Building a Project with AI: The Secret Weapon of the New Rich

While many are still worrying about the risks of artificial intelligence, losing their job or waiting for things to “fall into place,” a small but driven minority is quietly transforming their standard of living.

What’s behind this rapid rise? Artificial intelligence.

It’s no longer science fiction. It’s real, it’s happening now, and building a project with AI is far more accessible than you might think.

📈 The wealth of high-net-worth individuals in North America has nearly tripled since 2009, reaching a record high of $19.9 trillion in 2024, according to Capgemini. This impressive growth is driven largely by booming stock markets and, unsurprisingly, by the rise of artificial intelligence.

Passive Income in the Age of AI

AI now makes it possible for people with no technical background, no network, and no startup capital to launch profitable—and sometimes even viral—projects. That said, the term “passive” should be taken with a grain of salt.

No project builds itself. Even with AI, you still need to invest time, energy, and above all, genuine interest and effort, especially at the beginning. It often starts with groundwork: testing, tweaking, learning, and pushing through. Only once the system is running smoothly can the income become more regular or automated.

In other words, AI isn’t a magic button. It’s delayed gratification: you sow heavily upfront to reap later.

Having an idea is easy. But turning that idea into an actual project with AI has never been more accessible or doable. Still, turning it into something that actually sells is another story. It takes clarity, strong positioning, marketing, and often a few failed attempts before it clicks. But the web is full of success stories. Here are a few real-world examples:

🌠 Daniel – $12,500/month with an AI-powered résumé and cover letter generator

At 27, Daniel, a self-employed Canadian with no programming background, used the no-code tool Bubble and OpenAI’s API to create a platform that helps users write résumés and cover letters. Within six months, his small side project turned into a SaaS business with $19/month subscriptions, bringing in over $12,500 in monthly recurring revenue.

🌠 Samantha – $75,000 in four months with AI-designed print-on-demand t-shirts

At 32, Samantha had never designed a piece of clothing in her life. She used Midjourney to generate t-shirt visuals and Sell The Trend, a dropshipping tool for e-commerce, to launch a print-on-demand store. One of her designs went viral on TikTok. The result? $75,000 in just four months.

🌠 Alex – $140,000 with AI-generated educational videos

A former bartender with no background in education, Alex used ChatGPT to create content, Synthesia to produce the videos, and TikTok to promote a bite-sized online course on beginner stock trading. No face, no studio, just a clear message and a solid sales funnel, all powered by AI. Eight months later? $140,000 in revenue.

🌠 Jake – $27,000/month with an automated YouTube channel

At 24, Jake launched a YouTube channel focused on personal finance. He doesn’t speak in the videos, he uses ElevenLabs for voiceovers and Pictory AI for video editing. With five fully automated videos per week, he grew to 100,000 subscribers and now earns $27,000 per month in ad revenue just nine months in.

🌠 Sarah – AI coach earning $87,000/month

Sarah was struggling to make a living from her life coaching business, earning less than $2,000/month. She shifted her approach by creating a virtual AI coach using ChatGPT, available 24/7, offering personalized responses and habit tracking. At $29/month, she reached over 3,000 active users in just six months, generating $87,000/month while cutting her workload down to about ten hours a week.

🌠 David – $21,000/month with a motivational TikTok account

After dropping out of school, David launched a TikTok page featuring motivational and inspirational videos generated with ChatGPT, ElevenLabs, and CapCut. Five months later, he had 2.3 million followers, landed affiliate partnerships, and now earns $21,000/month in revenue.

The Key Ingredients for Building a Project with AI That Takes Off

It’s not magic. All of these examples have one thing in common: they’re built on conditions that, until recently, were out of reach for most people. And these are just a few cases. Take a quick scroll through social media or the web, and you’ll find countless stories from people of all ages and backgrounds sharing their journeys, failures, and breakthroughs.

Real-life proof of a paradigm shift already underway. Behind these success stories are a few key ingredients. Here are the main ones:

No Technical Background Required

These creators aren’t programmers or engineers. They didn’t spend years learning to code or mastering the complex math behind algorithms. They simply made smart use of accessible interfaces, online tutorials, and tools designed for the general public.

Access to Thousands of AI Tools

From text and image generators to voice and video tools, there’s now a wide range of powerful AI resources, often free or low-cost, that allow anyone to create, automate, and bring ideas to life in just a few clicks.

A Simple, Well-Defined Idea

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel or launching the next big tech breakthrough. Every project starts with a clear need, a problem to solve, or an audience to serve. The strength of the project lies in the clarity of the intention—not in how complex it is.

The Courage to Test, Iterate, and Launch

These “new rich” didn’t wait for everything to be perfect. They dared to try, made mistakes, learned, adjusted, and most importantly, they launched. It’s that willingness to take action and learn by doing that sets them apart.

Artificial intelligence isn’t a magic wand. But it is an accelerator. What used to take a team, a big budget, and months of work can now be done in hours with the right tools, a bit of strategy, and a strong drive to make it happen.

AI Takes You by the Hand

All it takes is asking ChatGPT something like, “Help me build a profitable online product step by step”, then add your skills and interests, and you’ll get:

• Ideas tailored to your skills and interests.

• Marketing plans.

• Website or sales page mockups.

• Content, videos, scripts, automation tools.

• Even tips to help you monetize the project.

But there’s one thing AI can’t do for you: take action.

Need ideas to get started? Browse the AI Guides → Business & Marketing section. Sometimes, the right prompt is all it takes to change everything.

A Widening Gap

A quiet digital divide is emerging.

Some are experimenting, testing ideas, building, saving time, and making money. Others are worrying, criticizing, or waiting to “understand it better” before jumping in.

We’re at a pivotal moment. Just like the early days of the web, social media, or smartphones—those who start creating early are the ones who benefit the most.

This model works because it’s built on three incredibly powerful levers:

• Automation, which allows you to set up revenue-generating systems that run even while you sleep.

• Access to free distribution channels like social media, where you can test an idea, find an audience, and build visibility without any ad budget to start with.

• All the tools you need, which require no technical skills and little to no startup costs.

And most importantly, everything can be learned online: YouTube, niche websites, forums, social platforms… there’s an abundance of tutorials, guides, and shared experiences to help you learn at your own pace—often even for free or at a very low cost.

Visit the Learning section to explore free resources from Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and more, all designed to help you understand and harness the power of generative AI.

Is This for Everyone?

Yes… and no. This isn’t a lottery ticket. Building a project with AI takes curiosity, discipline, some trial and error, perseverance, and more—but the barriers to entry have never been lower.

You don’t need to know how to code.

You don’t need to invest thousands of dollars.

You just need to get started.

AI: Threat or Opportunity?

It’s easy to view AI as a threat to jobs, to privacy, even to creativity. And yet, it can just as easily become a tool for financial freedom, innovation, and social impact, if used wisely.

AI isn’t going to replace people. But those who know how to use it may well replace those who don’t. This is no longer a distant promise, it’s a very real turning point. While some are still asking “What’s the point?”, others are already building, automating, and earning… all on their own.

So, will you take action or let it pass you by?

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Source: Real-world examples cited are from the article AI Side Hustles No One Talks About — And They’re Making People Rich Fast!