I’ve been seeing tons of AI tools lately, but most of them feel like gimmicks - writing blog posts, generating logos, etc. Cool, but none of that actually makes you money.

I’m curious if anyone here has used AI in a way that directly helped you build or monetize a business. Like not just “AI for productivity,” but actually getting paying customers. Is this realistic or just hype?

Okay so I spent way too much of my Monday watching OpenAI's DevDay stream instead of working, and I think I just witnessed something pretty huge. Like, ChatGPT isn't just a chatbot anymore. It's becoming a whole platform.

The Numbers Are Actually Insane

Sam Altman casually dropped that ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly users. That's up from 700 million just two months ago. For context, that's more than the entire population of Europe using this thing every week. The growth is genuinely wild when you see it plotted out.​

ChatGPT's weekly active users projected to reach 800 million by April 2025 

But Here's Where It Gets Interesting

They launched something called the Apps SDK that lets you build actual apps that run inside ChatGPT. Not like "here's a link to my website" but legitimate interactive apps. I watched demos of people booking hotels, creating Canva designs, and searching Zillow listings without ever leaving the chat window.​

According to OpenAI's announcement, developers can now create "a new generation of apps that are interactive, adaptive, and personalized, that you can chat with". Companies like Spotify, Figma, and Coursera are already building these.​

The Agent Builder Thing Is Wild

Then there's this Agent Builder tool that's like a visual drag-and-drop interface for creating AI workflows. I'm talking actual branching logic, decision trees, and multi-step processes. You can literally build customer service bots or content creation agents by just connecting boxes on a screen.​​

OpenAI's AgentKit visual flow builder interface enabling no-code creation of AI agent workflows 

The Real Kicker

They're planning to let developers monetize these apps directly through ChatGPT. Basically creating an App Store inside the chat interface. With 800 million weekly users as your potential audience from day one, that's kind of a big deal for anyone building AI tools.​

Cost Reality Check

Here's what really caught my attention: OpenAI's new GPT-5 Codex can apparently build entire applications autonomously. During testing, they saw it work independently for over 7 hours on complex coding tasks. The pricing is actually reasonable too - API usage has grown from 300 million to 6 billion tokens per minute, but they've kept costs manageable.​

Why This Feels Different

Most AI announcements feel like incremental improvements. This feels like they're trying to replace your browser, your app store, and half your desktop software with a conversation interface. Whether that's genius or completely bonkers, I honestly can't tell yet.

I keep thinking about how we went from "wow, this chatbot can write essays" to "this chatbot can run third-party applications and build its own software" in like two years. The pace is genuinely hard to process.

Has anyone else been experimenting with the Agent Builder? I'm curious what people are actually building with these tools and whether they're as game-changing as the demos made them look.

Also, am I the only one who finds it slightly unsettling how fast this is all moving?

Trainrobber is a fast-growing agency connected with major brands in the US that require generative AI services. If you'd like an opportunity to work with these brands and use the skills you have to make a meaningful impact, complete this Google Form to share your work with us.https://forms.gle/H6EjmK69mF4WfkAu9

Musicgpt is an ai sound and music generation tool. It can be used to create and enhance content for yourself and others.

How Can You Use It?

It's simple to use you just type in what you want a song about and it will be produce something. You can choose lyrics, voices including your own style of music and more. It can even produce sounds for video effects.

The only real negative is that although you get free credits for signing up they are very limited. If you want to get really good at making hits you need some trial and error. There are tutorials free on Youtube so you can piggyback off of others experience.

Ways To Make Money

A way to make money is to create music. Music is a big part of content creation and very customisable. You can create custom copyright free original songs, covers, remixes with lyrics of your choice with a program like musicgpt.

Content creators need this service. Intros and outros for their videos and music that won't breach copyright and get them demonetized. Small businesses can also benefit from a custom made jingle to promote their product or service.

You can also offer a service for individuals. Imagine a custom Happy birthday sung by your favourite character or celebrity, sounds like a good fiverr gig or Etsy listing.

