Best AI Side Hustle Ideas: 27 Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence for Extra Income

When’s the last time you heard about someone becoming a millionaire by putting in overtime at their hourly job every now and then? Probably never. 

That’s because millionaires are playing a totally different ballgame, and most aren’t trading their time for money anymore. Instead, they’ve figured out the magic behind passive and recurring income (AKA money that pays you while you’re sleeping, eating, or grilling hot dogs with friends and family out in the backyard). 

And here’s another secret: a lot of them are using AI to work smarter, not harder. 

If you’re looking for ways to use AI for extra income and start a side hustle, then you’re in the right place. 

What Are AI Side Hustles?

AI side hustles involve all the ways that everyday people are using the latest technology to their advantage (even if they’re not tech experts themselves). 

Can you build your own AI model from scratch and create a side hustle that way? Sure, but that’s not what most people are doing. Besides, that would be extremely expensive and time-consuming. 

So, what can you do instead? Find existing AI tools that can take care of certain tasks so you can focus on the higher-level tasks that you’re really good at and actually want to do!

Here are the Top 7 AI Side Hustle Ideas: 

Get out your notepad and jot these AI side hustle ideas down! 

#1: Self-Publishing On Amazon

Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon’s self-publishing platform, and it’s 100% free to host, publish, and sell your books without the need for a traditional publisher, literary agent, or anyone else’s permission. Amazon is among the best self-publishing companies because of their royalty structure and access to a global audience.

What is self-publishing?

Long story short (pun intended), readers on Amazon are looking for books to solve their problems. If you can put out a book that gives them exactly what they need to overcome a challenge or explore a new topic —whether that’s with health and wellness advice, relationship guidance, or how to grow a vegetable garden—then that’s the easiest way to start making money online from your unique experiences. 

Publishing used to take months or even years, but AI tools like Publishing.ai are slashing those times by more than half! Now, unlimited ideas, chapter outlines, and even manuscript first drafts are just a few clicks away. 

Read why we're among the top book writing apps.

Is self-publishing worth it?

Self-publishing is 1000% worth it…for the people who see it through and focus more on their readers than their profits. Especially if you are using platforms like Amazon KDP it is rewarding.

The truth is that any business is destined to fail if you jump ship at the first sign of a storm or hardship. 

The magic of royalties is that they’re a byproduct of providing value and helping people, and those dividends can pay you for a lifetime.

How to get started in self-publishing

Ready to give it a whirl or do some more research before making the leap? 

There are 3 ways we can help: 

1. Our Student Success Portal is loaded with dozens of stories from self-publishers all over the world whose lives were completely changed by their royalties. 

2. This free publishing training walks you through the royalty business model and how everything works!

3. Join the AI Publishing Academy for instant access to a growing community of over 60k students and beginner-friendly walkthroughs for every single step of the publishing process. 

#2: Use AI to Create Faceless YouTube Channels

These types of videos are a huuuuge growing trend… 

What are faceless YouTube channels?

Faceless YouTube channels are exactly what they sound like—videos that creators make and share without being the main focus of the content. 

Some examples might include someone showing off their garden, showing you how to detail cars, or even traveling to inclusive resorts around the world. 

AI tools can generate video ideas, create instant B-roll footage, narrate the videos, and even edit or splice them for you. 

Are faceless YouTube channels profitable?

These YouTube channels start becoming profitable after gaining 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the previous year. Just like any business, it’ll take time to get your feet off the ground and build a solid base. 

#3: Design Etsy Printables Using AI

AI tools can also generate ideas or images for worksheets, planners, and coloring sheets, which you can then sell on digital marketplaces like Etsy. Keep in mind that these platforms also take a cut of your sales.

Here’s a list of AI design tools for you to get started: 

• Canva 
• Dall-E
• Midjourney

#4: Develop AI-Powered Chatbots for Businesses

Imagine if businesses had their own virtual superheroes, ready to tackle frequently asked questions and handle customer requests! Not every business can afford a full-fledged team, but you can swoop in to save the day by building or training AI models that interact with their customers for them.

How to get started on building an AI-powered chatbot

Kick off your journey by exploring platforms like Dialogflow or IBM Watson, and keep testing/refining the chatbots to make them feel more human and personable. 

#5: Start an Online Business Offering AI SEO Services

SEO is just a fancy term for helping businesses show up on the first few pages of search engines like Google and Bing (and let’s be real: most of us never scroll past the third or fourth page for our own searches). 

AI tools can help you craft SEO plans, conduct keyword research, and make suggestions for existing content. 

Here’s a list of SEO tools to get you started: 

• Ahrefs
• Semrush 
• AnswerThePublic 
• WordStream 

#6: Start an Online Business Offering AI-Driven Social Media Management

Social media management is a lot like trying to juggle a dozen balls, but half of them are on fire. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but there’s just so much to analyze, plan, and schedule at any given time. You can use AI to build social media strategies that help businesses focus on the most important channels and make the most out of their limited resources. 

Common social media platforms for businesses: 

• Meta Business Suite (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube) 
• TikTok 
• LinkedIn 
• Twitter/X 
• Pinterest 
• Tumblr 

#7: Create Courses to Teach Others How to Use AI

If you already have the experience and expertise using AI, you can create practical, informative courses for others and help people learn how to use AI in their own projects and businesses. You’d begin by planning your course content and selecting a platform like Udemy or Teachable to host it on. 

Other Low Effort AI Side Hustle Ideas

If you’re looking for more variety, these 20 AI side hustle ideas should help!

