Hey there — big week in AI money. Anthropic's Claude just quietly overtook ChatGPT in revenue, and Upwork reports AI freelance skills are up 109% this year alone. If you've been on the fence about using AI to earn extra income, the window is wide open right now — and today's issue is packed with proof.
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
She Built a Passive Income App — With Zero Coding Experience
Career coach Julia Starr signed up for a hackathon using Lovable, an AI tool that lets anyone build apps just by describing what they want in plain English. With literally no coding background, she built an app that mimics her signature coaching framework — now earning passive income and funneling new clients to her business.
How you can use this: Sign up for Lovable (free tier available) and describe a simple tool based on your expertise — a quiz, a calculator, a template generator. Even a basic tool can attract leads and charge $9–$29/month for access.
From $1,200 to $8K/Month in 90 Days — One Fiverr Seller's AI Journey
Sarah, a former marketing coordinator, started selling "ChatGPT Prompt Packs for E-commerce" on Fiverr. First month: $1,200. By month three, she'd niched down to product descriptions and sales scripts — and hit $8,000/month. She now charges $250/hour for enterprise clients.
How you can use this: Pick one specific industry (restaurants, real estate, fitness coaches) and create a Fiverr gig selling AI-powered copy or prompt packs. Your first $500 client is closer than you think.
Claude Just Beat ChatGPT in Revenue — And What That Means for You
Anthropic hit a $30 billion annualized revenue run rate, overtaking OpenAI earlier than experts predicted. Enterprise companies now choose Claude 70% of the time in head-to-head comparisons with ChatGPT. Translation: the AI tools you're using for freelance work are more credible to business clients than ever.
Read more → https://www.trendingtopics.eu/anthropic-overtakes-openai-in-revenue-hitting-30-billion-run-rate/
How you can use this: Start confidently pitching AI-powered services to local businesses. The enterprise seal of approval on these tools makes your pitch easier — and your rates higher.
AI Video Skills Are the Fastest-Growing Gig on Upwork — Up 329% This Year
Upwork's latest data shows demand for AI freelance work grew 109% year-over-year, with AI video generation and editing surging 329% to become the single fastest-growing skill category on the platform. Freelancers doing AI projects earn 44% more than the Upwork average.
How you can use this: Learn one AI video tool this week — Runway, Pika, or Midjourney's new video feature. Then list an "AI video ads for small businesses" gig and price it $75–$150 per video.
TOOL OF THE WEEK: Lovable
What it does: Lovable lets anyone build fully functional apps and web tools by describing what you want in plain English — no coding required.
How to make money with it: Build a niche tool (a pricing calculator, a quiz, a content generator) and charge $9–$29/month for access. Or build custom tools for small business clients and charge $500–$2,000 per project.
Free or paid? Free to start. Paid plans from ~$20/month.
SIDE HUSTLE SPOTLIGHT: AI Video Ad Packages for Local Businesses
Use Midjourney (for images) + Runway or Pika (for video) to produce short, professional-looking social media ads for local businesses — restaurants, salons, gyms, real estate agents.
What to do: Reach out to 5 local businesses offering a 30-second Instagram video ad made with AI.
How long it takes: 2–3 hours per video once you learn the workflow.
Realistic income: $150–$400 per video. Land 5 clients a month and that's $750–$2,000 in extra income.
The pitch: "I create short video ads for your Instagram using AI. 48-hour turnaround, $200 flat." Simple. Effective.
QUICK HITS
• Meta is spending $115–135 billion on AI in 2026 — nearly double last year. More money in AI = more tools and more opportunities for regular people to profit.
• AI trading bots are going mainstream: no-code platforms like AriseAlpha let beginners set up automated strategies. (Reminder: never invest more than you can afford to lose.)
• 38% of seven-figure businesses in 2026 are now run by solo founders using AI instead of staff. The one-person empire is real.
• Midjourney just launched V8 with native 2K resolution and better 3D depth — the quality bar for AI image gigs just got higher, and so did the earning potential.
That's your week in AI money. Whether you're starting with a Fiverr gig or building your first no-code app, the tools have never been more accessible — or more lucrative. See you Thursday with something we've been working on that you won't want to miss.
— The Minted by AI Team
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