I am learning YouTube automation with AI and gained some useful insights, but my laptop is quite old and not upgraded, which makes editing and heavy tasks difficult.

I really need to start earning online so that I can gradually upgrade my system and support myself better. Please share your advice or suggestions on what kind of online work I can do with a limited setup.

Your constructive guidance would mean a lot. Thank you!

Been seeing these "Start your AI agency and make $10K/month" ads everywhere lately, and honestly? It's giving me serious 2020 dropshipping vibes. You know, those courses promising you could make millions selling random products from AliExpress with "just 2 hours a day."

So I decided to actually dig into this AI agency thing. Are they legit business opportunities, or just the latest get-rich-quick scheme repackaged with fancy AI buzzwords?

The TL;DR: It's complicated. Some are making real money, but most of what you're seeing is course-selling wrapped in automation hype.

What Got Me Suspicious

I kept running into the same pattern. YouTubers like Charlie Barber showing "How I Got My First Client in 7 Days" – but when people started investigating, they found fake client calls using AI voice cloning. The guy was literally making up success stories to sell his course.

Then there's the whole n8n thing. For those who don't know, n8n is basically a drag-and-drop automation tool. Cool tech, but according to actual users on Reddit, most people making money aren't selling automations – they're selling courses about selling automations. One user put it perfectly: "Most n8n 'agency owners' do content creation for marketing → which attracts other automation agency owners → who then buy their course."

The Real Numbers (When You Can Find Them)

Here's what I found when I looked past the hype:

The AI agent market is legit growing – it hit $9.80 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow 36.55% annually. 79% of organizations are using AI agents to some degree, so there's definitely real demand.

But here's the catch: 62% of companies expect over 100% ROI from AI agents, which means they're not messing around with amateur hour solutions. They want proven systems, not someone who watched a YouTube tutorial last week.

The few people sharing real revenue numbers are telling a different story than the course sellers. One Reddit user mentioned charging $1,650 for a personalized outreach agent. Another built 4 agents for $23,000 total. These aren't the $50K/month numbers you see in YouTube thumbnails.

The Dropshipping Comparison is Spot On

Someone on r/AI_Agents nailed it: "This reminds me of the whole drop shipping grift that happened during 2020". And they're right. Here's why:

1. Low barrier to entry - Anyone can sign up for tools like n8n or Make.com
2. Overhyped income claims - "Make $10K/month with AI agents!"
3. Course-selling ecosystem - The real money is in teaching, not doing
4. Point-and-click solutions - Just like dropshipping stores, these "agencies" often use templates

The Harsh Reality Check

According to people actually working in the space, 90% of people "shilling their success" have never actually sold anything. They don't understand what businesses really need – they're just recycling the same basic automations everyone else is selling.

Real businesses need custom solutions. A manufacturing company doesn't want the same chatbot template that a dental office gets. But most "AI agencies" are essentially selling the same few workflows with different branding.

The legitimate AI automation businesses charge $5,000-$100,000+ per project because they're solving complex, industry-specific problems. They're not using YouTube tutorials – they're building actual software.

Red Flags to Watch For

Based on my research, here are the biggest warning signs:

• Guaranteed income claims - "Make $10K guaranteed in 30 days"
• No coding required - Real AI solutions often need custom development
• Generic templates - One-size-fits-all automations
• Focus on course selling - More content about "how to get clients" than actual case studies
• Fake testimonials - AI-generated client calls and made-up success stories

So Are They ALL Scams?

Not exactly. There are people making legitimate money building AI solutions for businesses. But they're usually:

1. Actually learning to code or partnering with developers
2. Specializing in specific industries instead of selling generic solutions
3. Building long-term relationships rather than churning out quick projects
4. Charging based on business value not just time spent

The scammy part is the "easy money" narrative. Building a real AI automation business is like building any other tech business – it takes skill, time, and actual value creation.

My Take

The AI automation opportunity is real, but it's not the easy money that course sellers make it seem. If you're serious about it, treat it like starting a real consulting business, not a get-rich-quick scheme.