#8: AI Content Creation and Curation

We live in the content age. Everywhere you look, there’s a billboard, sign, ad, news, or post that’s meant to capture your attention and convince you to either do something or buy something.

AI can help you crank out creative ideas and speed up the content creation process for businesses. 

#9: AI Video Editing and Production

Just like publishing, editing and producing YouTube videos used to take 10 times longer than it does now, thanks to AI tools like Filmora and Clipchamp. 

#10: AI-Generated Products

With the click of a few buttons, you can create and sell AI-generated art, designs, or written content tailored to different markets and audiences.

You can also use AI to create product mock-ups and prototypes. 

#11: AI Prompt Engineering

Crafting better prompts can help businesses and individuals get the most out of AI tools. 

Some examples might include a prompt for creating on-brand Facebook posts, drafting professional emails, or creating agendas for staff meetings. 

#12: AI Tutoring and Consulting

Zoom, ClickUp, and even Slack have all debuted AI features recently, and not every business or team is going to understand how these new features can help them. That’s where you come in!

You can offer personalized tutoring or consulting services to help teams understand and implement AI technologies in their day-to-day work. 

#13: AI for Print on Demand Services

With platforms like Canva, you can easily design custom products like t-shirts, mugs, and posters using AI and sell them through print-on-demand platforms (think Shopify, Etsy, RedBubble, etc.). 

#14: AI as a Professional Tool

Businesses spend a LOT of money on training and onboarding.

You can introduce AI solutions to professionals in various fields to improve their workflows and productivity. It’s a win-win!

#15: Data Analysis and Customer Insights with AI

AI tools can analyze data and help businesses understand their customers better, whether that’s through surveys, website analytics, or ads data.

They can use that information to make changes to their products or even add new services to help more customers. 

#16: AI Programming and Development

Programmers have a huge advantage here, and you can make a decent chunk of change developing AI applications or tools for businesses, startups, or personal projects. 

#17: AI to Sell Digital Products

There’s also money to be made in creating and selling AI-generated eBooks, music, or other digital products.

You don’t even need to be in the same country as your customers, which means you can live the digital nomad life and travel as much (or as little) as you’d like. 

#18: Become an AI Virtual Assistant

If you’ve got a super Type A personality and love being organized, you could offer virtual assistant services powered by AI to help busy professionals manage their schedules and tasks or book their flights and hotels. 

#19: Create AI-Generated Music for Commercial Use

You can even compose and sell AI-generated music tracks for videos, commercials, or video games.

Side note: Our team was messing around with some of these tools a couple of months ago, and it’s mind-blowing just how many genres you can create in an instant. 

#20: Develop AI Apps for Smartphones

How many apps do you have on your phone right now? Dozens, probably.

There’s a giant market for AI-powered apps that solve everyday problems or provide entertainment.

#21: Automated Stock Trading with AI

This one’s definitely going to have more risk associated with it than the others on the list, but you could develop or use AI algorithms to automate stock trading and potentially increase returns.

#22: Personalized AI Coaching Programs

AI-driven coaching programs give you the opportunity to offer personalized advice and strategies in areas like fitness, productivity, or personal development.

(That last niche will always be huge) 

#23: AI Personalized Shopping Assistants

Consider yourself a fashionista? You can create AI tools that offer personalized shopping recommendations based on user preferences and behavior.

#24: AI Driven Customer Support Services

Just like in the medical field, customers need to be triaged based on how urgent and complicated their requests are.

If you can develop an AI tool that does this automatically, businesses will love you!

#25: AI-Enhanced Graphic Design Services

Canva is probably the hottest graphic design tool in the world right now, and it’s valued at billions of dollars.

If they’re pouring billions into AI research and their own AI tools, why not take advantage of them?

You can use these tools to speed up the creative process while still delivering high-quality results.

#26: AI-Based Translation Services

We’ve talked a lot about our thoughts on the current state of translation tools across our blog and how we don’t necessarily recommend one-click translations.

But if you already have some language skills, you can definitely use AI to translate content across different languages way faster. 

#27: AI-Optimized Fitness Programs

Health and wellness are exploding on the market right now, but there are still tons of untapped niches.

Why not offer AI-optimized fitness programs and teach chair yoga to seniors or circuit training for parents? 

What's the Most Lucrative Side Hustle?

We hate to sound like a broken record, but self-publishing is simply the most lucrative side hustle on the list when you factor in time, resources, and energy. 

When you take on side hustles like consulting, your paychecks and your work are still at the mercy of a boss, and no matter how hard you work, you’re still stuck at a set wage. 

Self-publishing, on the other hand, makes you the boss. You choose exactly when to work, what topics to publish, and even how much you want to get paid.

‍You can even change the price of your books depending on things like the market conditions, what your competitors are doing, and whether you want to run a book promotion. 

A book that you publish today could go on to sell for the rest of your life, bringing you steady royalties that get deposited straight to your bank account. Cha-ching!

How Can I Find a Lucrative Side Hustle?

We hope this list has provided you with a solid starting point for finding the right side hustle for you, but you can also poke around the rest of our blog for even more ideas:

• Best AI Tools to Make Money in 2024
• 59 Unique and Profitable AI Business Ideas to Start This Year
• How to Use AI to Make Money Ethically: Top 15 Ways

Job boards, social media groups, and your local newspaper are also great ways to land a lucrative side hustle. 

And if all else fails, a garage sale never hurt anybody. With summer coming up, it’s the perfect season to turn the dust in your garage into some cold, hard cash.