Can AI Provide Passive Income? Week 20 Insights – The Final Week

After 20 weeks of experimenting, testing, and learning, it’s time to draw this chapter of my journey to a close.

When I started this project, the question was simple: could I build a faceless YouTube channel and generate passive income by harnessing AI tools?

I approached this challenge with curiosity and commitment, trying everything from AI-generated scripts and narration to fully AI-generated visuals and music. By the end of these 20 weeks, I was creating fully AI-generated content, where all I had to do was input the information which I wanted to create.

And while all of this made for a fascinating journey, the answer, for now, is clear: no, I did not achieve a passive income through AI.

Why I’m Stepping Away From AI

There are two main reasons I’ve decided to stop this project for now:

1. The Cost of Output Inconsistency

AI tools are improving all the time, but right now, they’re still inconsistent. Video platforms like Runway and Google Veo can occasionally produce impressive, even inspiring outputs… but more often, they deliver flawed results that waste time and credits.

That inconsistency became harder to justify when paired with the ongoing monthly costs of the various subscriptions: Runway, Veo, ElevenLabs, Suno, and others.

I began to feel like I was paying for the privilege of frustration, and while I believe these tools will continue to mature, they’re not yet at a point where I feel I could build something sustainable.

2. The Absence of Flow

The second, and perhaps more important, reason is personal: I never found Flow in this type of work.

As I mentioned last week, Flow is that feeling of being so absorbed and engaged in a task that you lose track of time. It’s one of the great joys of creating and something I’ve experienced in other projects. But with AI content creation, even when I felt I was getting into a rhythm, it only took one poorly generated clip or unusable output to break the momentum.

It became clear that this wasn’t a process I enjoyed enough to sustain. And if I couldn’t find joy in the journey, what was the point?!

My Relationship With AI

I still use AI in my daily life, whether that’s helping to draft or check emails, plan my day/week, ask for general advice on a situation, or support longer-term strategy queries.

Naturally, it is disappointing not to have achieved the goal of using AI to generate passive income. Especially when you look online and it is clear that other channels are succeeding, whereas I have not.

However, you have to make decisions which are right for you in the moment, and spending more and more money on content creation credits felt like a waste of resources for me right now. I still believe that AI’s presence in creative areas of our lives will continue to grow, whilst I will continue to follow updates on this technology.

Looking Ahead

While this experiment didn’t lead to passive income, it wasn’t a waste. I’ve learned a huge amount about AI, about myself, and about what kind of creative work excites me. Plus, I have developed my video editing skills, which will be handy for future projects.

And that’s the upside: I already have plenty more ideas for content and projects I want to pursue. The idea will be that this new journey won’t rely heavily on AI, and I believe this will better align with my skills and interests.

I look forward to sharing more about this new direction in the weeks to come.

If you’ve followed along these past 20 weeks, thank you. Your encouragement and feedback have kept me going through the highs and lows of this experiment.

Stay tuned for what comes next, and subscribe here if you haven’t already: