How to make money in 2026?

Lux Cortes

Lux Cortes

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This might be a dumb question, but I'm interested in the community's opinion here.
How can I make money with AI in 2026? I can code (not just Vibcode), but I also understand LLM architecture, APIs, data structures, and beautiful design (not generative crap). If you had the opportunity to make money in 2026, what would you do? Maybe I can get some good advice here. I'm desperate because I see schoolchildren ripping off tens of thousands of dollars with their apps, and I'm trapped in a situation where I know how to do things, but I don't know how to find an idea or where or how to sell it. I have ambition, free time, resources for subscriptions, GPU, etc.

I'd be grateful for an answer.
 
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keyinde1400 said:
Maybe you should channel those skills in building something people want/needs
Click to expand...
You're right, thanks for the answer! But I get the impression that everything already exists, and I don't even understand what exactly is needed. As soon as I have an idea, market research shows it's already been done. And I don't have enough life experience to understand three things:
1. What to do if it's already been done
2. How to motivate yourself to generate ideas that people need and will be in demand after implementation
3. How to quickly promote
 
You already have combination of skills. You may want to start making money by offering your skills as a service. Best of luck!
 
You already have the hard part covered which is the technical skill. Most people making money with AI right now aren’t necessarily better builders, they’re just solving very specific problems and shipping fast.
 
Lux Cortes said:
This might be a dumb question, but I'm interested in the community's opinion here.
How can I make money with AI in 2026? I can code (not just Vibcode), but I also understand LLM architecture, APIs, data structures, and beautiful design (not generative crap). If you had the opportunity to make money in 2026, what would you do? Maybe I can get some good advice here. I'm desperate because I see schoolchildren ripping off tens of thousands of dollars with their apps, and I'm trapped in a situation where I know how to do things, but I don't know how to find an idea or where or how to sell it. I have ambition, free time, resources for subscriptions, GPU, etc.

I'd be grateful for an answer.
Click to expand...
You’re looking in the wrong place

Most people who are making money with AI in 2026 aren’t building another chatbot, image generator, or “AI assistant”. They’re solving boring business problems

If I could code and understood LLMs, I’d spend 30 days talking to businesses instead of building products

Find something that costs companies time or money:
  • Customer support
  • Lead qualification
  • Data entry
  • Reporting
  • Content workflows
  • Internal search/document retrieval
Then build the smallest possible solution and sell it before spending months coding
The biggest mistake technical people make is assuming the hard part is building. It isn’t. Building is easy. Distribution is hard
A mediocre product with customers beats a perfect product with no users every time
 
The market is now very saturated, I also create phone apps and chrome extensions, and that's just a small monthly addition, I see a lot of apps, now to stand out you need a lot of money or become a YouTuber
 
You need to design something that will solve the problems of an individual or a business.
 
Why don't you post your cv on upwork/fever and other job related websites?
Getting part of some bigger project will give yo an oportunity to grow, develop your skills and find which niches you really interested in.
 
Don’t chase generic AI ideas pick a specific, boring problem people already pay to solve. Build a simple AI tool for one niche that saves time or increases income, then turn it into a small paid SaaS. Talk to real users first, find repetitive pain points and ship an MVP quickly. Success in 2026 will depend less on fancy AI and more on solving one clear problem well and getting early paying customers.
 
Lux Cortes said:
3. How to quickly promote
Click to expand...
Paid ads or making YouTube videos or email lists.

These three things will let you grow without ceiling.

1. What to do if it's already been done
Click to expand...
You don't need to steal someone's customers or users. You can find your own.

2. How to motivate yourself to generate ideas that people need and will be in demand after implementation
Click to expand...
If you focus on satisfying basic needs, it's pretty straightforward.

You can do it for mass market or find niches and provide there.

There are also options like SaaS but they require some unique skills most of us don't have.
 
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Just come to Fiverr and sell your skills. You can do both, development and design.
 
Lux Cortes said:
If you had the opportunity to make money in 2026, what would you do?
Click to expand...
If I were a coder, I would look for a regular job. A regular job is way better than freelancing or being a solo developer in 2026. You have a steady income source and gain experience much faster. Then, as you're getting more experienced, you can come up with good ideas and you can work on your side projects.
 
Korovka said:
If I were a coder, I would look for a regular job. A regular job is way better than freelancing or being a solo developer in 2026. You have a steady income source and gain experience much faster. Then, as you're getting more experienced, you can come up with good ideas and you can work on your side projects.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately being a web dev or smth along the lines, is like dead-end in my opinion.
Job market is so overcrowded it makes my brain shrink thinking about it.

I see alternative, learn sales on LinkedIn or Facebook and then sell your service there for $100 an hour. 10 hours and you have good income for basic needs. Anything above that is growing your money tree.
 
See what's popular here on BHW and sell the same services but with actually good customer support. BHW sellers are notoriously bad when it comes to communication skills. You'll make money trust me
 
Evelines said:
See what's popular here on BHW and sell the same services but with actually good customer support. BHW sellers are notoriously bad when it comes to communication skills. You'll make money trust me
Click to expand...
Hi boss
Hi sir
Hi bro
Reduce the communication cringe, friction.
 
Lux Cortes said:
This might be a dumb question, but I'm interested in the community's opinion here.
How can I make money with AI in 2026? I can code (not just Vibcode), but I also understand LLM architecture, APIs, data structures, and beautiful design (not generative crap). If you had the opportunity to make money in 2026, what would you do? Maybe I can get some good advice here. I'm desperate because I see schoolchildren ripping off tens of thousands of dollars with their apps, and I'm trapped in a situation where I know how to do things, but I don't know how to find an idea or where or how to sell it. I have ambition, free time, resources for subscriptions, GPU, etc.

I'd be grateful for an answer.
Click to expand...
browse reddit and other forums. good sauce out there.
 
You could create AI agents for businesses, for customer service, or that automate tasks like scheduling appointments, processing orders, things like that.
 
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