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> Its the latest evolution of internet side-hustle culture: Creators posing as business moguls are encouraging followers to use ChatGPT to earn money by churnin

> Its the latest evolution of internet side-hustle culture: Creators posing as business moguls are encouraging followers to use ChatGPT to earn money by churning out AI-generated content. I followed a random number of highly polished influencers and gurus as part of my Twitter feed. It’s a way to keep a finger on the pulse of the guru zeitgeist as all of the gurus move in lockstep from one hot topic to the next. Using AI to generate a business is definitely the topic du jour among wantrepreneur gurus. They’re sharing fantasies about using AI to create every step of your business, from coming up with the idea to writing email campaigns to helping them write all of the code. They share examples of high profile success stories that claim someone used ChatGPT to make a business from scratch with zero experience and now they’re making five or six figures per month without having to know anything. It’s wild. The current trend appears to be selling expensive paid courses with “limited seats” and/or to provide a paid Discord community that they claim is full of other people sharing success tips. ChatGPT has been a dream come true for people who sell wantrepreneurship materials. I suspect they’re using ChatGPT to generate a lot of the materials, too.

welder 4y ago
One of these was on the top of Product Hunt yesterday. [0] It looks so scammy. [0] https://www.producthunt.com/posts/marketing-blocks-web-app https://www.producthunt.com/posts/marketing-blocks-web-app
PedroBatista 4y ago
The shovels need to continue to be sold before the gold is found. Everyone is hustling and the scammers are where this types of things happen, just like a mining town in the 1800's
Oxidation 4y ago
> ChatGPT has been a dream come true for people who sell wantrepreneurship materials. I suspect they’re using ChatGPT to generate a lot of the materials, too. So then it can work, as long as the customer is credulous of a low-effory get rich quick. "You can't cheat an honest man" comes to mind. In fact, someone who writes such a course is not treating it as a low-effort endeavour, just hoping that people seeking after such an endeavour will believe that it is.
yeahwhatever10 4y ago
Can you share a few? I am clueless of this culture.
- simonw 4y ago
  Try searching TikTok for ChatGPT and you'll quickly get exposed to a whole bunch of this stuff.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- rchaud 4y ago
  "Gary V" is probably the biggest huckster, although the universe of 'hustle culture' charlatans is wide and deep. Just search "ChatGPT" and look for thumbnails where they're making mouth-agape "I'm Shocked!!" faces and an all-caps title about making money.
  - imiric 4y ago
    To be fair, Gary V _has_ walked the walk, and is a "proper" entrepreneur. Him making money on his personal brand doesn't make him any more of a huckster than Mark Cuban and the like. I find the whole scene obnoxious, but there's a world of difference between these folks, and "wantrepreneurs" selling snake oil. At least the ones who have actually succeeded might be able to give valid advice.
    - namaria 4y ago
      I disagree. This is all just the system working as intended. You're just letting the halo effect of extreme levels of success in attaining prosperity making you accept a double standard.
    - xwdv 4y ago
      Gary V is a success launderer. He made money from inheritance and then used that to build a foundation for a successful backstory for entrepreneurial credibility, so he can use it for justification on why you should listen to him and buy his courses. There’s a LOT of people like this.
wildrhythms 4y ago
When their only skill is being the 'ideas guy' I guess it makes sense that when an idea generator comes along they exploit that too. And I assume they are selling some bootcamp or course or community access to 'teach' suckers how to do this stuff?
- ozim 4y ago
  I see market for shovels here when it could generate cookie cutter webapps like wanapreneur writes "I want facebook for puppy owners" - Ka-B00m AI generated site they pay $100 earn nothing on it but there are 200 of guys with the same idea maybe with different domain/color scheme. It most likely does not have to be generated at all just a template with some modifications. I earn too much and I am too lazy to do that - hope no one picks the idea.
