Side hustle sidekick: Gig workers are using AI to make big bucks

Sep 20 2023, 8:35 pm

Looking to put some extra muscle into your side hustle? Look no further than our robot pals.

Driving the news: A new Morgan Stanley survey found that the incomes of gig workers who used generative AI were 21% higher compared to those who didn’t. The report’s most optimistic reading projects AI to add US$1.4 trillion to the side hustle economy by 2030.

  • Image generators have made it easier to create social media content, Copilot has made coding apps and websites a breeze, and chatbots like ChatGPT are being used for everything from predicting stock market movement to making Etsy wine glasses.

Why it matters: Not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a cost of living crisis. As more people take on extra work — an H&R Block survey found that 28% of Canadians now have side hustles, up from just 13% in 2022 — AI could be an invaluable part of the grindset toolkit.

Bottom line: The report offers a compelling counter-narrative to the prevalent “AI will take our jobs and leave us destitute” fear, but take it with a grain of salt. The FT warns the report uses some imperfect info and some sources could have overhyped how much AI helped their earnings.


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Quinn HendersonQuinn Henderson

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