As we step into 2025, the digital economy continues to evolve, and with it, new, exciting opportunities are emerging. AI is one of the key drivers of this change, revolutionizing how we interact with technology, businesses, and even our daily lives. For entrepreneurs, this presents a wealth of opportunities to generate income without needing to invest large amounts of money upfront. In this article, we’ll explore three innovative ways to make money using AI, with zero startup cost.
Three Innovative Ways to Make Money with AI in 2025
1. TikTok Shop: A New Marketplace for Selling Products
TikTok has rapidly evolved from a platform for viral dance videos to a thriving eCommerce marketplace. The TikTok Shop is one of the most exciting opportunities in 2025, offering a low-barrier entry into the world of online selling. If you’re looking to make a significant income, TikTok Shop might be your golden ticket.
Why TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is relatively new compared to other eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Etsy. This means there’s a huge opportunity to get in early and stand out from the competition. The organic reach on TikTok is incredible, and even simple products are getting thousands of views, thanks to the platform’s algorithm that favors new content.
In 2025, TikTok is becoming a go-to platform for consumers to discover and buy products directly through the app. With just a couple of taps, users can buy items without leaving the app, making the purchasing process seamless. This convenience leads to higher conversion rates, which means more sales for you.
How to Get Started
To start your TikTok Shop, you don’t need to create your own products or worry about handling inventory. Thanks to print-on-demand services like Printify, you can sell custom-designed products such as t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and more, without having to manage production or shipping. Printify integrates directly with TikTok Shop, so when someone buys a product from your store, it’s printed, packed, and shipped directly to the customer.
Example of Success
Let’s look at a real-world example: a TikTok shop that sells custom t-shirts. By listing their products on TikTok Shop, they’ve sold over 26,000 units, generating more than $650,000 in sales. This success is made possible by the platform’s easy-to-use interface and the direct buying experience that TikTok offers.
Even better, you can run a successful TikTok shop without needing to make videos yourself. Many sellers on TikTok Shop have seen substantial sales without posting a single video. TikTok allows users to search for products directly, so when someone searches for “mental health t-shirts,” your products will show up, even without any video content.
However, adding video content can significantly boost your visibility and sales. TikTok is a video-first platform, so products that are showcased in creative, engaging videos tend to perform much better than those that are only listed with static images.
AI-Powered Content Creation
If you’re worried about creating videos yourself, AI can be your solution. With tools like ChatGPT for content ideas, and video creation platforms such as InVideo or Synthesia, you can generate video content without showing your face. These AI tools can automatically generate engaging videos that showcase your products, using stock footage, animations, and text overlays.
The best part? You don’t need to spend any money upfront. Print-on-demand services only charge you when a sale is made, meaning you can start a TikTok Shop with zero investment. This model is scalable and allows you to grow your income as you refine your strategies.
2. Affiliate Marketing on TikTok: Earn Without Creating Your Own Products
Another highly profitable way to make money on TikTok is through affiliate marketing. Unlike running your own eCommerce store, affiliate marketing allows you to promote other people’s products and earn commissions for every sale generated through your referral.
Why Affiliate Marketing Works So Well on TikTok
Affiliate marketing is incredibly popular because it requires minimal investment and zero product creation. You don’t need to worry about inventory, shipping, or customer service. Instead, you focus on promoting products that are already selling well, leveraging TikTok’s viral reach to generate sales.
TikTok is an ideal platform for affiliate marketers. People spend a lot of time browsing through short-form videos, making it easier to grab their attention with compelling product demos, unboxings, and reviews. Plus, TikTok’s algorithm boosts content that gets engagement, meaning even smaller creators can go viral with the right strategy.
How to Get Started
To succeed in affiliate marketing on TikTok, you need to:
- Find Products That Sell: Look for products that are proven to sell. Many brands provide affiliate programs where you can promote their products for a commission. Platforms like ClickBank, Amazon Associates, and ShareASale offer vast selections of products in every niche.
- Create Authentic Videos: The key to success on TikTok is creating content that feels authentic and real. Videos that are too polished or overly promotional often underperform. Instead, focus on creating simple product demo videos or unboxing videos that show how the product works in real life.
- Leverage AI Tools for Video Creation: If you don’t want to be on camera yourself, AI can help. Tools like Pictory, Synthesia, and Descript can create high-quality product videos using AI-generated avatars, voiceovers, and text. You can upload a script, and the AI will generate a video that looks natural and professional.
Scaling Your Affiliate Income
Affiliate marketing is scalable, meaning as you grow your audience and refine your strategies, your income potential grows as well. One of the biggest advantages of affiliate marketing is that you can start with zero investment. You don’t need to buy the products you’re promoting, and many brands will even send you free samples in exchange for reviews.
If you’re promoting a product on TikTok, you can increase your chances of success by targeting products under $50. These items are often considered impulse buys, making it easier for users to make a quick purchase.
3. Become a Growth Partner: Help Other TikTok Shops Grow
A unique business model that leverages AI for profits is becoming a growth partner for TikTok shops. As a growth partner, your job is to help other TikTok shops increase their sales by creating high-quality video content. Many TikTok shops struggle with producing enough video content to showcase their products, and this is where you can step in and offer a valuable service.
Why This Business Model is Lucrative
While there are thousands of TikTok shops out there, many of them don’t have the time or expertise to create engaging video content. As a growth partner, you can offer to create videos for them using AI tools, helping them boost their sales.
This business model offers a low-risk, high-reward scenario for both you and your clients. You can charge a fixed fee per video or offer a commission-based model, where you earn a percentage of the sales generated from your videos.
How to Get Started
- Find Shops That Need Help: Search for TikTok shops that don’t have any videos or whose videos are underperforming. Reach out to these shops with a proposal to help them create engaging video content that will boost their sales.
- Create Videos Using AI: You can use AI-powered video creation tools to make high-quality videos without showing your face. Tools like Synthesia and DeepBrain allow you to create product demo videos with avatars that speak and demonstrate the products.
- Charge for Your Service: You can charge a flat fee for each video you create or work on a commission basis, where you earn a percentage of the sales that result from your videos.
Example of Earnings
Let’s say you charge $50 per video, and you create 10 videos for a client. That’s $500 in earnings. If your videos help an affiliate marketer or shop owner increase their sales by $10,000, and you take a 10% commission, you’d make $1,000. The more videos you produce, the more you can scale your income.
Conclusion: The Future of Business in 2025
In 2025, AI is opening up new ways to make money that were previously unimaginable. Whether you’re selling products through TikTok Shop, promoting products as an affiliate marketer, or helping TikTok shops grow by creating AI-generated videos, the opportunities are endless.
The beauty of these business models is that they require zero upfront investment. With AI tools at your disposal, you can start earning money with minimal effort and risk. As you explore these opportunities, you’ll see that the future of business is not just about working harder, but working smarter—leveraging the power of AI to create scalable income streams with zero startup costs.
If you’re ready to start your journey into the AI-powered business world, pick one of these models and start taking action today. The sooner you start, the sooner you can begin capitalizing on these emerging trends that are poised to explode in 2025.