Can AI Provide Passive Income? Week 16 Insights

Back from holiday and recharged, I’ve spent this past week reassessing where I want this project to go next.

After stepping away for a short break, I returned to find no new movement on either of my long-form videos. Views have remained static since the last update, 159 and 115, respectively, which suggests that the content has likely run its course with the current audience.

It’s not surprising, given what I’ve already learned about the algorithm’s difficulty in adapting when a channel shifts direction.

A Fresh Start with a New AI Channel

So, I’ve decided to take things in a new direction.

The next phase of this project will focus on building a new channel, specifically tailored for AI-generated content. The idea is simple: lean fully into AI for the core creation, sound, imagery, and video, meaning I will only handle the editing and final composition. This aligns with my original intention to explore how far AI can take us toward a hands-off passive income stream.

The video footage for my first fully AI-generated content was created with Runway, but there’s now a new player to test: Google Veo, which just opened for access in the UK. I have been seeing a range of content created with Google Veo, which looks impressive, but until now it was unavailable officially in the UK.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll compare Runway and Google Veo, sharing how they stack up in terms of quality, usability, and creative control. It’s an exciting time to be experimenting, especially with new tools hitting the market.

More Legal Challenges for AI Platforms

While new tools emerge, so do new legal concerns. Following last week’s mention of Disney and Universal’s legal action against Midjourney, another big name has stepped into the ring: the BBC.

The BBC has raised a legal challenge against Perplexity AI, accusing it of reproducing BBC news content “verbatim” without permission or attribution. The concern is not just about content being summarised or referenced, but lifted wholesale, which may breach copyright.

This is now the second high-profile case in a matter of weeks, and it signals what could become a major trend: increased scrutiny and legal pressure on AI tools and platforms. It’s a reminder for anyone working with AI (myself included) to tread carefully, particularly when using existing IP or generating content inspired by well-known sources. Respect for originality and legal boundaries needs to stay front of mind.

Looking Ahead

As Week 16 closes, the path forward feels clearer: a focused AI channel, experiments with new platforms like Google Veo, and ongoing updates on the passive income potential of this evolving creative process.

If you’re exploring similar territory or simply curious about where AI creation is headed, I’d love to hear from you.