| Side hustle income rose from $810 (USD)/month in 2023 to $891/month in 2024. In 2025, it’s projected to increase even more. – Forbes |
When you think of something to do to get extra money, an AI side hustle probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
However, driving Uber is something that comes to mind. Or flipping stuff on eBay?
And not that those ideas aren’t good and won’t get you money, but why not give AI a shot and maybe sleep at night instead of driving random people around town?
Think about everything AI can already do.
It can write, design logos, analyze spreadsheets, draw images, make professional-looking videos, and record voiceovers in minutes. There’s quite a bit it can do. Something that used to take forever to do can now be done practically instantly, and you don’t need a huge investment for it.
You hardly need any money at all to get started.
It comes down to figuring out spots where AI can solve problems for other people and get paid to deliver them.
Lucky for you, there are five excellent ideas in this article, so read on.
AI Side Hustle – Statistics
Before we dive into the five ideas, we’ll quickly leave you with some interesting statistics that are relevant to this topic:
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5 Great Side Hustles You Can Start Right Now
| Just to get it out of the way, this isn’t a ‘make $10,000/month easy’ type of article. Not that that’s not possible, because it is. But if you’re making that much each month, it isn’t easy. |
The ‘work smarter, not harder’ is so overused it’s at the point where it sounds cringey when you say it. But to be fair, using AI for paid side hustles is kind of the definition of that.
Below we’ll go over a few ideas which you could jump into right now by using nothing but a laptop and some AI tools. If there’s something that interest you – good for you! If not, hopefully, it’ll spark some ideas so that we can point you into the right direction.
Write Content
Businesses need new content for their websites all the time. That’s because it’s important for SEO. And while this is an obvious one, it might seem like a great idea to venture there. But you’ll have to be careful, because:
- In March 2024, Google released its Core Update, which targeted AI-generated content. No one knows the exact numbers because Google won’t release the data, but at least 1,446 manual actions were applied, resulting in 20+ million visitors lost. – Search Engine Journal / SeoProfy / Reddit
- In June of 2025, Google’s Core Update deindexed a massive amount of pages that had AI-heavy content. Approx 15-20% of all websites on Google were deindexed from search (approx. 20,000-4,000,000 pages per property removed); the largest reduction in Google’s history, by far. – Indexing Insight / Stan Ventures / Search Engine Journal / Coalition Technologies / Reddit
These penalties have much to do with AI being aggressively used to generate whole websites in the span of a few hours, resulting in 40% of the whole content on the internet being generated in one year. Google had to react, which is fair and understandable, but some of those who only used AI ‘sometimes’ or as an ‘assistive tool’ were also subject to this penalty.
As a bottom line, if you make AI content, you’re basically risking your site (or your client’s site) to be deindexed by Google. And if you aren’t on Google, it might as well be as if you weren’t on the internet at all.
With that being said, besides website/blog writing, you can still use AI to write. Most businesses don’t have the time or staff to handle new blog posts or newsletters, which is where you step in.
With AI writing tools, you can generate first drafts and then edit them (check for grammar/style errors). This makes sure the quality of the content is high, but writing it/generating ideas won’t take hours.
You could use AI for writing emails, ads, copy, social media posts, resumes, scripts, ebooks, business reports, contracts, etc. There’s more content than just ‘online content’ and there’s lots of opportunities to improve your finances.
Tutoring/Online Courses
Education isn’t what it was 20 years ago; students now want learning experiences that can adapt to their pace and style. We’re talking personalized online courses, real-time tutors/educators.
With AI you can explain complicated/difficult concepts in simple terms easily and without too much effort. People want to learn new things. But the experience needs to be interesting and easy to understand. Otherwise, you’ll lose all but the most determined ones. With AI, you can personalize lessons for each student based on how the student is doing and depending on what they want/need.
Think about what your area of expertise is. Is it the NFL, is it baseball, is it programming in Python, perhaps it’s woodworking. You can teach others who want to obtain those skills. With AI, you can do that easily.
Market Research/Insights
In order to be successful, a business has to know exactly what/how/when their competitors are doing, plus they need to know what their customers want.
Businesses rely on marketing teams to research the market, and as you can imagine, all that costs a lot and it’s very time-consuming.
AI tools can make this a lot easier because they can search for reviews and look at what’s going on with current/future trends without any manual research. If you have multiple clients, you can even tailor/personalize those reports according to your clients’ wants and needs.
For example, you can offer AI analysis to a small law firm, and they can pair that with bankruptcy law SEO strategies to drive more of the right clients. Or you could look at real estate for a specific location/region and create reports on the sellers/buyers market, as well as which neighborhood is currently popular and which one isn’t (and why).
If you package this type of research into monthly or quarterly reports, it can give you a steady income.
Manage Social Media Accounts
For a small business, social media is a time sink. They don’t know how important regular posts are and, even if they do, they don’t know what to post or when or both.
AI has some amazing tools that can help you with that. You can use them to write captions and/or schedule posts on autopilot. Prepare them for a week (or more) in advance, and the AI tool will do the rest.
A lot of platforms can analyze when audiences are most active (e.g., Meta’s Business Suite). This way you can maximize the number of eyes on those scheduled posts.
What you can do is offer your services as a Social Media Administrator/Moderator where you’ll do these tedious/time-consuming tasks for them as a outside partner/freelancer. This way the business can focus on their own things, knowing their social media is taken care of.
What you can do is to package this service into monthly plans brands, shops, eCommerce businesses, influencers, etc. You can even add tiers to your service plans where each tier offers something more (or different).
Art/Video/Digital Products
With AI design tools (Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Synthesia, Sora, Google Veo), you can create beautiful, high-quality visuals (images, videos), and you don’t need to have a background in art to make this happen.
Sure, it’ll take a minute until you get to know how to use the tool, and most of these tools cost a monthly subscription. But once you master the tool, you’re ready to go.
You can make digital art or animated assets that businesses and creators need for their projects. Sell your products and art on Etsy and Shutterstock (or similar platforms), or as Print on Demand (POD). If you create something more unique that collectors might want, you can think of taking advantage of NFT platforms because they’re still relevant.
But the thing that’ll give you the real edge is ‘customization’ (e.g., logos and branded visuals), which clients can use over and over. For this, you can create a library of assets, which will help earn you passive income while you keep making new creations on the side.
Conclusion
When you thought ‘side hustle’, before your mind would jump to food delivery, selling old clothes on a marketplace – things like that. Today, a lot of side hustles can be done with a laptop, a stable internet connection, some determination, and all that from the comfort of your own home.
And while a side hustle might not be that $5,000 or $8,000 per month you see on YouTube all the time, it’ll still be something enough to pay the bills or pay for rent or food. Plus, if you manage to scale it, you might even be able to leave your 9-5 job and become your own boss!
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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