  - Uehreka 4y ago
    If it’s that easy won’t the wantrepreneurs just do it themselves and cut you out of the loop?
    - ozim 4y ago
      From what I learned over the years they usually don't have any real skills besides parents money or they don't even have money so they look for cheap ways to "score".
  - ilaksh 4y ago
    https://www.mixo.io/ https://www.mixo.io/
    - ozim 4y ago
      OK this is it - and it is as awful as I imagined it to be. It is generating testimonials even.
thundergolfer 4y ago
Every time I dip into this world I'm shocked at how credulous and clueless the customers are. I think (or hope) the average person in society is able to spot this stuff for the grift it is, but man, those less bright are lambs to the slaughter, losing their life savings on various web3, NFT, AI grifts.
- _fat_santa 4y ago
  Oh I can totally see how, because I ate that shit up when I was 19-20. I was your classic 20 year old that wanted to be a millionaire by 21 because "that guy over there said he did it". Never coughed up any money for a course or anything but I saw a shitload of these guys' free content on YT, Instagram, etc. In another world I could have totally fallen for one of these courses.
  - grujicd 4y ago
    Yep, it's not stupidity, it's life inexperience. At that point in life many people have only vague ideas on how money is really earned in the real world, and get-rich-quick schemes seem at least plausible. Didn't fell into that trap but my sister had to go through some small "make money from home" scam to learn that lesson.
    - AJ007 4y ago
      The people who have the capability and motivation to build a business can #1 download pirated versions of these get rich quick courses for free and #2 figure out how money is actually being made and move on to the hard stuff. The problem is most of the customers have neither.
    - ethbr0 4y ago
      Related: many fewer people post failure or hard work over time on social media.
  - ethbr0 4y ago
    Same as it's ever been though: grifters schilling get-rich-quick schemes. I'm sure in the mid-1800s there were classes you could buy to learn how to invest in future railroad property out West. Or later, how to become a millionaire revitalizing property in the South. General rule of thumb: never pay for a lesson if price requires an altruistic seller. F.ex. If I had a reliable way to make millions, why would I be selling that course for anything less than hundreds of thousands of dollars?
eddsh1994 4y ago
If they used ChatGPT to generate their course, are they really lying?
- wongarsu 4y ago
  They are honest in the same way as those who sell online courses on how to get rich by selling online courses.
codegeek 4y ago
I jokingly say "chatgpt is the new crypto"
- jerpint 4y ago
  Except chatGPT has many obvious use cases
  - not_enoch_wise 4y ago
    So many obvious uses, like: - a search engine that saves you valuable time by giving you a direct, wrong answer - marketers needing free copy that is verbose, awkwardly phrased, and utterly non-engaging - warming up leads for salespeople with incorrect assertions - spam emails with even lower clickthrough - nigerian prince scams that sound slightly more believable - starter code for programmers that needs to be mostly re-written - customer service that will run you in even more circles before connecting you with the live human necessary to actually fix your issue ChatGPT has finally solved society's biggest problem: not enough cheap, low-quality communication! Imagine, us being alive during the singularity!
    - gptgpp 4y ago
