Wall Street's AI heavyweights added a combined half a trillion dollars in stock market value late on Wednesday after quarterly reports from Microsoft and Meta Platforms showed massive investments in the emerging technology were paying off.

Meta Platforms shares surged in after-hours trading after it blew out second-quarter earnings expectations Wednesday afternoon. Along with Alphabet’s second-quarter earnings report last week, Meta’s release reveals a lot of strength in digital advertising,

Meta Platforms delivered a standout second quarter, smashing analyst expectations and reaffirming its leadership role in AI-powered ad monetisation. With