Earning Nearly 30,000 Daily with AI Side Hustles: Gig Trap or Gold Rush Secret?
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While AI products struggle to turn a profit, those skilled in AI are making fortunes?
Recently, on Fiverr, the largest global freelance platform, creators have earned nearly 800,000 RMB by offering AI services.
Creator "Eli Lev" primarily sells AI video production services on Fiverr. The minimum quote for a 300-second AI video is $290 (approximately 2,095 RMB).
In addition to the 149 completed orders, there are 14 more in the queue awaiting production.
Based on data from 3,995 completed orders, this creator has earned nearly 800,000 RMB by generating AI videos.
Surprisingly, the first group to achieve commercialization in the AI field might be creators using AI tools.
From initially profiting by selling courses leveraging AI information gaps to later using generative AI for text, images, and videos to provide AI solutions, these players don't need significant capital investment. As long as they can use AI tools, they can make money.
How much have creators on Fiverr actually earned? Can AI really deliver the expected profits? "Top AI Players" spoke with some AI creators.
Earning Around 30,000 RMB Daily by Creating AI Text, Images, and Videos
The enthusiasm of the first batch of generative AI entrepreneurs has not waned. They have started to list their AI-related services with clear pricing on the Fiverr platform.
Fiverr is an intermediary platform connecting creators and consumers, where users can purchase any AI-generated products, such as paintings, music, videos, solutions, websites, and more.
It sounds very similar to Taobao in China, except that Fiverr sells more like "services" rather than physical goods.
In theory, every user can register an account, upload their AI works, and create their own sales pages. These service items are called Gigs (derived from the Gig Economy). Each user can create their own Gig projects.
Fiverr's backend shows that creators can provide AI services such as prompt guidance, content modification, audio and video, model creation, and more.
The pricing for each service starts at $5 and can go up to thousands of dollars. However, Fiverr's commission is 20%, meaning for a $100 order, the platform takes $20.
Even with the high platform commission, many entrepreneurs have successfully "struck gold" in this space.
According to observations by "Top AI Players," the best-selling AI services on Fiverr mainly fall into two categories: one involves using AI tools to provide graphic, video, and website creation services; the other involves creators refining AI-generated content to offer complete solutions.
Additionally, AI product development teams use Fiverr as a platform to validate market fit, and there are users willing to pay to try these services.
Data from October 2023 shows that searches for AI services on Fiverr increased by over 100 times compared to the previous six months, with searches for AI video production growing by 37 times.
Fiverr Business Trends Report - October 2023
Apart from the previously mentioned creator "Eli Lev," who earns nearly $30,000 daily, "Thedorbrothers" is also among the top two best-selling and highest-rated providers in AI video production services.
According to reports, creating a 10-second 4K AI video now has a minimum price of $85 (approximately 620 RMB).
Based on completed orders and those in the queue, "Thedorbrothers" has already earned at least 65,000 RMB. Cassandra Sigmon, a seller on Fiverr, mentioned that pricing for AI projects varies but typically ranges between $100 and $125 (approximately 720 to 900 RMB).
AI video service pricing adjusts according to the number of optimizations and duration.
Chen Cheng, a former AI image production seller, pointed out that the most challenging aspect on Fiverr is pricing: "Set it too high, and clients feel AI products aren't worth it; set it too low, and they question the final quality."
Despite AI lowering the barrier to video production, related services for AI video creation are not cheap.
Leading creators in AI video and AI music fields have mostly completed hundreds of transactions and continue to receive production orders.
In addition to directly selling AI-generated creative services, some merchants also provide professional advice on optimization and artificial intelligence solutions.
The primary role of these merchants is to edit the content generated by AI, ensuring the quality of AI creations.
For example, the merchant "Kerri M" offers content polishing and fact-checking services, having completed over 1,300 orders with each priced at approximately 540 RMB. Some product development teams also use Fiverr to validate whether their AI products are viable and truly market-fit.
