How to Make Money in the Age of AI: Surviving When the Machines Start Taking the Gigs
There was a time when freelancing meant freedom. You could wake up when you wanted, take on projects that lit you up, and proudly say you worked for yourself. But lately, it’s felt more like an impossible option because of artificial intelligence (AI).
After eight years of working from home, I’m facing something I never thought I’d have to do; go back into the workforce. I pivoted to work AI couldn’t take from me. But trading autonomy for stability has its own price.
So, I’m getting creative and looking for solutions that allow me to earn money from home or, at least, let me create my own hours. How do we, parents, still make money in this new AI-driven world?
In this article:
AI is Redefining the Gig Economy and Very Few Desk Jobs are Safe
How to Actually Make Money When You Can’t (or Don’t Want to) Go Back to the Office
Is Being a Paid Content Creator Still a Possibility Today?
How Do I Become a Paid Content Creator?
AI is Redefining the Gig Economy and Very Few Desk Jobs are Safe
When AI first entered the chat, I thought, “What a cool tool!” I was writing content that required nuance, brand storytelling, emotional connection, and a human voice. Turns out, that was the first thing AI got really good at mimicking. My clients started using ChatGPT for first drafts, then for full pieces, and finally, for all their content.
It didn’t happen overnight. It was death by a thousand cancellations. “We’re pausing new work for now.” “We’re testing new workflows.” “We’ll circle back.” They never did.
I went from work-from-home mom to stay-at-home mom to working mom in one year. And it’s been rough.
First, the emotional devastation of losing the business that took years to create.
Second, the cold reality of getting a (gulp) “real job” again. And I know it sounds spoiled to complain, but clocking in after years of freedom has been heavier than I expected.
Third, this is another aspect changing the mom I thought I’d be to the mom I am.
AI is reshaping the gig economy faster than most freelancers can update their portfolios. What used to be a work built on human creativity (artists, designers, writers, etc.) is now an algorithm’s playground. Platforms that once relied on real people are replacing them with AI tools that can produce decent-enough work in seconds and for pennies.
Clients who used to pay for originality now pay for efficiency.
It’s not just creative work either. Even accounting, customer service, and data-entry gigs are being automated. Freelancers are caught in a strange limbo; expected to compete with technology while also learning to use it, adapt to it, and somehow stay valuable in a system that’s quietly phasing them out.
How to Actually Make Money When You Can’t (or Don’t Want to) Go Back to the Office
For some of us, working outside the home isn’t an option. It’s a financial disaster waiting to happen. Daycare alone can swallow 50% or more of each paycheck. And then there’s the cost of gas, commute time, overpriced lunches, and the constant pressure to “look professional.”
Where people are still finding work-from-home opportunities in the AI age:
Work with or against AI: New fields are opening in AI ethics, prompt engineering, model auditing, and cybersecurity. If you understand how AI works (or how to stop it from overreaching) you’ve got value that can’t be automated.
Leverage traditional jobs that have gone remote: Nurses, therapists, personal trainers, and sales are moving online. The same roles that once required commuting now often exist behind a screen.
Teach or mentor through experience: Create small-scale digital workshops, offer coaching, tutoring, or start micro-courses around real-world skills. People still crave learning from a human who’s been there.
Turn your home (or car) into your business: Open a small home daycare that fits your legal and mental bandwidth, or use your car for delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or grocery drop-offs. This era runs on convenience, and people will pay for time they don’t have.
Focus on service and connection: Anything rooted in trust (caregiving, pet sitting, personal organizing) remains hard for machines to replicate.
Is Being a Paid Content Creator Still a Possibility Today?
Less than a decade ago, my friend Katie was the definition of a successful Christian mom blogger. Her writing was heartfelt and community-driven. Through her platform, she promoted products she believed in that saved her family from toxins.
Faith was the heartbeat of her brand. So, when her beliefs changed, the entire foundation of that success crumbled. She didn’t just lose followers. She lost her livelihood.
Now, she’s trying to rebuild something authentic in a world that’s changed beyond recognition.
The algorithms that once rewarded connection now reward clickbait.
The influencer space has become overrun with polished perfection and AI-generated “relatability.”
What used to take time, trust, and real human effort can now be automated in seconds.
Rebuilding a genuine audience from scratch feels almost impossible.
Trying to build a content career while raising a family feels like walking a tightrope in a windstorm. One small gust—a sick kid, a holiday, a new sport season, a car accident, a loss—and suddenly you’re off balance. Just when you start building momentum, life reminds you who’s really in charge.
How Do I Become a Paid Content Creator?
I wanted to create social media accounts for this blog to funnel more readers here. And honestly, if those platforms took off and made a little money, that would’ve just been a happy bonus.
For a while, it looked like things were finally moving in that direction. I started posting on TikTok every day, hit over a thousand followers, and felt like I was building real momentum. Then life did what it does best; it piled on:
I started a new job at my son’s preschool.
I came down with the flu.
Then, I had a miscarriage.
After that, I stopped. I stopped posting, stopped promoting, and eventually fell behind on this blog too. My focus shifted back to my family, my health, and just getting through each day. The momentum I’d fought for vanished overnight, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about algorithms or engagement when my body and heart were in recovery mode.
The truth is, successful content creators have teams. Some have help with the prepping, recording, editing, and marketing. Others have help with childcare, cleaning, cooking, or scheduling. Either way, they have help while the rest of us are trying to run a business, raise kids, and hold down day jobs all at once.
Katie and I are still trying, though. Trying to create, trying to adapt, trying to make a living doing what feels honest in a world that rewards speed over sincerity. We may not have teams or perfect schedules, but we haven’t given up.
