Can AI Provide Passive Income? Week 12 Insights

Twelve weeks into this challenge, and this week brought a big milestone. My channel’s first long-form video is live.

If you’ve been following my journey, you’ll know that I’ve been focused on building a faceless YouTube channel supported by AI tools, with the long-term goal of generating passive income. For the past few weeks, Shorts have been the primary format, but over the last two weeks, everything shifted.

From Shorts to Long-Form

After weeks of producing Shorts, I shifted my focus to something more ambitious: a long-form video backed by an AI-generated song. I wanted to test whether longer content could perform better in terms of viewer retention and long-term growth.

The creative process was slower than expected. Each second of a 3-minute video needed thoughtful clip selection, smooth transitions, and careful alignment with the AI-generated music and lyrics. It was creatively fulfilling, but also incredibly time-consuming.

And yet, I found myself questioning: was it worth it?

The Early Results

The video went live on Friday afternoon. In its first 8 hours, it had just 2 views. By the end of Saturday, that had grown to 5. After getting used to Shorts hitting thousands of views in a matter of hours, it was a stark contrast.

But this definitely doesn’t feel like a failure, it’s just a new phase of the journey. Long-form content builds differently. It doesn’t rely on instant viral momentum. Instead, it gains traction through search, recommendations, and watch time. The feedback I’ve already received (like “3 minutes felt a minute too long”) will help shape what comes next.

The Trade-Off: Shorts vs. Long-Form

As I built this first video, the trade-off became clear: every hour spent on long-form is an hour not spent publishing Shorts. And while Shorts deliver faster results, they don’t allow for the same level of creativity or narrative.

I now see a path forward. For Month 4, the goal is to publish one long-form video every two weeks, supported by Shorts released every 3 days. That feels achievable, and strategic.

AI: The Creative Engine

Although I’ve used less “new” AI tech this week, the role AI continues to play as a creative partner can’t be understated. The narration, scripting, and music were all AI-generated, and the more I work with these tools, the more they shape how I think about what’s possible.

I also experimented with using AI to create the video thumbnail, but couldn’t quite get the results I was hoping for. The images either had odd visual errors or were too far off from something usable. For now, I’ve gone back to making thumbnails manually, although it’s encouraging to see how quickly AI is being integrated into creative workflows, even if some tools aren’t quite there yet.

Looking Ahead

The next long-form video is already in the planning phase, and I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned. This first video may not have exploded, but it marks the beginning of a new direction, one with creative energy and long-term potential.

If you’re experimenting with AI for content creation, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you and where you’re seeing the biggest results.

Want to follow along as I test the limits of AI for passive income?