It looks like Fiverr.com is in trouble…

Last year, the company laid off a quarter of its workforce and declared an intention to return to ‘startup mode’.

Then in February it was reported that its share price had fallen by around 35% since its peak in 2019.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t particularly surprised by this news.

As you know, Fiverr is an online marketplace where businesses hire freelancers to do things like write content, design logos, create graphics and transcribe documents.

It’s one of a bunch of similar freelancing websites, including Upwork, Freelancer and PeoplePerHour.

When these platforms first came onto the scene, they helped revolutionise the gig economy…

• Businesses could quickly recruit freelancers from all around the world, at very competitive prices.
• Home entrepreneurs could hire skilled experts to carry out the jobs they couldn’t do, or didn’t have time to do.
• Freelancers could enter a thriving digital marketplace where they could find much more work online, and globally, too.

However, AI has disrupted this business model.

Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and Claude can do many of the tasks popular on freelancing platforms… like blog posts… advertising images…. social media banners….SEO copy… video editing…

And they can do it in seconds.

All it costs is the price of a $20 monthly subscription… and you can avoid the hassle of seeking out the right person for the job, making a deal and vetting their work.

Unlike a freelancer, AI won’t charge extra for amendments, miss a deadline, or go quiet for three days when you need a quick turnaround.

Which means that Fiverr and its rivals are all taking a serious dent.

For example, one analysis found that job postings for basic writing and translation fell by 30–40% between 2023 and 2025…. the exact same period of time that AI tools went mainstream.

This got me thinking…

If AI is squeezing out these popular platforms, which other income streams might be at risk?

And on the flipside…. are there particular platforms that are now thriving because of the same technology?

Let’s take a look…

Three More Losers in the AI Revolution

Here are some platforms under threat from AI tools.

1. Stock Photography Marketplaces

This was once a great opportunity for photographers, graphic designers and artists.

You could upload images to platforms like Shutterstock. Getty Images and Adobe Stock… then collect royalties whenever someone downloaded them.

However, AI image generators now produce infinite numbers of images at rapid speeds.

Any business that needs a photo of, say, a smiling woman at a laptop can generate it in Midjourney, ChatGPT or Google’s Nano Banana in about ten seconds – so why pay a royalty?

2. Language & Transcription Services

One great way to earn a little extra money working from home was to transcribe audio or translate short documents via sites including Rev. Gengo and TranscribeMe.

However, AI speech-to-text and translation tools can now do the job almost instantaneously and at a fraction of the cost.

3. Online Tutoring Marketplaces

These platforms let skilled specialists earn decent money teaching students one-to-one from home. Examples include Spires, MyTutor and GoStudent.

However, people who want help are increasingly turning to AI for help rather than paying for a human tutor.

It’s instant… it’s cheaper… and it’s available 24 hours a day, whenever you need it.

Not only that, it tells you what you want to hear and won’t judge you for not having done your homework!

What these Businesses Have In Common

The common thread running through all of these is that they’re platforms where you essentially sell a ‘task’ or a unit of labour.

AI has made many of those tasks faster, cheaper and easier to do without a human.

But AI isn’t just disrupting traditional gig economy jobs platforms…

It’s also creating huge new opportunities.

That is, if you understand what’s becoming more valuable in the AI age.

The Winners In the AI Era

Classic online ‘jobs’ are in trouble, for sure.

But some platforms are getting a major boost from AI, including:-

1. Substack

This paid newsletter platform is booming, and AI is a big part of the reason.

You see, the number one reason people used to give up on newsletters – or avoid them altogether – was the effort (and skill requirement) of producing decent content every single week.

AI removes that barrier, because it can help you research topics you don’t know about at lightning speeds, then draft highly readable copy in a style of your choosing.

Which means more people can now realistically run a paid Substack newsletter, packed with interesting content, in their spare time.

To find out more, check out this issue of What Really Makes Money.

2. Gumroad

Gumroad is a platform for selling digital products directly to customers.