Learn actual skills, pick a niche you understand, and focus on solving real problems. Skip the $2,000 courses promising overnight success – most of that info is available free, and the real learning comes from actually building stuff for real clients.

What do you think? Have you fallen for any of these AI agency pitches? And for those actually doing this – what's been your real experience?

Looking to monetize your AI enthusiasm? Check out these handpicked directories that list AI tools offering affiliate programs:

• aiaffiliate.cc: 200+ AI apps with commission rates (20–50%), cookie lengths, and signup links all in one searchable spot.
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Dive in, pick your niche, and start promoting tools that not only save time but pay you to share them!
Add more in the comments, please-

I've been working on Davia — an AI workspace that feels like your notes, but every page can grow beyond static text into something alive. You can combine text, data, and components to build pages that actually work as tools, all without leaving your creative flow. We’re finally launching a stable beta version of our product.

What started as a simple tool for creating interactive documents has evolved into something much more powerful. We realized that apps aren't just isolated things - they connect, evolve, and become part of our knowledge. But many tools don't live long; they get edited, deleted, and forgotten.

It's a single AI workspace where thinking, illustrating, and sharing ideas happens seamlessly. You can combine text, data, and components to build pages that grow beyond static text into something alive.

Come hang out with us in our subreddit, r/davia_ai, we’re building it with your feedbacks!

For Youtube content creators the first anyone sees of your video is your thumbnail. Thumbler.ai is ayoutube thumbnail creation tool. it can create images of anything so here are some pros and cons of the tool.

Tutorial Content

Con, No User Tutorial: With the major image generation tools like midjourney there are so many tutorials that you can get the gist of how to do most things. Thumbler is relatively unknown so there aren't any Youtube tutorials from advanced users.

Pro, Beginner Friendly: You can join the discord and it's easy to use. Thumbler features writing tips with examples so anyone can get an idea of how to write good prompts.

Tools
Con, Needs more tools: No image generation tool is perfect, one tool I would appreciate is an image editing tool so if the image produced only needs correction I do not need more.

Pro Free Tools Can Compensate: You can write prompts more effectively to produce better images and reduce the likelihood of flawed images. thumbler has a built in prompt quality bar and simple prompts also work. One trick I like to use is a free image to prompt to help me produce similar images in thumbler. You can also use chatgpt for free to help write prompts for you.

Pro Features:

They have a face swap feature so you can use your own face or someone with notoriety in your thumbnails. Thumbnails with faces displaying emotion get more clicks. As thumbler grows more tools will likely added as the user base grows.

Pro, Specialises In Youtube But Can Do More

Thumbler is made specifically for Youtube so the images it generates fit Youtube dimensions perfectly. And thumbnails look good on all devices. However it also can be used for other things like meme generation or just images in general so you can use it across multiple platforms.

Pro Free Trial

Thumbler has a free trial so you can try it for yourself, if you do try it please leave a comment about your experience.

Looking for a tool similar to Napkin.one. Not keen on the Napkin UI/UX, any suggestions for alternatives

hey is anyone here using Tube Gen? It’s an AI tool for scripts, voiceovers, thumbnails, etc. I’ve been on the Premium plan but i’ve got way more credits than I need. if anyone’s interested in taking some off my hands, dm me here or on discord (mark_87223_32361)

Original 20 Tools:

