.56% | 0.91% | +7.2% |
 BOTZ | Global X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF | $33.42 | -1.8% | $3.2B | 0.68% | 0.53% | -12.4% |
 AIS | VistaShares Artificial Intelligence Supercycle ETF | $64.91 | -2.7% | $1.2B | 0.75% | - | +58.7% |
 NASA | Tema Space Innovators ETF | $21.61 | -0.1% | $994.7M | 0.75% | - | - |
 TAN | Invesco Solar ETF | $41.18 | +0.5% | $883.7M | 0.70% | - | -15.3% |
Top Holdings| Ticker | Name | Weight | Price | Change | Market Cap | P/E | Dividend Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NET | Cloudflare Inc | 0.02% | $310.30 | -2.6% | $110.5B | - | - |
| PANW | Palo Alto Networks Inc | 0.04% | $380.57 | -3.5% | $311.6B | 742.6 | - |
 TEM | Tempus AI Inc | 0.02% | $77.84 | +1.6% | $14.2B | - | - |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies Inc | 0.02% | $196.42 | -0.2% | $472.0B | 167.4 | - |
 AI | C3.ai Inc | 0.02% | $12.17 | -1.3% | $2.0B | - | - |
 CCC | CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Inc | 0.03% | $7.68 | +0.1% | $4.5B | 108.9 | - |
 PATH | UiPath Inc | 0.02% | $13.78 | -2.9% | $7.2B | 20.5 | - |
| ILMN | Illumina Inc | 0.02% | $290.06 | +0.4% | $43.8B | 54.1 | - |
First Trust Nasdaq AI & Robotics ETF Investor Checkpoints
Here are the points to review before investing in ROBT. As a global AI and robotics ETF, it is important to check theme concentration, currency exposure, fee level, and portfolio composition in advance.
| Checkpoint | What to Check | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| 💵 Expense Ratio | Check the cumulative impact of a thematic ETF's fees | Somewhat high |
| 🤖 Theme Concentration | Volatility from concentration in AI and robotics | Concentrated exposure |
| 💱 Currency Exposure | Exchange rate impact from overseas holdings | Has overseas exposure |
| 📊 Holdings | Check regional and industry weight distribution | Needs review |
Because it is concentrated in the AI and robotics theme, volatility can widen sharply during corrections in technology stocks. Exchange rate fluctuations from overseas holdings and the fee burden of a thematic ETF are also risk factors.
It is a thematic ETF suited to growth-oriented investors who want to bet on the long-term growth of the artificial intelligence and robotics industries through global diversification. If you prefer US concentration, a US-focused AI ETF may be an alternative, and if you value global diversification, ROBT can be the alternative.
SubscribeDisclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. All investment responsibility lies with the investor.
This article reflects information as of June 4, 2026.
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