Examples include practical eBooks, how-to guides, checklists, template packs and mini-courses.

Because of the ease with which you can make these products with AI, it’s possible to quickly build a digital portfolio of products priced between £9 and £49 to create multiple passive income streams.

3. Etsy Digital

While Etsy is famed for physical arts and crafts products, its digital download category has exploded in popularity.

Thanks to AU it’s possible to create printable planners and organisers, educational materials and digital artworks without needing any design skill….

Again, AI can do the planning, research and writing… then you can use AI-powered tools like Canva for production.

Because the results are so quick, you can test out new ideas, drop ones that don’t sell, and generate lots of trickle incomes without spending a lot of time on the business.

After all, once your products are uploaded, there’s nothing else you need to do!

You can read more about making money from digital products on Etsy here.

4. Kindle Direct Publishing

AI dramatically lowers the barrier to writing books, which is why Amazon’s KDP self-publishing platform is doing so well.

Some people are now running ‘ebook portfolios’ where they stack up 10, 20, even 50 titles. each earning a modest but steady trickle of royalties.

If you want to find out more, check out this issue of What Really Makes Money.

5. Canva Creator Marketplace

Canva is a design tool used by millions of small businesses and creatives for eBooks, reports, planners, organisational templates and social media assets.

But it also has its own marketplace where creators can sell their templates.

You don’t need to be a designer to benefit from this, because AI tools can help generate layouts, suggest colour schemes and create visual concepts for you.

6. Automated YouTube Channels

There are now ‘faceless’ YouTube channels that are racking up tens of thousands of hits.

The videos are created by AI, so you never appear on camera, share your personal details or even MAKE the videos.

For instance, AI can do everything from script writing and voiceovers to video editing, thumbnail images and descriptive text.

Some people now treat YouTube channels as digital assets that generate continual ad revenue and affiliate income largely on autopilot.

For more on faceless channels, take a look at this.

7. Course Creation

Creating an online course used to be an intimidating project, requiring months of scripting, recording, editing and slide design.

AI makes it easier, because it can research the content, structure the course, write your scripts and make all the visual elements – even high quality instructional videos.

You can then use simple platforms like Podia, Kajabi and Thinkific to easily build and host your course without tech skills.

This makes it realistic for someone with practical knowledge in almost any niche to package it up and sell it, even without a background in education or content production.

To find out more, take a look at this issue of What Really Makes Money.

8. Local Media

This is the one that excites me most, probably because it’s the least talked about.

Local newsletters and hyperlocal websites are becoming more highly prized… and that’s because they’re the OPPOSITE of generic AI-slop.

People are increasingly looking for human connections and local insights in the places where they live – above and beyond what they can find on Google.

AI can now help anyone create a local email newsletter (and/or website) with amazing ease.

You can summarise local news, share council announcements, do weekly event roundups and cover local businesses and events.

You don’t need to learn writing skills because AI can do that for you.

And there are now AI tools like Notion.ai that can automate the research, organisation and planning process.

For more on local email newsletters, look at this and then this.

What Makes Money In the Age of Generative AI

If you’ve been worrying that AI will destroy many freelancing gigs and traditional income strategies, then don’t panic.

All you need to realise is that we’re moving from a gig economy – where people sold their labour one task at a time – to what you might call a ‘micro-publisher’ economy.

This is where you OWN media and product assets that generate you an independent income.

It might be a newsletter with 500 paying subscribers….

A stack of short ebooks on Amazon.

A small Etsy shop selling digital planners.

A YouTube channel earning ad revenues..

These platforms allow you to make a recurring or passive income from AI-generated content and design.

But the key to your success in the AI age is to be HUMAN.

Rather than pumping out generic AI content and hoping for the best… like so many people do….

Try to focus on a targeted audience niche where there’s an active community of seekers online.

People you can get to know intimately!

Then deliver them what they’re looking for in a personal way that’s unique to your own experience, passions and worldview.

This is something that AI can never truly replace.