Money from the Wind: AI Side Hustles in 2025

The Windfall of AI Opportunities

Some money really seems to come out of nowhere, like it's blown in by the wind. But the truth is, you can only catch this windfall if you've had some past积累 and have a certain foundation.

Just like riding the waves can be a great opportunity, but how many people end up capsizing, falling into the water, or simply can't keep up?

Two years ago, when AI first emerged, I had almost nothing. I didn't know how to handle traffic, had no private domain, no personal IP, and couldn't write well. I only did some short - video projects at that time.

But I still managed to make a little money with AI. It wasn't easy, though. It took me several months to earn just $1000.

These days, with DeepSeek, I've made over a thousand in profit just by posting on social media, writing some posts, and starting a few groups.

Imagine those big influencers with a lot of traffic, those who have an AI foundation and are already in the AI - related business. They're really taking off!

Opportunities like this are few and far between. You never know when the next one will come. So, if you can catch up, do it. If you can make money, do it right away. If you can get traffic, go for it. If you can build a private domain, start now.

In short, do whatever you can right away. Maybe the next opportunity in the future will be yours.

The Reality of Opportunity and Competition

Actually, every time an opportunity comes along, many people will be left behind. This is almost inevitable.

There are only so many spots available. If someone goes up, someone else has to come down. It's like a reshuffle, which is all about the ecological niche or market share, even market monopoly.

The competition in the AI tool market is extremely fierce. Tools are very exclusive. If one tool is really good, why would you use another one?

If one tool can solve your problem, you probably don't need a second or third one.

The value of tools always comes down to cost - effectiveness, product quality, and price - cost - profit.

Not many companies can do real AI research and development. Most of them just do applications, especially AI applications combined with their own business.

For ordinary people, what you can do is focus on traffic + sales, and then move on to traffic + products.

Why Some Money Seems Like a Windfall

Why do I say some money is like it's picked up for free? It's because the traffic is blown in, not really attracted by you.

Now, the traffic is here, and DeepSeek is here. All you need to do is bend down and pick up this traffic and turn it into money.

Here's how:

1. Use and Practice Heavily

Use DeepSeek as much as you can and gain hands - on experience.

2. Share Your Experience on Public Platforms

Share your experiences on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Quora, and TikTok.

3. Earn from Platform Traffic and Add Friends

Make money from the platform's traffic and add more friends to expand your network.

4. Provide Services, Products, and Courses

Offer various services, products, and courses to teach others how to use it.

The Value of AI in Time and Efficiency

Time is money, and efficiency is money. You can use AI to improve your work efficiency and enhance your work ability. That's also money.

In the future, people will be divided into two groups: those who can use AI and those who can't.

How soon will this division become clear? I think in the workplace, it'll take about 1 - 2 years.

In daily life, the adoption of AI might be slower. AI will mostly be an assistant for ordinary people to search for answers, rather than a tool for production. It'll mainly be a helper in life.

The biggest impact will be in business and the workplace because it's all about efficiency and cost. It's very ruthless and cruel.

In life, you can say you don't know how to use AI. But in work and business, if you don't, you'll be outcompeted and eliminated.

Hurry up! Maybe you only have a year or two. I can clearly feel that this wave of AI is coming fast and strong.

Daily Reading & Writing by Xiaolu 02/04/2025 [Day 519]