Summary of Key Points
The AI industry is currently very popular, and companies are indeed in need of talent. However, they are seeking elite individuals with high education, experience in large companies, and expertise in working with large-scale models. At the same time, social media is flooded with advertisements for side hustles claiming that one can earn over ten thousand yuan a month by learning AI from scratch, many of which are actually scams. Although the production of AI short videos has increased dramatically, it’s not easy to make money from them, indicating that the lowered barrier to entry with tools does not necessarily mean easy profits. The real opportunity for ordinary people is not to force their way into the AI industry as experts, but to use AI to enhance their existing skills and combine their existing experience with AI.
1. The AI industry lacks talent, but it lacks “elite individuals,” not ordinary people
The recruitment data for AI looks enticing: the number of companies hiring in the AI sector increased by 24.8% in the first half of 2026, and the number of positions for AI product managers even increased by 87.7%. However, upon closer inspection of the job requirements, it becomes clear that even non-technical positions such as “product” and “application” require experience with large-scale models and intelligent assistant projects, as well as a background from prestigious universities or large companies. According to data from the China Academy of Labor and Social Security, nearly 30% of AI professionals hold master’s or doctoral degrees, and over 93% are under 35 years old, with most concentrated in the three major economic zones.
In contrast to previous industries like real estate and the internet, there are many more ways for ordinary people to get involved in AI: in real estate, there are roles in sales, renovation, and brokerage; in the internet, there are opportunities in e-commerce, delivery services, and live streaming. However, AI has not yet created as many roles for ordinary people to fill. Companies need people who can start working immediately, and a few months of training is often not enough to meet these requirements. More importantly, one of the core values of AI is to “get more done with fewer people”: tasks that used to require 10 people can now be completed with just 5 people and AI, meaning that the number of jobs has not increased proportionally with the industry’s growth.
2. AI side hustle training: Sounds appealing, but may be a scam
The more popular a technology becomes, the greater the information gap, and the more people try to profit from it. Social media claims like “earn over ten thousand yuan a month with no prior AI experience” or “the last chance for ordinary people to turn their lives around” stand in sharp contrast to the high requirements of the job market. A survey by Xinhua Daily Telegraph found that many training programs are scams: college students pay 2,690 yuan for courses and are then sold additional, more expensive advanced courses for 5,000-10,000 yuan; others pay 9,580 yuan for “AI + editing” services but end up with low-quality recorded courses. The Sichuan Provincial Consumer Council received 3,739 complaints about AI training in 2025.
Even if the training is not a scam, it’s still difficult to turn skills into actual income: you might know how to create AI-generated images and videos, but who will buy your content? Where will you get the traffic? When ten thousand people all use the same tool, how will you stand out and make money? In fact, teaching others how to make money with AI is often easier than making money yourself, as the sales pitch is much simpler than the actual revenue generation.
3. AI short videos: Production has doubled, but profits have not; equal tools do not equal equal income
In the first quarter of 2026, AI short videos accounted for 95% of all micro-short videos (122,000 episodes), four times the total for the entire year of 2025. The reason is simple: the cost is lower (AI short videos cost 80,000-100,000 yuan, compared to 600,000-1,000,000 yuan for real-person videos), and the barrier to entry is lower (no need for actors or studios, as AI generates the visuals). However, easy production does not equate to easy profits: a company in Shenzhen spent 200,000 yuan on 11 AI animated videos, but only earned a few hundred yuan in monthly revenue. During the Spring Festival, the viewership of real-person videos was 25 times that of AI videos, and less than 150 out of 120,000 AI videos achieved over 100 million views.
Why? Because audiences only have 24 hours a day, and their willingness to pay does not increase just because the amount of content increases. In the past, the ability to produce content was a barrier; now that anyone can do it, competition has shifted to areas such as scriptwriting, IP rights, distribution channels, and marketing strategies—none of which can be learned in just a few days with an AI tool. AI makes tools more accessible, but it does not guarantee equal income.
4. Opportunities for ordinary people: Use AI to “upgrade” existing skills, not to switch careers to become AI experts
Don’t be trapped by the idea of entering the AI industry. Data from Zhaopin shows that non-technical roles such as sales, business, and marketing are also growing in the AI sector. Companies are now more concerned with how to use AI effectively—for example, in manufacturing, they want to know which processes can be automated, and in retail, they want to know how to use AI to analyze customer data. For example, someone with ten years of experience in supply chain management does not need to learn algorithms; they can use AI to optimize processes. For retailers, using AI to analyze customer data can provide a better understanding of the business. The real opportunity for ordinary people is to use AI as a tool to improve their existing skills and perform their jobs better or more efficiently.
This change has not yet occurred on a large scale, but it represents the most realistic path forward: you don’t need to become an AI expert to use AI to enhance your professional value.
In conclusion
AI is not a shortcut for ordinary people to succeed, but it’s not exclusive to elites either. Don’t be fooled by claims of easy money with no prior experience. First, consider how your current role can benefit from AI and how your industry experience can be combined with AI to solve problems. This is the real opportunity that ordinary people have in the AI industry.