AI — artificial intelligence — seems to be taking over the world, or at least a lot of the side hustles in it. In some cities, driverless cars are replacing Uber and Lyft drivers, for instance. And AI programs that write stories, design websites or create art, are being deployed to avoid hiring human writers, designers and developers.
It’s hard for real people who make money with these side gigs not to feel threatened.
But some work requires a human touch. And that makes these side hustles AI-proof — at least for now, and possibly forever. Looking for an AI-proof side hustle? These 8 side gigs are worth considering.
Beauty
AI can retouch a photo. But it can’t make you photo ready. That’s a job for a real live make-up artist. Two sites — Priv and GlamSquad — help hair dressers, make-up artists and manicurists find work helping people get ready for special events, such as weddings, anniversaries and television appearances.
Stylists typically travel to the customer and often are booked with back-to-back gigs, such as doing hair and make-up for a multi-member bridal party. The sites book the gigs and send out notifications to appropriate stylists, who accept or ignore the deal. Stylists say they can earn between $20 and $100 an hour, depending on the location, service, how quickly they do the job and tips. However, stylists bring their own supplies and pay for their own gas and parking, so it’s not pure profit.
Still, it can be a lucrative side gig. One GlamSquad stylist told SideHusl.com that her side gig earned her more during wedding season than her day job as a city planner.
Building & Repairs
People with the skill to build and fix things are safe from both AI and, it appears, economic downturns. Between fires, floods and housing shortages, the need for contractors of all types appears to be acute in most of the country. Word-of-mouth advertising is often enough to keep framers, plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, heating and air system specialists plenty busy. But there are also websites that can help market your building or repair business.
These include neighborhood social media site, Nextdoor, as well as Taskrabbit, a wide-ranging job site for in-person work. A site called Toolbelt can also help subcontractors in California and Oregon find contractors needing specialists.
Caregiving
Whether it’s caring for a child or an elderly or disabled adult, caregiving jobs require a human touch both literally and figuratively. Dozens of websites help match caregivers and the families that need them.
If you’re looking for child care gigs, the best sites are ChildCareCareers, Care, UrbanSitter and SitterCity. If you’re looking for a gig caring for elderly and disabled individuals, check out Carelinx, Papa and Care.
Cleaning
Sure, you can buy an AI-powered vacuum, like a Roomba, but it’s going to spread, not clean a spill. And, cleaning and organizing the rest of the house also requires a human. Several sites can help you find work, depending on the type of cleaning you hope to provide.
Tidy and Turno offer basic cleaning services for individuals and property managers. Pay varies based on the location and, in the case of Turno, what you ask for your services. MyWorkChoice also connects freelancers with freelance janitorial gigs at companies.
If you want to do laundry — picking up dirty clothes and returning clean ones — two sites, Hampr and Poplin, can help you find clients, bill and collect for your services.
Prefer deep cleaning and organizing? The best site to sign up with is Taskrabbit. Taskrabbit lets freelancers set their own rates and receive 100% of the rate they set. Site commissions are paid by customers through site mark-ups.
Counseling
Although falling in love with AI chatbots is apparently a real thing, if you need psychological counseling, you need a licensed professional. Psychologists who want to ply their trade online can do so with a site called BetterHelp. BetterHelp enlists therapists, social workers and professional counselors to sign up to provide their services online through phone, video or text chats.
Therapists are paid between $20 and $70 an hour, which is generally considerably less than you’d earn in private practice. But they also don’t have to shoulder the costs of an office or staff.
Gardening
Maybe someone will make a robot that can trim your trees and mow the lawn someday. But dealing with differences in terrain, horticulture choices and consumer preferences make that highly unlikely.
For now and the foreseeable future, gardening is an AI-Proof side hustle. You can find gardening gigs through JiffyOnDemand, GreenPal and Taskrabbit.
Nursing
Even though AI is working its way into medicine through both tele-health and through surgical assists, the hands-on business of nursing requires a human touch.
There are a wide array of side hustle platforms that can help you find flexible and part-time nursing gigs. These include IntelyCare, which works with skilled nursing facilities and ConnectRN, which primarily works with hospitals and medical centers.
Tutoring
When you don’t understand something, the last thing you need is a chatbot trying to answer a question that you’re not even sure you asked correctly. As a result, the intuitive role of a tutor is certain to remain an AI-proof side hustle for many years to come.
There are many good tutoring platforms that can help you find clients. However, some of the best are Wyzant, for all types of academic tutoring, and LessonFace, for music and dance.
