Artificial Intelligence isn’t just about generating grainy vintage images in sarees for Instagram trends. If you look beyond the fun part, it is becoming a practical way for people to build sustainable income streams. From building websites to creating art, automating workflows to designing apps, AI is helping people earn from their bedrooms. Experts in the field speak to Vennapusala Ramya of The New Indian Express and highlight how individuals, both with and without technical backgrounds, are finding ways to turn prompts into paychecks.
Ajay Reddy Kobireddygari, founder & CEO of AIspire Labs, explains, “People can now make more money from their bedrooms using nothing but a smart combination of AI agents and creativity.” According to him, people are even getting paid to write prompts and train AI models, with platforms like OutlierAI offering opportunities for freelancers. “Tasks that took days can now be completed much faster. Overall, AI is increasing income opportunities and changing how people earn money, with developments, automation, and outsourcing becoming more accessible to everyone,” he adds.
When asked if AI opportunities are only for people with tech backgrounds, Ajay responds, “Here’s the shocking truth, non-tech people are actually winning bigger in the AI game! The most valuable skill isn’t coding anymore; it’s being able to ‘talk’ to AI effectively through smart prompts and knowing how to polish AI outputs.” He further points out that a non-tech person is now building and selling websites and chatbots to small business owners using vibecoding tools. An unemployed engineer began earning by generating social media content and images for a sports firm using AI design platforms, while a tech professional is earning five times more by building AI agents for US clients. He illustrates this by saying, “A fashion designer who understands style will always create better AI-generated designs than a programmer who doesn’t know fashion. The magic formula is: Your existing expertise + AI tools + basic digital literacy = instant competitive advantage. Think of AI as the world’s most powerful employee who never sleeps — you just need to know how to manage it!”
Highlighting promising industries for AI-driven freelancing and entrepreneurship, Ajay explains, “AI workflow automation is a hotcake freelancing skill now, as the AI transformation takes centre stage in almost every company. Content creation and media/video production are absolutely exploding for freelancers. E-commerce is another goldmine where AI handles everything from product descriptions to customer service to even AI product photoshoots. Educational content creation is massive, especially in regional languages where AI translation opens up entirely new markets. For entrepreneurs, VoiceAI for enterprises across healthcare and e-commerce is what I bet on.”
Explaining how AI can become a business partner for creators, from idea to app building, he says, “Start with ChatGPT or Claude/Perplexity for brainstorming your app concept and writing all the content. Use NotionAI to design your content calendar. Create brand mood boards and style references in MidJourney. Then use Figma AI to design your app interface and user experience flow. For the actual app development, Bubble.io or FlutterFlow with AI assistance can build your entire app without coding — seriously, no programming needed! Create your website instantly with Framer AI or vibecoding tools. The coolest part? Use MidJourney or CanvaAI to create marketing materials, ElevenLabs for app tutorial videos, and Zapier or n8n to automate everything — from user onboarding to social media posting, lead generation, and CRM analytics. You literally go from idea to launched business in weeks, not years!”
He also points out common mistakes people make, “The biggest mistake is treating AI like a magic button that does everything perfectly with a single click. Many jump between tools constantly instead of mastering one deeply, becoming a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. The most human error is not understanding client expectations. People either underprice their services thinking ‘AI did most of the work’ or overpromise completely automated solutions without human oversight, which always backfires. The fatal error is competing on price rather than value, clients don’t care if you used AI; they care about results. So always position yourself as the expert who delivers superior outcomes, not the person with fancy tools.”
Professor P Sankar Ganesh, Department of Biological Sciences, BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus adds another perspective, particularly from the sustainability space. He notes, “The convergence of artificial intelligence and waste-to-energy systems represents one of the most promising frontiers for sustainable income generation, offering entrepreneurs and students unprecedented opportunities to build profitable businesses while addressing critical environmental challenges.”
Comparing AI with waste-to-energy plants, he explains, “In the same way that waste-to-energy plants transform discarded residues into valuable fuel, prompt engineering is emerging as a tool to convert simple inputs into everyday income. Freelancers are already earning by generating resumes, social media posts, product descriptions, and research support through AI tools.”
Prof Sankar also highlights examples of industries adopting AI, “Several consulting firms now integrate AI-driven modelling and process optimisation into their services, allowing them to command premium rates for advising on waste-to-energy projects. Recycling facilities using AI-powered sorting systems have demonstrated up to $900,000 in additional annual revenue by improving material recovery and reducing contamination. Large-scale players such as Waste Management Inc have committed $1.4 billion toward AI integration, projecting a 35% reduction in labour costs alongside a 40% increase in material recovery.”
On ethical aspects, Prof Sankar stresses, “The foremost ethical principle is transparency. It is always better to disclose when AI tools have been used in creating content, as this builds trust and avoids misrepresentation. While AI can assist in producing text, visuals, or designs, there is still a significant investment of human time, judgment, and creativity in shaping the final output.”
He adds, “Freelancers and creators must pay close attention to both the originality of AI-generated content and the responsibility of its implementation. Treating AI as a drafting assistant rather than an authority ensures that human oversight remains central to verifying originality, safeguarding privacy, and preventing misinformation.”
Finally, for students, Prof Sankar advises, “The future will belong to those who can combine their expertise with AI to create meaningful and impactful solutions. AI by itself is not the answer; it is a powerful tool. The spark of originality and the novelty of ideas should be nurtured within them, while AI serves as a tool to amplify them.”
AI Tools that open earning streams across categories
Coding: GitHub Copilot, ClaudeCode, Cursor, Lovable, Replit
Design: MidJourney, Canva Magic Studio, Adobe Firefly, Google Stitch
Video: RunwayML, VEED, Google Veo3, SORA, HeyGen
Audio: ElevenLabs, Sarvam (India), Vapi, Twilio
Automation: n8n, GoHighLevel, ZapierAI
Resources for beginners to start their AI- earning Journey
Courses: OpenAI Academy, DeepLearningAI (Andrew Ng)
Books: The Coming Wave (By Mustafa Suleyman), Life 3.0 (By Max Tegmark)
Communities: IndieHackers, SaaS (Reddit)
Skills necessary to start earning with AI
Simple English (prompting)
Domain expertise
Communication