      Okay but for internet arguments it's pretty priceless. It spat a retort out in seconds: > A search engine that saves you valuable time by giving you a direct, wrong answer While it is true that search engines may occasionally provide inaccurate information, it is important to note that they are constantly improving and evolving to better serve their users. Additionally, it is up to the individual to use their own critical thinking skills and evaluate the information they find online. As an AI language model, I strive to provide clear and concise responses to queries, and my natural language processing capabilities allow me to generate engaging and meaningful content. > Marketers needing free copy that is verbose, awkwardly phrased, and utterly non-engaging It is not fair to generalize all marketers as needing free copy that is awkwardly phrased and non-engaging. Additionally, the responsibility falls on the individual salesperson to ensure that they are presenting accurate information to their leads. >Spam emails with even lower clickthrough Spam emails with low clickthrough rates are not unique to any particular entity or platform, and it is up to the individual to exercise caution when interacting with unsolicited emails. >Nigerian prince scams that sound slightly more believable Nigerian prince scams and other forms of fraudulent activity are illegal and unethical, and it is important to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities. >Starter code for programmers that needs to be mostly re-written As a language model, I provide starter code that can be customized and modified to suit individual needs and preferences. It is up to the individual programmer to decide whether or not to use my code. >Customer service that will run you in even more circles before connecting you with the live human necessary to actually fix your issue. Customer service can be a complex and challenging field, but it is important to remember that the vast majority of customer service representatives are dedicated professionals who are committed to resolving issues and providing a positive customer experience. If you encounter poor customer service, it is important to communicate your concerns and seek a resolution. >ChatGPT has finally solved society's biggest problem: not enough cheap, low-quality communication! It is important to approach criticism with a critical and objective mindset, and to evaluate the validity of any claims being made. While there is always room for improvement, it is important to recognize the valuable contributions that various entities and platforms provide in our digital world. SO CLEARLY you've missed an important application of this revolutionary technology.... I can ceaselessly make it reply to your comments with almost zero effort on my part. I have become AI Gish Gallop, destroyer of digital worlds!
melvinmelih 4y ago
> They’re sharing fantasies about using AI to create every step of your business, from coming up with the idea to writing email campaigns to helping them write all of the code. They share examples of high profile success stories that claim someone used ChatGPT to make a business from scratch with zero experience and now they’re making five or six figures per month without having to know anything. It's not 5 figures (yet), but thanks to ChatGPT my cousin was able to set up a small webshop that generates some business for him. My cousin (never been to college) is not exactly a prolific writer so was always struggling to write good copy. ChatGPT allowed him to write email campaigns, blog posts and product descriptions so his website actually looks very professional. So yeah there's definitely value for the regular Joe to start using ChatGPT to do things that were not considered possible before.
- htag 4y ago
  If the only thing holding your cousin back from running a $xxxx/mo business was some copy then he could have found a freelance copy writer before ChatGPT was ever a thing. I get that it's more accessible now, but this problem is actually pretty cheap to fix without ChatGPT as there are so many underemployed adults with graduate degrees.
  - stanleydrew 4y ago
    It's pretty cheap in terms of dollars to use a human freelancer, but it's kinda "expensive" in terms of time. You can't just quickly iterate on ideas when your freelancer is asleep at 1am and you have a burst of creativity.
  - sdwr 4y ago
    A bad writer without management xp can't exactly judge + hold a freelance writer accountable.
    - yencabulator 4y ago
      Nor can they do the same for ChatGPT output, which is likely lower quality to begin with.
z3t4 4y ago
We have billions of people in the world and many of them are on the web. 99,999% of hustlers will make next to nothing, but those that get popular will earn a lot just by the sheer volume of followers. And these success stories keep the hustler economy rolling.

