Many people rely on side hustles to make extra money, but some certainly require more work than others. Lately, social media has become full of experts claiming there are easy ways to get paid hundreds of dollars a week for simple tasks, such as filling out online surveys. And now, one business coach says there's a "lazy" side hustle that can make you up to $1,000 a month. Read on to see if experts think this tactic is worth it—or if it's too good to be true.
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A business coach claims that a "lazy" side hustle using AI tools can make people $1,000 a month.
Ground Picture / ShutterstockComing up with an easy way to make more money can be life-changing, even if it's just a little extra cash each month. But instead of investing in rental properties or driving for a ride-share service, what if you could generate income using just your laptop and a little extra time?
In a recent video posted to TikTok, business coach Hannah Chan claims people can take advantage of a "lazy" side hustle that "doesn't even require you to show your face." She says it starts by asking AI service ChatGPT to come up with a list of 50 niche subjects that are making money off YouTube and picking one that interests you. She then says to search the niche on YouTube and filter the results by views to find a topic that is proven to work—which in her case is a travel video about the top 10 things to do in London.
The rest of the hustle involves using a new service to generate a high-definition video on the topic "in minutes" using a sentence to describe what you'd like. Once it's complete, you can even edit the video or generate a new one if it's incorrect. She then says to download the video and upload it to YouTube to generate traction on your channel, which can end up paying out as much as $1,000 each month.
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This style of video is becoming more popular thanks to new technology.
fizkes / ShutterstockIf you've spent time clicking around lately, experts say there's a chance you may have already watched a video generated using this tactic.
"New AI tools are proving incredibly useful for content creators, and this includes YouTubers," Tom Blake, founder of This Online World, tells Best Life. "And there are now plenty of apps and companies that leverage AI to help video creators edit videos more efficiently. In fact, you can even create entire videos from scratch with AI tools just by providing a few prompts."
He explains that these tools have led to a rise in "faceless YouTube channels" in which people create videos with AI tools, never revealing their face or even their own voice.
"Many of these channels cover popular topics with viral potential, like celebrity news or current events," Blake says. "And since creating videos can take just a few minutes, it's easy to run multiple channels at once as a faceless YouTuber."
Despite how easy it seems, you're technically breaking the rules by posting this type of content.
JuliusKielaitis / ShutterstockAt first glance, it might seem like AI-generated videos would be an easy passive income stream. But Blake warns this isn't the most secure side hustle when it comes to making money on YouTube.
"It's actually against YouTube's terms of service to spam the platform with auto-generated content," he cautions. "For AI video creation, this can be a bit of a gray area since AI tools can still create excellent content. But if a creator is simply posting AI-made videos with basic stock footage, a robotic voice, and no real editing or substance, YouTube could demonetize their videos and channels for violating its guidelines."
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Experts suggest using AI in different ways to help in your side hustles.
Aruta Images / ShutterstockThe risk of getting flagged by YouTube might be enough of a reason for many creators to back away from this tactic. But experts also point out that even though Chan's video makes it seem very easy, getting it going to the point where it's generating a lot of cash is anything but.
"Using AI to create content—even simple videos as this TikTok creator suggests—takes a ton of work and time," says Jeff Rose, CFP, founder of Good Financial Cents. "I've seen faceless YouTube channels gain traction, but that's typically after 50 to 100 uploads and even that isn't guaranteed, thanks to the finicky YouTube algorithm. Bottom line: Even if this strategy could work, it's far from 'lazy.'"
Blake agrees, saying that ultimately, YouTubers should use AI tools to speed up their editing workflow and create higher-quality content.
"The viral TikToks claiming you can make thousands of dollars on YouTube with ease by spam-posting AI videos are misleading," he warns. "This is almost a surefire way to get your videos and channel demonetized. The end goal should always be to create engaging, unique content that adds value to YouTube."
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