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How to Earn Money as a Side Hustle Using AI Tools

Published

3 days ago

August 28, 2025

Introduction: Why AI Side Hustles Are Booming

The rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, but it’s doing more than just revolutionizing big corporations—it’s opening up new income opportunities for everyday people. Whether you’re a student, a full-time professional, or someone looking to build multiple side streams of revenue, AI tools can help you earn money smarter, not harder.

The best part? You don’t need to be a programmer or a tech expert. With easy-to-use AI platforms now available, almost anyone can start a side hustle using AI to save time, generate ideas, and create valuable products or services.

In this article, we’ll explore practical AI-powered side hustles and how you can turn them into profitable income streams.

Why Use AI for Side Hustles?

Before diving into specific ideas, let’s understand why artificial intelligence is transforming side hustles:

Efficiency: AI automates time-consuming tasks such as writing, data entry, or image editing.
Creativity: Tools like ChatGPT, MidJourney, Jasper, or Canva with AI assist in brainstorming and content creation.
Low Cost: Many AI-based tools are free or affordable, meaning you can start with minimal investment.
Scalability: Once you set up your workflow, you can scale more easily compared to manual efforts.

10 Proven AI Side Hustles You Can Start Today

1. Freelance Writing and Content Creation with AI

AI writing tools can help you draft blog posts, marketing emails, product descriptions, or newsletters in half the time. Many small businesses need consistent content, and you can provide services at lower costs by streamlining with AI.

Tools to Use: ChatGPT, Jasper, Writesonic
Potential Earnings: $15–$100 per article depending on length and niche
Pro Tip: Don’t just copy AI output—edit, refine, and add your unique expertise to deliver higher-value content.

2. AI-Powered Graphic Design Services

Not a designer? No problem. AI platforms can create logos, social media graphics, and promotional designs in minutes. You can sell graphic packs or offer design services to influencers and small businesses.

Tools to Use: Canva, MidJourney, Fotor
Where to Sell: Fiverr, Etsy (digital prints), freelance marketplaces
Earning Potential: $10–$200 per project

3. Start a Print-on-Demand Business with AI Designs

Print-on-demand (POD) is a popular side hustle where you sell custom-designed merchandise without holding inventory. AI art generators can help you create unique T-shirt graphics, stickers, mugs, and posters that stand out.

Tools to Use: MidJourney, NightCafe, Canva AI
Where to Sell: Etsy, Redbubble, Teespring
Potential Earnings: $200–$1,000+ monthly, depending on sales volume

4. AI-Powered Social Media Management

Businesses are desperate for engaging social media content, but many lack the time or strategy. As a side hustle, you can offer AI-supported social media management services.

Tools to Use: Copy.ai (for captions), Canva (for visuals), Buffer or Hootsuite (for scheduling)
Offer Packages: Content calendar, post creation, caption writing
Earning Potential: $300–$800/month per client

5. Voiceover and Audio Services with AI

With AI voice software, you can produce narrations, ads, or podcast intros without needing a professional studio. You can also edit or enhance audio files faster using AI tools.

Tools to Use: Murf AI, Descript, ElevenLabs
Where to Sell: Fiverr, Upwork, direct outreach to content creators
Potential Earnings: $20–$150 per project

6. AI-Powered Online Tutoring or Consulting

If you’re knowledgeable in a subject (languages, coding, business), AI can help craft lesson plans, presentation slides, and even quiz questions, saving you time preparing material.

Platforms to Use: Zoom, Preply, Teachable
AI Assistants: ChatGPT (lesson creation), Canva (visual slides)
Potential Earnings: $25–$80 per hour depending on your field

7. YouTube & Podcast Content Creation with AI

Starting a YouTube channel or podcast can be profitable but time-intensive. AI can streamline scripting, editing, and thumbnail creation. You can earn money through ad revenue, sponsorships, or affiliate links.

Tools to Use: ChatGPT (scriptwriting), Pictory (video editing), Canva (thumbnails), Descript (audio editing)
Monetization: YouTube ad monetization, brand deals, Patreon
Earning Potential: Varies greatly—$100 to thousands monthly once you build an audience

8. AI-Generated Stock Media Sales

Platforms like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Pond5 allow you to sell stock photos, videos, or music. AI tools can help create stock images, videos, background music, or 3D art.

Tools to Use: MidJourney, RunwayML, AIVA (AI music)
Where to Sell: Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Pond5
Potential Earnings: Passive income stream of $100–$500+ monthly (scales with portfolio size)

9. Resume and Career Services with AI

Many job-seekers need help crafting professional resumes and cover letters. AI can help generate sleek drafts that you refine into polished final products.