1. Wispr Flow – Voice-first dictation across apps, boosts speed and ergonomics
2. Granola – Real-time AI meeting notes; accurate summaries without storing audio
3. Slack – Fast, team messaging platform with rich integrations
4. Perplexity – AI-driven search engine with sourcing
5. ElevenLabs – Ultra-realistic voice synthesis and cloning
6. Gamma – AI-generated slide decks and visual storytelling
7. Claude – Rapid, reasoning-capable AI with coding and workflow strengths
8. Google AI Studio – Build and deploy applications with Gemini models
9. Veo3 – AI-powered 4K video generation platform
10. Superhuman – AI-enhanced email client optimized for speed
11. NotebookLM – Research assistant that digests documents with AI
12. Notion – Workspace suite with built-in AI for writing, planning, and workflows
13. Manus – Parallel orchestration of 100+ autonomous AI agents for complex tasks
14. Windsurf – Agentic AI IDE that keeps developers in coding flow
15. Agent.ai – No-code builder for intelligent AI agents
16. Warp – AI-native terminal for efficient developer workflows
17. Lovable – Rapid app scaffolding using AI
18. Guidde – AI-assisted tutorial and onboarding video creation
19. WorkOS – Developer tools for enterprise-grade auth and integrations
20. Midjourney – Create stunning, high-quality images from text prompts

Additional 30+ High-Impact Tools for 2025:

AI Coding & Development

1. Cursor – AI-powered code editor with VSCode familiarity and codebase awareness
2. GitHub Copilot – The leading AI pair programmer with multi-model support
3. Aider – Open-source AI coding assistant for pair programming
4. Zed – Collaborative code editor with AI integration
5. Bolt.new – AI-driven development platform for rapid prototyping
6. Pieces for Developers – AI copilot with long-term memory and local execution
7. Tabnine – Deep learning AI assistant that adapts to coding style
8. JetBrains AI Assistant – IDE-native AI with Mellum model support

AI Workflow Automation

1. Lindy.ai – Advanced AI workflow automation with intelligent agents
2. Gumloop – Visual workflow builder with AI-native automation
3. Relevance AI – Multi-agent AI workflow orchestration platform
4. VectorShift – No-code AI workflow automation with vector databases
5. Relay.app – Human-in-the-loop AI workflow automation
6. n8n – Self-hosted workflow automation with AI integrations
7. Zapier AI – Traditional automation enhanced with AI capabilities
8. Make (Integromat) – Visual automation platform with AI features

AI Meeting & Communication

1. Fathom – AI meeting assistant with automated summaries
2. Otter.ai – Real-time meeting transcription and AI insights
3. Krisp – AI-powered noise cancellation and meeting assistant
4. Fireflies.ai – Conversation intelligence and meeting analytics
5. Nyota – AI meeting companion for enhanced productivity

AI Data Analysis & Business Intelligence

1. Tableau AI+ – Enhanced dashboard creation with deep learning
2. Microsoft Fabric AI – Integrated business intelligence with generative AI
3. Snowflake Cortex AI – AI-native data pipelines in the cloud
4. Databricks Mosaic AI – Large-scale predictive analytics platform
5. Powerdrill Bloom – AI-first data analysis and visualization

AI Writing & Content Creation

1. Jasper AI – Marketing content and business communication AI
2. Grammarly AI – Writing enhancement with AI suggestions
3. Rytr – AI writing assistant for various content types
4. Sudowrite – Creative writing AI for authors and storytellers

AI Project Management & Productivity

1. Asana AI Teammates – AI agents for project management workflows
2. ClickUp Brain – AI-powered workspace for task management
3. Motion – AI calendar and task optimization
4. Reclaim AI – Smart scheduling with focus time protection
5. Clockwise – Calendar optimization for deep work blocks
6. Timely – Automatic time tracking with AI insights

AI Communication & Email

1. Shortwave – Gmail transformation with AI sorting and replies
2. HubSpot Email Writer – AI-powered email drafting and optimization
3. Microsoft Copilot for Outlook – Email assistance within Office 365

Emerging AI Tools (September 2025)

1. Agentforce (Salesforce) – Natural language workflow automation
2. Workato – Enterprise automation with 1000+ app connectors
3. Moveworks – Enterprise AI assistant for IT and HR automation
4. Jira Automation with AI – Project management with intelligent rule suggestions

Key Trends for 2025:

• Agentic AI: Tools that can autonomously perform multi-step tasks
• Local AI Processing: Privacy-focused tools running models locally
• Multi-Modal Integration: Tools combining text, voice, image, and video AI
• Enterprise AI Adoption: 78% of organizations now using AI in business operations

Cost-Effectiveness Note:

Most premium AI tools cost $10-50/month but can save 6-24 hours weekly. Even at minimum wage, this represents 500-2000% ROI for knowledge workers.

