Top 13 AI Side Hustles to Try in 2024

In today’s fast-paced digital world, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is being utilized not just by tech giants and skilled engineers but also by everyday entrepreneurs and freelancers to create new opportunities and boost their income.

While AI can streamline tasks, unlock creative potential, and open up lucrative niches, there’s an ongoing debate among experts about which AI side hustles genuinely offer sustainable prospects versus those that are merely clickbait promoted by marketers.

In this guide, we focus on AI side hustles that show legitimate promise or are already helping people generate income online.

1. Social media content creation

Using AI to generate social media graphics and copywriting is an accessible side hustle for those interested in digital marketing.

This gig involves designing eye-catching graphics and crafting engaging text for various online platforms using tools like Canva for visuals and Jasper for writing.

For example, at DollarSprout, we pay a freelance graphic designer to create Pinterest pins for our blog content and eye-catching thumbnails for our YouTube video content. (If you pin this post, you can see the image they created).

Starting is straightforward, and you can quickly build a portfolio that attracts clients seeking to enhance their social media engagement.

2. AI-generated voiceovers

AI-generated voiceovers leverage advanced text-to-speech technology to create professional-sounding spoken content from written text. This side hustle is an easy way to make money online by producing voiceovers for videos, advertisements, educational materials, and more, without the need for traditional recording equipment.

Not so long ago, we paid a voiceover artist $650 to record a 45-second spot on our DollarSprout Rewards promo video. Her experience — and the finished product — were worth every penny, but it highlights what brands are willing to pay for professional-sounding voiceovers.

For less important work, or brands with smaller budgets, AI-generated voiceovers may be the perfect solution for their project needs. 

3. Photo colorization

Photo colorization using AI is an easy side hustle that involves breathing new life into old black-and-white photos by adding color.

This task, which blends hobby with technology, is now significantly more accessible thanks to AI tools that handle nearly all of the work.

4. YouTube thumbnail creation

Thumbnails act as the primary visual draw for viewers on YouTube, making or breaking a viewer’s decision to click on a video.

By utilizing AI, even those without extensive graphic design skills can produce eye-catching thumbnails that stand out in a crowded feed.

This not only enhances the visibility of videos but also plays a critical role in boosting a channel’s overall engagement and view counts.

5. Product photo editing

Product photo editing using AI tools is becoming increasingly popular among freelancers who specialize in enhancing e-commerce images.

This is essential for online businesses that rely on visually compelling product photos to attract and convert customers. By using AI, editors can efficiently handle tasks such as background removal, color correction, and even intricate detail enhancements, making product listings stand out in highly competitive markets.

6. Clothing model photos

Using tools like CapCut, designers and retailers can upload their clothing line images and seamlessly project them onto realistic AI-generated models. Fortunately, very few merchants know about this yet and that’s where you can step in: offering this as a service.

This technology not only streamlines the production of model photos by eliminating the need for physical photoshoots but also offers significant cost savings and creative flexibility.

You can adjust everything from the model’s pose to the background, ensuring that the final images perfectly align with the brand’s aesthetic and marketing goals.

7. Create digital products with AI

From interactive e-books that cater to specific educational needs to simple things like Excel templates that can be customized for various businesses, AI tools simplify the process of creating profitable digital products. 

Other popular digital product ideas might include personalized fitness plans that adapt to user feedback, nutrition guides tailored to dietary preferences, and comprehensive online courses that cover everything from photography to finance.

For the artistically inclined, AI can assist in designing unique art pieces, music compositions, or even children’s books. This approach is not only efficient but also opens up global market opportunities for entrepreneurs to monetize their creative or technical skills.

8. AI-powered niche sites

By employing AI, creators can automate and enhance the content creation process, using tools to generate articles, manage SEO, or even interact with visitors via AI-driven chatbots.

For example, AI can help by suggesting trending keywords, writing initial article drafts, or optimizing content for search engines based on current algorithm trends.

Popular types of niche sites that can benefit from AI include those focused on niche hobbies, specialized diets, unique investment strategies, or specific tech gadgets.

These sites often monetize through affiliate marketing, where they earn commissions by recommending products; display advertising, using platforms like Google AdSense; or selling digital products and memberships.

AI significantly cuts down the time and effort needed to manage these sites by automating routine tasks. It can generate fresh content regularly, ensure the content is SEO-friendly, and even tailor marketing emails to segmented audiences, thus increasing engagement and revenue.

9. Generate stock music with AI

AI music generators allow users to effortlessly craft unique soundtracks and songs, manipulating elements like tempo, genre, and instrumentation.

This side hustle is ideal for creating bespoke music for content creators, marketers, and game developers who require tailored audio for various projects.

For instance, as highlighted in one of our side hustle features, this lawyer moonlights as a stock music composer, earning a passive $300 per month selling stock music. To date, he’s made more than $10,000 with this gig. 