Tools to Use: ChatGPT, Rezi, Kickresume
Potential Audience: Recent graduates, freelancers, job switchers
Earning Potential: $30–$150 per resume/cover letter package

10. AI-Powered Virtual Assistant Services

Entrepreneurs and small businesses often outsource administrative tasks. With AI, you can offer faster turnaround on scheduling, email drafting, research, and transcription services.

Tools to Use: ChatGPT, Otter.ai, Trello, Zapier
Earning Potential: $15–$40 per hour

Steps to Start Your AI Side Hustle Successfully

Choose Your Niche: Pick something you’re interested in (writing, design, teaching, etc.).
Learn the Tools: Experiment with free trials until you’re comfortable.
Set Up a Portfolio: Showcase examples of your AI-assisted work.
Find Clients/Platforms: Use freelancing sites, social media, or e-commerce platforms.
Price Strategically: Start lower to gain traction, then increase rates as you gain experience.
Keep Improving: Stay updated with new AI features and continuously refine your skills.

How Much Can You Realistically Make?

Your earnings depend on your niche, consistency, and willingness to learn. Realistically, beginners can start making $200–$500/month after a few weeks of effort and scale to $1,000–$3,000+ per month with consistent work.

Some AI side hustles (like print-on-demand or stock media) require patience to build passive income. Others (like freelance writing or social media management) bring faster cash but require active work.

Challenges to Consider

While AI makes side hustles easier, it’s not a magic money button. Here are some challenges to keep in mind:

Competition: Many people are trying similar ideas. You need a unique angle.
Quality Control: Raw AI output is rarely perfect—your personal input matters.
Learning Curve: Each tool requires some practice before you get efficient.
Consistency: Income isn’t instant; you’ll need to invest time to grow.

Final Thoughts: The Future of Side Hustles with AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t replacing human creativity—it’s enhancing it. By using AI tools, you can save time, boost productivity, and enter income opportunities that were once out of reach.

Whether you want an extra $300/month to cover bills or aim to build a scalable online business, AI can help you get there faster. The key is to start small, focus on quality, and learn how to combine AI’s efficiency with your unique skills.

So—pick one hustle, explore the tools, and start your AI-powered side income journey today.

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Cyberattack on Evertec’s Sinqia Hits HSBC, Others in Brazil

Published

3 hours ago

August 31, 2025

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Hackers on Friday broke into Sinqia, a financial technology provider owned by Evertec, attempting to steal around 420 million reais ($77.4 million) from several Brazilian financial institutions including HSBC Holdings Plc’s local operations, O Globo reported.

Cyber criminals invaded Sinqia’s systems used by Brazilian financial institutions and attempted to make several transfers through a fast-growing electronic payments system known as Pix. Sinqia confirmed the attack but said there was no evidence of suspicious activity in any system besides Pix.

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Metal Gear Solid back with remake years after Kojima left Konami

Published

4 hours ago

August 31, 2025

The Editors

Tom GerkenTechnology reporter

Konami A video game character rendered in modern, high-quality graphics. She has long dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a jacket and has goggles hanging around her neck. — EVA, one of the main characters in the remade game (image brightened from source)

Metal Gear is one of the best-selling video game series in history, shifting more than 60 million copies.

The series pioneered cinematics in gaming by blending cutting-edge cutscenes, voice acting and dynamic camera angles to create something that would have looked more at home on the big screen at the time.

Metal Gear tackled themes not commonly seen in games, such as nuclear disarmament and child soldiers, and posed philosophical questions while also leveraging offbeat humour.

The games would often break the fourth wall and ask players to find solutions to puzzles in unusual ways – such as looking on the back cover of the game’s physical box.

The series’ significant place in gaming history meant fans were stunned when its creator Hideo Kojima quit game publisher Konami in an acrimonious split in 2015.

One of gaming’s biggest titles was left directionless – and there’s been no game in the best-selling series since.

But now, a decade later, Konami has released a remake of the third game in the series: Metal Gear Solid Delta.

So what happened between Konami and Kojima, and how does the new game hold up without its original creator?

Why did Kojima leave Konami?

“The impact Metal Gear has had on game-making makes it one of the most heralded entertainment franchises in the world, and made Hideo Kojima one of the industry’s most famous creators,” industry expert Christopher Dring told the BBC.

With such success, you might think it was a match made in heaven, but there were issues bubbling under the surface.

While nothing has been said publicly, one generally accepted theory behind the split relates to the spiralling cost of 2015’s Metal Gear Solid V, estimated by some at more than $80m (£59m) – a very significant development cost at the time.

