Americans Moonlight in Booming Gig Economy, from AI Training to Live Stream Selling
The gig economy has taken a more dystopian turn. About 27% of Americans earned income from a side hustle in 2025 as inflation and economic uncertainty squeezed household budgets. But these aren’t your typical weekend gigs — workers are now training AI models, live streaming, and monetizing niche skills in ways that blend the digital economy with hands-on expertise.
- Mercor, an AI startup, hired 30K+ contractors in 2025 to grade AI for OpenAI and Anthropic, while specialists like dermatologists earn up to $250/hour, and poets pull in $150/hour.
- Side hustles are getting more unique, from Etsy 3D-print sellers to plant livestreamers pulling in tens of thousands a day to tutors building six-figure, laptop-based businesses.
The hustle ahead: These gigs tend to follow the same playbook — use skills you already have, spend little to start, and work on your own schedule. Tutoring monetizes knowledge fast, while TaskRabbit turns hands-on work into hourly income. The twist is that some workers are training the same AI tools that could replace them, with one video editor joking she’s “training AI to take my job someday.” Welcome to the paradox of modern work, where white-collar professionals are cashing in on their own obsolescence.