There are numerous ads touting how you can create a side hustle or a career using artificial intelligence (AI). They promise you easy money for little effort.
But can you really earn some extra money or make a living with AI? There are many AI platforms available, both ethical and unethical, that could put some additional dollars in your pocket.
AI and Candle Making
If you’ve ever been on Etsy, you’ve probably seen candles with labels that have funny sayings. They are all the same shape and size, regardless of which store you buy them from.
But the artist possibly isn’t coming up with those funny sayings on their own. They’re likely using ChatGPT.
Once they have their saying, they use a print-on-demand company like Printify or Printful to print the candle (that they provide) and ship it directly to the customer. The shop owner never touches the candle while generating revenue.
AI Podcasts
When you’re listening to your favorite podcast, you may, in actuality, be listening to AI-generated voices.
NotebookLM Google, billed as a note-taking and research assistant, can be used to generate podcasts. It creates audio overviews from uploaded source material.
Users upload documents, websites, or other text-based content. NotebookLM will then generate a conversational audio piece, using AI voices, that sounds like a podcast.
Companies will then advertise in these podcasts, or you may be charged a fee to listen to them.
AI Hidden Picture Books or Children’s Books
You can create picture coloring books that have designated hidden objects in them. The game is to find the objects. If you’re not into hidden objects, use AI to write a children’s book.
The story and hidden objects are generated by AI, such as ChatGPT. It will write narratives and descriptions for each page.
You can then, based on your story, use AI generators like DALLE-E or Midjourney (both have free or paid versions) to create illustrations.
You’ll then combine the narrative and illustrations using Canva or Adobe InDesign to assemble the final book.
Publish the book using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
AI T-Shirts
If you don’t know how to draw or write funny sayings for T-shirts, AI can do it for you. All you need to do is use ChatGPT to generate the words. Midjourney or Canva can be used to create the design.
Then, to make the shirt, you send your design to a print-on-demand company, and they’ll print it for you. When someone orders it, the POD will automatically print and then ship the shirt to the customer. It’s an easy way to earn income without creativity.
AI Video Editing
Video editing can be a complicated and tedious process. One 10-minute video can take two to four hours to edit. Due to the difficulty, many people who needed videos would outsource the labor to production studios.
But that has changed; there are AI programs that can edit a video in minutes. Gling is one of the new programs. What used to take two hours now can be edited in seven minutes.
These programs use voice-to-text. The AI does the initial edit, and then the user can look at the text the AI has generated from the video’s speech. The user can then eliminate what they want by deleting the text.
For some production houses that charged hundreds of dollars for a video, they could now generate the same income in less time.
AI Influencer
If you haven’t seen one, you’ve heard about social media influencers. They appear on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms. Many individuals have a significant influence over their followers. Influencers convince their fans to buy items, suggest styles, and even promote certain behaviors.
But not all influencers are human. Some of them are AI-generated.
An AI program called Fooocus generates people from models. You then prompt it to make adjustments. For example, you may ask for high cheekbones, blonde hair, or curly body—whatever you want your perfect influencer to look like.
You’ll then have pictures to post on social media and show the influencer in different positions or clothes.
But you can take it a step further. With the program Roop Unleashed, you can take a picture and make a video out of it. You can show your influencer dancing, running, or doing anything you want.
Both Fooocus and Roop Unleashed are free to use.
AI E-commerce
AI has revolutionized online selling. It’s now easier than ever to launch and scale an e-commerce business. Some entrepreneurs are earning thousands of dollars by combining AI with smart product selection and target marketing.
You no longer need technical expertise. For example, you can use Shopify’s AI store builder to create a free store design. Etsy also uses AI to enhance its platform.
Many People Earn Money With AI
There are several ways you can generate revenue through the use of AI. And although they can be profitable, they can walk the ethical line at times.
From influencers and podcast hosts to T-shirts and candles, AI can be used to create products and ultimately an income.
The Epoch Times copyright © 2025. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