It is not known exactly what happened between Konami and Kojima, but the studio was clearly fed up with the amount of money he was spending to make a single game – with Kojima’s internal studio actually removed from promotional materials for Metal Gear Solid V at the time.

Konami got the game out the door, but it seemed to be scaled back from its original vision despite the high cost, with repeated levels and a third chapter that never emerged.

Even so, the game still received excellent reviews and won several awards, but the rift between company and creator seemed unfixable.

And in an act that proved highly controversial – and perhaps shows how heated things had become behind the scenes – when Metal Gear Solid V won an award, Konami informed the developer he was not allowed to collect it.

Getty Images Hideo Kojima. He has black hair in a short cut and wears large black glasses. He is smiling while he talks at a conference. He is wearing a trim black jacket and black t-shirt. — Hideo Kojima has become one of the most famous names in gaming over the past three decades

A few months later, Kojima was gone, and in the years that followed, his former studio pivoted.

“Konami shifted its strategy for a while, away from console games, and focused its efforts on the amusements markets, things like pachinko machines,” Mr Dring said.

“They also focused increasingly on mobile.”

It meant Konami’s other classic franchises like Castlevania and Silent Hill also went without new games for a decade.

Meanwhile, Kojima’s new studio signed a blockbuster deal with Sony to develop the monster hit Death Stranding for PlayStation, followed by a sequel this year.

Why a remake now?

Gaming has pivoted towards remakes in recent years.

High-profile games like Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy VII and Demon’s Souls, all classics in their day, have been remade with the benefits of modern graphics and game design to big fanfare – and strong sales figures.

“It’s a hugely lucrative and growing sector,” said Mr Dring.

“The industry is getting older, gamers are entering middle age and are nostalgic for classic titles.

Mr Drings points out that one of the best-selling games of the year so far is Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion Remastered, a remake of a classic Role-Playing Game (RPG) from 2007, selling millions of copies since its release in April.

Konami has begun a return to publishing games by focusing in this area, with a Silent Hill remake coming last year and a new Survival Kids game released earlier in 2025.

So it is a potentially lucrative move – but is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater the right game to remake?

Konami A jungle scene from a video game. It is instantly recognisable as an older video game, with blocky rocks and pixel-y trees. — A jungle scene from Metal Gear Solid 3’s original release in 2004. Believe it or not, these were considered ground-breaking graphics at the time

Fans of the series told the BBC Metal Gear Solid 3 was chosen for good reason.

YouTuber Zak Ras said there was “immense significance” behind the game.

“Most people will say their favourite entry to the series is either Metal Gear Solid 1 or 3,” he said.

“Story-wise, given that it’s the first prequel set at the very beginning of the series timeline, it’s one of the few entries you can go into completely blind with absolutely no required knowledge of the series, other than very first Metal Gear from 1987.”

Ras said Metal Gear Solid 3 struck a good balance between gameplay and cinematic storytelling, making it a good choice for people who have never played a game in the series before.

For example, the game opens with an introduction heavily influenced by James Bond films, meaning new fans are eased into the series’ weirder elements.

And the brothers behind PythonSelkan Studios – known as Python & Selkan to their 122,000 YouTube subscribers – agreed.

“Completing the game was an incredible experience in itself,” they said. “Snake Eater’s gut-wrenching ending is what stood out most, leaving an impact on us that no other game had ever left before.”

“This game holds a special place in our hearts,” they added.

Metal Gear without Kojima

The brothers said, as lifelong fans of the series, they were “incredibly excited” by the announcement.

The pair are currently playing the remake, and have been “very impressed” by its improved graphics and audio.

They described the game as a “truly a faithful recreation”, adding that it improved “the essence of the original without changing its fundamental structure”.

Konami A jungle scene rendered in a video game. In the foreground, photo-realistic plants grow in front of a large tree. Several trees in the background are broken up by a beam of light. — The game’s lush jungle setting has benefitted from two decades of improvements in graphical fidelity

So far so good for Metal Gear Solid without Hideo Kojima – which Ras put down to the game being true to the original.

One example he highlights is that the voice performances have been kept the same, and players can choose whether to use the original control scheme or a more modern take.

“There’s no doubt it is Kojima’s directorial ‘genes’ that are being dominantly expressed here,” he said.

“Kojima expressed a desire to move on from Metal Gear since as early as MGS2 and leave the series in the hands of others to continue.

“It may have taken him another 14 years and five director credits for that to happen, but it is now reality.”

And however the remake fares with fans, one household won’t be picking up a new copy – Kojima himself has laughed off the suggestion that he would play the new game.