5 AI Side Hustles For Beginners (That Earn Up To $1K+ A Month)

As seen on Forbes.

For years, having a side hustle meant late-night Uber runs or selling your old clothes on eBay. With AI, the game has changed. You can build something entirely new, right from your laptop, without needing to know a single line of code. The best part? These opportunities aren’t just for tech pros. Anyone can get in on it. Here are some easy AI-powered side hustles you can start today.

Faceless YouTube Channels

Being on camera makes a lot of people break into a cold sweat. Luckily, faceless YouTube channels let you share content without ever showing your face. The idea isn’t brand new, but AI now takes out most of the busywork, so you can get videos out faster.

First, decide what your channel’s about. Pick a theme you actually like talking about so your enthusiasm will shine through, and your audience will stick around. From there, AI assistants like ChatGPT can help you come up with ideas, names, or video concepts by getting your creative juices flowing.

For visuals, you can use image generators like Bing AI or Perchance to make graphics, which you can then feed into a video generator. If recording your voice feels awkward, AI voiceovers can step in. The trick is to let AI handle the repetitive work while you focus on what makes the channel engaging and unique.

Your niche plays a huge role in your revenue. For example, a lifestyle channel might make under $1 for every 1,000 ad views, while a finance channel could earn closer to $12. And some channels really take off. Daily Dose of Internet, one of the most popular faceless channels, reportedly pulls in between $138,000 and $388,000 a month. Bottom line: With the right approach, faceless channels can be both creative and highly profitable.

Print-On-Demand Designs

For print-on-demand sellers, visuals are everything. That’s why AI image generators are such a game-changer: they can turn a rough idea into pro-level designs in seconds, so anyone can create shop-ready visuals. This model can help you sell personalized goods without worrying about keeping inventory.

Want to sell t-shirts, mugs, or phone cases? Just make a design, upload it to a provider’s catalog, and add it to your online store. Platforms like Etsy, Shopify, and Redbubble make it simple to set up shop.

Here’s how it works: When an order comes in, the provider takes care of printing, packaging, and shipping. For anyone new to e-commerce, this is a low-risk way to get your feet wet. No storage or bulk buying required. Your focus stays on the fun part: designing and building your brand. Tools like Midjourney and DALL·E let you turn quick prompts into unique, high-quality designs.

Most print-on-demand sellers earn between $1,583 and $9,833 a month, with the average at $4,639, or about $27 an hour. What starts as a side project can grow steadily if you keep refining your designs and promoting your store.

Online Courses

Not a designer? Not a tech whiz? Doesn’t matter. AI smooths out the tech headaches, so you can stay focused on teaching what you know best.

Step one: figure out your topic. This could be anything from gardening to bookkeeping to fitness training. AI tools can then help you put together lesson plans, learning goals, and even full course structures for your audience. On top of that, they can generate images, edit your videos, make worksheets, and even create social media promos. Video-focused apps like Synthesia and D-ID take it up a notch by making your courses more engaging with minimal effort.

When you’re ready, you can host your content on Udemy, Teachable, or Skillshare, or even build your own site if you want more control.

What you earn depends less on the platform and more on how you position your course. Many course creators bring in $1,000 to $10,000 a month, and the top ones cross $50,000 or more. A niche skill with high demand, such as Excel automation or fitness coaching, often outperforms general topics. The real draw here is scalability: one good course can keep earning long after you’ve created it.

Transcription

Transcription is one of those jobs that never really goes out of style. Researchers often have stacks of interviews to process, and businesses can’t always spare the staff to turn recordings into text. That creates space for freelance transcriptionists.

Freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or agencies like TranscribeMe are good places to get started. The process is simple: AI tools like Restream or Otter.ai create a draft transcript, and then you polish it up. Your job is to check accuracy, clean up the text, and make sure everything flows. Since AI doesn’t always get it right, your role is the final quality check.

Most general transcriptionists earn $10 to $20 an hour, while specialists like medical or legal transcriptionists often earn more, between $20 and $45 hourly. With AI handling the bulk of the heavy lifting, you can work faster, take on more gigs, and increase your earnings.

Self-Published Books

Readers are always looking for books that teach them something new or spark their interest. If you have personal experiences or knowledge in a specific area, turning them into an eBook can be a practical way to generate income.

Writing assistants like ChatGPT can kickstart the process by suggesting ideas, building an outline, and even drafting sections of your book. To make it your own, you still need to fact-check and add insights that reflect your perspective. Editing tools can also help catch errors, smooth out phrasing, and keep your writing professional.

When the manuscript is ready, AI-powered design apps can create layouts and book covers that look professional. From there, publishing platforms such as Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, and Apple Books make it easy to reach readers around the world.

The payoff looks different for everyone. A 2023 study showed that the average self-published author made $82,600 a year, while most earned closer to $12,749. Some authors earn more, but even smaller returns can grow over time with consistent writing and marketing.

As more people look for ways to earn extra income, AI side hustles are becoming a practical option. You don’t need fancy degrees or years of training, just curiosity and the willingness to try. Stick with it, and you’ll figure it out. Rooting for you!