The AI voice tool HeyGen, which became popular for its AI dubbing features, was initially validated for market fit by its founder Xu Zhuo before its official launch. Considering technical feasibility, they used the keyword 'Spokesperson' to test the market.
Image source: HeyGen official website article from April 26, 2023
Xu Zhuo mentioned that there were over 1,800 available services related to 'Spokesperson' on Fiverr at the time, indicating a certain level of market demand.
He believed that competitive pricing and fast delivery could make a service stand out on Fiverr.
What is the key to successful 'gold mining'?
On Fiverr, you can find many creative services such as AI painting, video production, voiceovers, and more.
Chen Cheng told "Top AI Player": "As long as you can provide goods, services, or knowledge to others, there is an opportunity to make money."
The number of Chinese sellers offering services on Fiverr is relatively small, so if you engage in AI-related services, you can still secure some orders.
Sigmon also mentioned that you should never underestimate your abilities. Every AI service is worth setting up as a separate Gig, but it's not necessary to focus on a specific niche. As long as the description is detailed, the project will attract traffic. The top-selling Gigs in the AI category include descriptions about the creator's experience, their main job, and the exposure achieved by the final product.
Precisely because AI-generated products are relatively easy to produce, this has become the most competitive field.
"It's like doing part-time gig work—it definitely brings some short-term traffic and income, but in the long run, it doesn't provide effective security." According to Chen Cheng, most people buy AI-related services on Fiverr because they are drawn to the creativity of the products. "Essentially, they recognize your past production style."
Now, Chen Cheng doesn't pay much attention to the order status on Fiverr and doesn't expect it to generate substantial revenue.
"On one hand, overseas users are more willing to pay for subscriptions, but the cost of communicating with them also increases. On the other hand, you need to maintain consistent output on Fiverr to secure orders and clients."
Without a stable flow of customers and positive reviews, it's also difficult to get noticed on Fiverr.
In the AI field with low technical barriers, customer acquisition is the key to profitability. Chen Cheng admits that unless one invests 100% of their time and effort, the monetization results would be more significant.
Of course, not everyone is willing to pay for these artificial intelligence services.
On the Reddit social platform, some netizens believe that these AI artworks are overpriced and express disdain for poorly made products that sell for higher prices than original works; others think this is just hype using AI, a form of cheating that violates originality.
Reddit platform partial comment screenshot
Probably to avoid disputes over common issues such as copyright, Fiverr's published rules for selling AI-generated works also mention that sellers' AI products must comply with legal regulations, ensuring that the created content has clear copyright ownership. Otherwise, the platform will delete such content and suspend the seller's account.
AIGC Monetization Models on the Right Track
In addition to Fiverr, freelance platforms such as Upwork, Udemy, Zazzle, and Society6 also support generative AI-related services.
In September, Upwork signed an agreement with OpenAI to integrate AI into its business platform and collaborate with freelance developers. Upwork currently offers over 250 AI-related skills for sale online.
Meanwhile, Taobao introduced a new first-level category for AI services during the Double 11 shopping festival, adding options such as AI painting, AI photo generation, AI 4D ultrasound, and AI voice packages.
The Taobao merchant management backend displays "Artificial Intelligence Services" as a product category.
"Top AI Players" previously mentioned in popular AI cases that many users post AI-generated avatars, wallpapers, and other content on social platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, attracting customers to purchase.
Some players have even established dedicated resource exchange communities to provide corresponding AI-generated services.
Compared to running small-scale AI businesses on social platforms, joining established trading platforms like Fiverr with mature ecosystems is actually a better choice for many AI entrepreneurs.
Various trading platforms provide more resource slots for AIGC services, better matching the supply and demand between consumers and creators.
Creators have more opportunities to expose AI-related services, and consumers have more choices.
It is undeniable that the monetization model of AIGC, this new form of content creation, is gradually getting on track.
As the top venture capital firm Greglock mentioned in an article, people tend to overestimate the short-term benefits of technology while underestimating its long-term transformative potential. Those creators who successfully integrate AI into their products can gain tremendous value.