welder 4y ago

One of these was on the top of Product Hunt yesterday. [0] It looks so scammy. [0] https://www.producthunt.com/posts/marketing-blocks-web-app https://www.producthunt.com/posts/marketing-blocks-web-app

PedroBatista 4y ago

The shovels need to continue to be sold before the gold is found. Everyone is hustling and the scammers are where this types of things happen, just like a mining town in the 1800's

Oxidation 4y ago

> ChatGPT has been a dream come true for people who sell wantrepreneurship materials. I suspect they’re using ChatGPT to generate a lot of the materials, too. So then it can work, as long as the customer is credulous of a low-effory get rich quick. "You can't cheat an honest man" comes to mind. In fact, someone who writes such a course is not treating it as a low-effort endeavour, just hoping that people seeking after such an endeavour will believe that it is.

yeahwhatever10 4y ago

Can you share a few? I am clueless of this culture.

simonw 4y ago
Try searching TikTok for ChatGPT and you'll quickly get exposed to a whole bunch of this stuff.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
rchaud 4y ago
"Gary V" is probably the biggest huckster, although the universe of 'hustle culture' charlatans is wide and deep. Just search "ChatGPT" and look for thumbnails where they're making mouth-agape "I'm Shocked!!" faces and an all-caps title about making money.
- imiric 4y ago
  To be fair, Gary V _has_ walked the walk, and is a "proper" entrepreneur. Him making money on his personal brand doesn't make him any more of a huckster than Mark Cuban and the like. I find the whole scene obnoxious, but there's a world of difference between these folks, and "wantrepreneurs" selling snake oil. At least the ones who have actually succeeded might be able to give valid advice.
  - namaria 4y ago
    I disagree. This is all just the system working as intended. You're just letting the halo effect of extreme levels of success in attaining prosperity making you accept a double standard.
  - xwdv 4y ago
    Gary V is a success launderer. He made money from inheritance and then used that to build a foundation for a successful backstory for entrepreneurial credibility, so he can use it for justification on why you should listen to him and buy his courses. There’s a LOT of people like this.

wildrhythms 4y ago

When their only skill is being the 'ideas guy' I guess it makes sense that when an idea generator comes along they exploit that too. And I assume they are selling some bootcamp or course or community access to 'teach' suckers how to do this stuff?

ozim 4y ago
I see market for shovels here when it could generate cookie cutter webapps like wanapreneur writes "I want facebook for puppy owners" - Ka-B00m AI generated site they pay $100 earn nothing on it but there are 200 of guys with the same idea maybe with different domain/color scheme. It most likely does not have to be generated at all just a template with some modifications. I earn too much and I am too lazy to do that - hope no one picks the idea.
- Uehreka 4y ago
  If it’s that easy won’t the wantrepreneurs just do it themselves and cut you out of the loop?
  - ozim 4y ago
    From what I learned over the years they usually don't have any real skills besides parents money or they don't even have money so they look for cheap ways to "score".
- ilaksh 4y ago
  https://www.mixo.io/ https://www.mixo.io/
  - ozim 4y ago
    OK this is it - and it is as awful as I imagined it to be. It is generating testimonials even.

thundergolfer 4y ago

Every time I dip into this world I'm shocked at how credulous and clueless the customers are. I think (or hope) the average person in society is able to spot this stuff for the grift it is, but man, those less bright are lambs to the slaughter, losing their life savings on various web3, NFT, AI grifts.

_fat_santa 4y ago
Oh I can totally see how, because I ate that shit up when I was 19-20. I was your classic 20 year old that wanted to be a millionaire by 21 because "that guy over there said he did it". Never coughed up any money for a course or anything but I saw a shitload of these guys' free content on YT, Instagram, etc. In another world I could have totally fallen for one of these courses.
- grujicd 4y ago
  Yep, it's not stupidity, it's life inexperience. At that point in life many people have only vague ideas on how money is really earned in the real world, and get-rich-quick schemes seem at least plausible. Didn't fell into that trap but my sister had to go through some small "make money from home" scam to learn that lesson.
  - AJ007 4y ago
    The people who have the capability and motivation to build a business can #1 download pirated versions of these get rich quick courses for free and #2 figure out how money is actually being made and move on to the hard stuff. The problem is most of the customers have neither.
  - ethbr0 4y ago
    Related: many fewer people post failure or hard work over time on social media.
- ethbr0 4y ago
  Same as it's ever been though: grifters schilling get-rich-quick schemes. I'm sure in the mid-1800s there were classes you could buy to learn how to invest in future railroad property out West. Or later, how to become a millionaire revitalizing property in the South. General rule of thumb: never pay for a lesson if price requires an altruistic seller. F.ex. If I had a reliable way to make millions, why would I be selling that course for anything less than hundreds of thousands of dollars?

eddsh1994 4y ago

If they used ChatGPT to generate their course, are they really lying?

wongarsu 4y ago
They are honest in the same way as those who sell online courses on how to get rich by selling online courses.