10. AI-assisted freelance writing

Freelance writing supplemented by AI allows writers to streamline their workflow, from drafting initial outlines to refining final drafts. 

AI tools can assist in research, grammar, style suggestions, and even content ideation and creation, making it easier to handle larger volumes of work or complex topics without compromising on quality.

For example, in the past, it would take our editors an hour or more of work to draft an article outline and identify keywords that people could potentially search for to find the finished piece. 

Now, using ChatGPT, our editors can create comprehensive briefs for writers, including plausible titles, article descriptions, appropriate headers, and a list of keywords, in mere minutes.

Related: 12 Ways to Grow Your Income as a Freelance Writer

11. AI-generated video content for YouTube

AI-generated video content for YouTube offers a flexible path for content creators looking to maintain faceless channels or freelance creators aiming to produce videos for clients. Specifically, AI technology enables the production of a wide range of content, including tutorials, reviews, and news updates, without the need for on-screen presence.

AI tools can automate scripting, voiceovers, and editing, making it possible to rapidly produce high-quality videos that are optimized for viewer engagement.

For those managing their own channels, AI allows for consistent content creation, crucial for building and maintaining an audience. Alternatively, freelancers can use these skills to offer video production services to other YouTubers or businesses looking to expand their digital footprint without managing daily content creation themselves.

Related: How This Teacher Turned YouTuber Makes $40,000 a Month

12. AI-driven ad management

AI-driven ad management is transforming digital marketing by enabling more precise and effective campaign management. This side hustle involves leveraging AI tools to automate and optimize ad placements, targeting, and bidding strategies across platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

For instance, AI can analyze historical data to predict which demographics are most likely to convert, optimize bids in real-time to maximize budget efficiency, and test different ad creatives to identify the most effective messaging.

Specifically, AI can be used to segment audiences based on their behavior and preferences, allowing for highly personalized ad campaigns. It can also predict customer lifetime value, helping to focus efforts on the most profitable segments.

Furthermore, AI-driven tools can dynamically adjust ad content based on user interactions, such as changing calls to action based on the time of day or a user’s previous engagement with the brand.

13. E-commerce optimization with AI

AI can now be used to analyze customer data and behavior, enabling personalized shopping experiences, such as product recommendations tailored to individual preferences or predictive search functionalities that anticipate customer needs. Additionally, AI tools can optimize pricing strategies in real time based on market demand, competitor pricing, and inventory levels.

For example, AI can automate the management of large inventories, dynamically adjust pricing, and create personalized email marketing campaigns targeted at specific user segments. These capabilities not only improve user engagement but also help e-commerce sites to scale efficiently by automating repetitive tasks and providing insights into consumer behavior trends. Effective AI implementation can lead to significant improvements in customer retention and overall profitability.

Popular methods for monetizing these optimizations include upselling and cross-selling personalized product recommendations, using AI-driven chatbots to handle customer inquiries and drive sales, and implementing dynamic pricing strategies to help maximize profit margins.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

When using AI to accelerate content creation, it’s important to follow ethical guidelines to ensure compliance with legal standards and maintain the trust of your audience. Here’s a best practice list for navigating these considerations effectively:

• Understand Copyright Laws: Familiarize yourself with intellectual property rights and copyright laws to ensure that your use of AI does not inadvertently infringe on the rights of others.
• Provide Transparency: Be transparent with your audience about the use of AI in your content creation process. This can include disclosing AI involvement in content production in your credits or descriptions.
• Check for Accuracy: AI-generated content can frequently produce inaccuracies or “hallucinations.” Always review and fact-check AI-generated content before publishing to ensure it meets your editorial guidelines. 
• Seek Permission: If your AI tools use existing content as a base for learning and generation, ensure you have the necessary permissions for that content. This is especially critical if the AI-generated output closely resembles the original copyrighted materials.

By adhering to these guidelines, content creators can harness the power of AI in their workflows while respecting legal boundaries and maintaining ethical standards.

Related: We Asked Over 1,000 Everyday People About AI. Here’s What They Said.

Popular AI Tools 

From enhancing written content to automating video production, these popular AI tools are empowering freelancers to boost efficiency and output quality, helping them stay competitive in various niches.

The Future is Already Here

Incredible stories of AI-driven success reveal a future that’s already unfolding before our eyes.

From the story of Dimeadozen, a digital product that unexpectedly sold for thousands, to a photographer who found a niche creating unique dog posters using AI, the scope of what’s achievable is vast and varied.

These examples highlight not just what AI is capable of today, but also hint at its evolving role in shaping entrepreneurial ventures in the years to come.

Related:

• 42 Easy Ways to Make Money Fast
• 16 Realistic Ways to Quickly Make $1,000