Gen-Zers Are Using AI to Boost Their Side Hustles and Grow Them Into Full-Time Businesses

As more Gen-Zers embrace side hustles, they’re increasingly leaning on artificial intelligence to help them get ahead. A new survey by Canva finds that 80 percent of the people who have side hustles have used AI to fuel the growth of those enterprises, with 74 percent calling it their secret weapon. The tools, including ChatGPT and Canva’s own online graphic design offerings, are being used for everything from video creation and logo/brand design to data analysis and copywriting. And some of those side hustles are becoming full-time businesses. Side hustles, on the whole, have never been hotter. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 8.9 million Americans are currently working multiple jobs. That’s 5.4 percent of the country’s workforce. And a SurveyMonkey study published earlier this month found “72 percent of workers either already have or are considering a side gig—37 percent already have a side hustle, and 35 percent are considering pursuing one.” Some 22 percent of the people surveyed by Canva said they were inspired to start their own company after launching a side gig and 17 percent said the work led to a consulting or freelancing job. Additionally, 33 percent said they had gained new clients or customers, while 29 percent said their side gig had helped build their professional brand. Gen-Z was the generation most likely to start passive income side hustles: Of those with side hustles, 48 percent of Gen-Zers are currently earning passive income. All totaled, two-thirds of the 300 “5-9 influencers,” as Canva calls them, said they would consider quitting their full-time jobs if they believed their side projects could sustain them. They wouldn’t be the first. Some very familiar tech companies got their start as side hustles or side projects, including Groupon, Twitter, Craigslist, and Instagram (which began as Burbn, a location-based app for whiskey lovers). And thousands of other, smaller businesses began as a part-time side gig for the founder, eventually growing to multimillion-dollar businesses. Today’s side hustle community is made up of a mix of generations. Canva’s survey found that just under half of Gen-Zers, Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers were making money from side gigs today, with the actual percentages ranging from 40 to 48. Increasingly, the side hustles they’re choosing are digitally focused. The most popular jobs were social media creator (35 percent), e-commerce (27 percent), gaming and streaming (24 percent), and graphic design (14 percent). Extra income is the biggest motivator for people who have side gigs, Canva found, but it wasn’t the only one. Some 36 percent of the respondents said they were running their side hustle because they enjoyed the creative expression it gave them. And just under one-third said they wanted to turn a passion into a business. Even people with side hustles who aren’t looking to launch a business of their own are seeing advantages from the work. The skills they’ve learned as part of that work, including the AI expertise they’re building, are helping people advance. Some 14 percent of the people surveyed said their side hustle had helped them get a promotion at their day job. BY CHRIS MORRIS @MORRISATLARGE