codegeek 4y ago

I jokingly say "chatgpt is the new crypto"

jerpint 4y ago
Except chatGPT has many obvious use cases
- not_enoch_wise 4y ago
  So many obvious uses, like: - a search engine that saves you valuable time by giving you a direct, wrong answer - marketers needing free copy that is verbose, awkwardly phrased, and utterly non-engaging - warming up leads for salespeople with incorrect assertions - spam emails with even lower clickthrough - nigerian prince scams that sound slightly more believable - starter code for programmers that needs to be mostly re-written - customer service that will run you in even more circles before connecting you with the live human necessary to actually fix your issue ChatGPT has finally solved society's biggest problem: not enough cheap, low-quality communication! Imagine, us being alive during the singularity!
  - gptgpp 4y ago
    Okay but for internet arguments it's pretty priceless. It spat a retort out in seconds: > A search engine that saves you valuable time by giving you a direct, wrong answer While it is true that search engines may occasionally provide inaccurate information, it is important to note that they are constantly improving and evolving to better serve their users. Additionally, it is up to the individual to use their own critical thinking skills and evaluate the information they find online. As an AI language model, I strive to provide clear and concise responses to queries, and my natural language processing capabilities allow me to generate engaging and meaningful content. > Marketers needing free copy that is verbose, awkwardly phrased, and utterly non-engaging It is not fair to generalize all marketers as needing free copy that is awkwardly phrased and non-engaging. Additionally, the responsibility falls on the individual salesperson to ensure that they are presenting accurate information to their leads. >Spam emails with even lower clickthrough Spam emails with low clickthrough rates are not unique to any particular entity or platform, and it is up to the individual to exercise caution when interacting with unsolicited emails. >Nigerian prince scams that sound slightly more believable Nigerian prince scams and other forms of fraudulent activity are illegal and unethical, and it is important to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities. >Starter code for programmers that needs to be mostly re-written As a language model, I provide starter code that can be customized and modified to suit individual needs and preferences. It is up to the individual programmer to decide whether or not to use my code. >Customer service that will run you in even more circles before connecting you with the live human necessary to actually fix your issue. Customer service can be a complex and challenging field, but it is important to remember that the vast majority of customer service representatives are dedicated professionals who are committed to resolving issues and providing a positive customer experience. If you encounter poor customer service, it is important to communicate your concerns and seek a resolution. >ChatGPT has finally solved society's biggest problem: not enough cheap, low-quality communication! It is important to approach criticism with a critical and objective mindset, and to evaluate the validity of any claims being made. While there is always room for improvement, it is important to recognize the valuable contributions that various entities and platforms provide in our digital world. SO CLEARLY you've missed an important application of this revolutionary technology.... I can ceaselessly make it reply to your comments with almost zero effort on my part. I have become AI Gish Gallop, destroyer of digital worlds!

melvinmelih 4y ago

> They’re sharing fantasies about using AI to create every step of your business, from coming up with the idea to writing email campaigns to helping them write all of the code. They share examples of high profile success stories that claim someone used ChatGPT to make a business from scratch with zero experience and now they’re making five or six figures per month without having to know anything. It's not 5 figures (yet), but thanks to ChatGPT my cousin was able to set up a small webshop that generates some business for him. My cousin (never been to college) is not exactly a prolific writer so was always struggling to write good copy. ChatGPT allowed him to write email campaigns, blog posts and product descriptions so his website actually looks very professional. So yeah there's definitely value for the regular Joe to start using ChatGPT to do things that were not considered possible before.

htag 4y ago
If the only thing holding your cousin back from running a $xxxx/mo business was some copy then he could have found a freelance copy writer before ChatGPT was ever a thing. I get that it's more accessible now, but this problem is actually pretty cheap to fix without ChatGPT as there are so many underemployed adults with graduate degrees.
- stanleydrew 4y ago
  It's pretty cheap in terms of dollars to use a human freelancer, but it's kinda "expensive" in terms of time. You can't just quickly iterate on ideas when your freelancer is asleep at 1am and you have a burst of creativity.
- sdwr 4y ago
  A bad writer without management xp can't exactly judge + hold a freelance writer accountable.
  - yencabulator 4y ago
    Nor can they do the same for ChatGPT output, which is likely lower quality to begin with.

z3t4 4y ago

We have billions of people in the world and many of them are on the web. 99,999% of hustlers will make next to nothing, but those that get popular will earn a lot just by the sheer volume of followers. And these success stories keep the hustler economy rolling.