With AI evolving at lightning speed, there’s never been a better time to dive into side hustles powered by artificial intelligence. These 9 AI-driven gigs require zero upfront investment and can help you earn hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars a day. Let’s kick things off with the easiest ones and work our way to more advanced, higher-paying opportunities.
1. Photo Colorization: Bring Black-and-White Photos to Life
Black-and-white photos hold a certain nostalgic charm, but adding color can transform them into something vivid and alive. Seniors and their families are paying for this service, especially on platforms like Fiverr, where freelancers charge around $5 to $10 per photo. That might not sound like much, but with AI, it only takes about 15 seconds to complete.
How It Works: Using CapCut, an all-in-one video editing and graphic design tool, you can leverage its photo colorizer feature to colorize black-and-white photos with just a drag and drop. It’s as simple as that.
Pro Tips for Maximizing Profits:
- Upsell Restoration Services: Many old photos are scratched or faded. Offer photo restoration services using CapCut’s restoration tool to bring these images back to life.
- Offer Upscaling: With the image upscaler, you can boost the resolution of these old photos, providing a higher-quality image that looks more modern.
Though it’s easy and fast, the earning potential is somewhat limited due to high competition. For better results, consider marketing your services to retirement homes or funeral services where demand may be higher.
Difficulty: 1/5
Earning Potential: 1/5
2. Clothing Model Photos: AI-Generated Models at Your Fingertips
If you’re in the clothing industry, photo shoots with real models can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. But AI can generate models wearing your clothes in just a few clicks. With CapCut\’s AI model tool, you can upload a photo of any clothing item and have it applied to an AI-generated model in seconds.
How to Use It: Upload the clothing image, select a model, and CapCut’s AI will do the rest. This service is highly attractive to small clothing brands that need budget-friendly alternatives to traditional photo shoots.
While you won’t make as much as you would for a full photo shoot, this is a solid gig that many brands will find valuable, especially for $20 to $50 per image.
Difficulty: 1/5
Earning Potential: 2/5
3. Captioning Videos: Fast, Easy, and in High Demand
Captions have become essential for videos, not just for accessibility but also for keeping viewers engaged. With AI, creating captions is super quick, and this service can earn you anywhere from $10 to $60 per video, depending on its length.
How It Works: Using CapCut, you can automatically caption an entire video with its Auto Captions feature. Once the AI generates the captions, review them for errors, and you’re ready to go.
How to Upsell:
- Offer different font styles and animations.
- Provide translations in multiple languages (just ensure you\’re fluent in the language you’re translating).
Instead of relying solely on Fiverr, consider reaching out directly to businesses that regularly post webinars or interviews. Podcasters and real estate agents, for example, could become long-term clients, leading to steady income.
Difficulty: 1/5
Earning Potential: 2/5
4. Product Photos: Background Removal and Custom AI Designs
Businesses often need product photos with clean, white backgrounds for online stores. You can remove backgrounds easily with CapCut’s online photo editor.
How It Works: Just upload a raw photo, click the “Remove Background” option, and AI will automatically handle the rest.
For a bit more cash, you can go the other direction and offer detailed or creative backgrounds using CapCut’s background change tool. This adds even more value to your service, making it possible to charge more than the typical $5 fee for a simple white background.
Upsell Opportunity: If businesses don’t have existing photos, offer to take product photos for them. While this requires some basic photography skills, AI tools will still help streamline the editing process.
Difficulty: 2/5
Earning Potential: 3/5
5. Social Media Graphics: Designing Custom Posts with AI
Creating social media graphics for businesses can be lucrative, especially with the help of AI. CapCut’s Texted Design feature allows you to input a description of the graphic you want, and AI will generate several custom options to choose from.
Why This Side Hustle Works: Many businesses struggle to keep up with social media demands. By offering social media graphics, you can establish long-term relationships and secure regular work. Additionally, you can create designs from scratch or customize existing templates, making this a great option for those looking to dive into freelance design.
Difficulty: 3/5
Earning Potential: 3/5
6. Content Repurposing: From Long-Form to Short-Form Content
With short-form content dominating platforms like TikTok and Instagram, content creators are always looking for ways to repurpose their long-form videos. You can charge tens to hundreds of dollars per edit, depending on the project.
How to Do It: CapCut allows you to easily resize videos to fit the required aspect ratios for each platform. Whether you’re working on YouTube videos, interviews, or podcasts, this tool makes it easy to adjust content for different social media formats.
Pro Tips for Upselling: Many clients will want added video effects, transitions, or b-roll footage. Offering these extra services can significantly increase your earnings.
Difficulty: 3/5
Earning Potential: 3/5
7. Thumbnails: Small Graphics with Big Earnings
YouTube thumbnails are essential for grabbing attention. With CapCut’s tools, you can design custom thumbnails using various features like text, stickers, and the handy background removal option.
Why You Should Do This: Freelancers are charging up to $50 for YouTube thumbnails on Fiverr. Given how crucial a good thumbnail is for driving views, you can easily market your service to content creators, especially if you offer personalized examples.
Difficulty: 3/5
Earning Potential: 3/5
8. Video Editing: AI-Powered Tools to Speed Up Your Workflow
Video editing is a highly sought-after skill, and AI tools like CapCut can drastically speed up the process. For instance, CapCut’s product URL to ads feature allows you to paste a product link, and it will generate custom video ads based on the product description.
Why This Is Profitable: Businesses and content creators need help with video content. While basic editing with AI is a great start, learning more advanced editing techniques will allow you to charge premium prices.
Difficulty: 4/5
Earning Potential: 4/5
9. Become an AI Influencer: The Future of Content Creation
AI influencers are on the rise. Using tools like CapCut’s AI character generator, you can create a digital influencer that can say and do anything you script. While the technology is still evolving, this offers a whole new way to break into the influencer space.
How It Works: CapCut’s mobile app allows you to select a character, customize its appearance, and generate a video where the character can talk and interact with viewers. With additional features like Script to Video, AI can even write the script and generate a full video for you, complete with visuals and voiceovers.
Difficulty: 5/5
Earning Potential: 5/5
With these 9 AI side hustles, you\’re ready to dive into the world of AI-powered freelancing. Whether you start small with photo colorization or aim high with video editing, the potential to earn with no upfront investment is within your reach.