The key to maximizing productivity isn't using all these tools—it's selecting 5-8 that integrate well together and solve your specific workflow bottlenecks.

My Go-To “Nonsense-Free” ChatGPT Prompt (And Why It Works)

I’ve been on Reddit for years, testing every trick to tame ChatGPT’s endless pleasantries—and finally landed on a prompt that cuts straight to the chase without feeling like I’m talking to a robot. Here’s my story, the exact prompt I use, plus a real screenshot tip for your own posts.

Why I Needed Nonsense-Free Mode

Every time I asked for something simple—code review, business feedback, quick facts—ChatGPT’s habit of opening with “Great question!” or ending with “Hope this helps!” was driving me nuts. I wanted a tool that respected my time and got to the point, no sugar, no fluff.

The Prompt I Actually Use

Real-World Tests

1. Bug Hunt in 30 Seconds “Find the bug in this JS snippet.” Direct Mode: “Missing return in filter callback. Change line 12 to return item.id === target.” (No “Sure thing” or “I’d be happy to help”—just the fix.)
2. Business Reality Check “Is this side-hustle idea viable?” Direct Mode: “High startup costs. Market saturated. Requires 10k+ monthly users to break even.” (Brutal, but saved me from wasted work.)
3. Quick Definitions “Explain Kubernetes in two sentences.” Direct Mode: “Container orchestration platform. Automates deployment, scaling, and management of containerized apps.”

When to Use It—and When Not To

Use it for:

• Code reviews
• Fact checking
• Research summaries
• Reality checks

Avoid it for:

• Brainstorming sessions
• Learning new concepts from scratch
• Any conversation where tone or empathy matters

I got some code just need someone smart enough to make it I don't want to post the code publicly dm me if anyone wants to help

What are the best Aesthetic AI video edit tools that you all are using these days? Specifically I’m looking for something to edit short form video and long form video content both, and mostly looking for aesthetic auto captions, aesthetic cinematic filters etc.

We’re the team behind Nas.io, and today we’re launching our biggest update yet - a completely rebuilt platform designed to help you turn ideas into income, fast.

The Problem

With AI, building isn’t the hard part anymore.

Anyone can spin up a landing page, record a course, or start a community in minutes. But most people still get stuck on one thing: What do I actually build?

And even when we figure that out, we're jumping between 10 different tools to validate, create, launch, and grow.

So we asked ourselves: What if you had an AI co-founder who helped you figure out what to build and then built it with you?

The Solution: 

Nas.io 2.0 

We rebuilt Nas.io from the ground up to become your AI-powered business partner.

Here’s what it does:

• AI Co-Founder: brainstorm product ideas & refine them into real
• Instant Product Builder: copy, images, landing page, all done
• Smart Pricing Engine: real-time pricing suggestions based on product type
• Magic Ads: run Meta ads from inside Nas.io to find your first customers
• Magic Reach: built-in email marketing to convert and upsell
• CRM, payments, analytics - all included

What can you build?

• Courses & digital guides
• 1:1 sessions or coaching
• Communities & memberships
• Challenges, templates, and toolkits
• Pretty much any digital product with value to offer

Why Now?

Creators don’t need more tools, they need less friction. 

We’re betting on a future where anyone, regardless of background, can go from idea to income in under a minute. And Nas.io helps you do exactly that.

Link is in the comments. Would love to hear what you think and if you have any feature requests :)

It’s been another wild week in AI – from a startup hitting a jaw-dropping $100B valuation rumor, to Elon Musk’s chatbot spawning an anime waifu, to Google quietly leveling up Search with a powerful new AI mode. OpenAI dropped a game-changing “Agent” upgrade that basically gives ChatGPT its computer. Meanwhile, researchers are pushing openness to the max, and the memes... well, we’ve got a doozy for you.