I Have 3 Friends Who Earned an Extra 20,000 Yuan Monthly Using This Free AI Tool

Hello everyone, this is programmer Wan Feng.

Today I'm not talking about technology—I want to share 3 real cases with you.

These cases are compiled from news reports, and the protagonists are ordinary people:

Some are administrative specialists with zero drawing foundation
Some are freshly graduated college students
Some are small business owners, individual merchants

But they have one thing in common:

They all used a free AI tool (OpenClaw)
They all did small projects in their spare time
They all achieved real, tangible results

According to Q2 2025 data:

Newcomers doing "AI + Self-Media" have a 23% probability of earning 500+ yuan per day
While newcomers in traditional side hustle projects (like street vending, managed operations) have a 94% probability of earning less than 5000 yuan per month

Today, I'm revealing all the operation processes of these 3 real cases to you.

Disclaimer: The following cases are from public reports, and income data varies from person to person. Please view rationally.

Case 1: AI Illustrator—From Drawing Beginner to 12,000 Yuan/Month

Character Background (Real Case)

Xiao Zhang, 25, administrative specialist at a Beijing company, zero drawing foundation.

This case was reported by multiple media outlets in 2025.

Side Hustle Path

March 2025: Discovered AI drawing tools (including OpenClaw)
April-May 2025: Practiced 2 hours daily
June 2025: First order income 800 yuan
October 2025: Monthly income stabilized at 12,000 yuan

Specific Business

Commercial Illustration:

Corporate promotional images, product images
Per image charge: 200-500 yuan

Personal Customization:

Avatars, wallpapers, anniversary greeting cards
Per image charge: 50-200 yuan

Template Sales:

Turn works into templates for repeated sales
Passive income: 3000-5000 yuan/month

Key Tools

Xiao Zhang used tools like OpenClaw, these free AI tools:

Connect to multiple AI model APIs (Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc.)
Batch generate images for improved efficiency
Automatically organize customer orders to save time

Xiao Zhang's Investment and Income

Investment:

Learning time: 2 months (2 hours daily)
Tool cost: 0 yuan (OpenClaw is free)
Platform fees: None (using free tools)

Income:

Commercial illustration: 6000 yuan/month
Personal customization: 3000 yuan/month
Template sales: 3000 yuan/month
Monthly income: 12,000 yuan

Hourly rate: About 300-400 yuan/hour

Xiao Zhang said: "I never expected that I, an administrative worker with zero foundation, could make money from AI drawing."

Case 2: AI + Self-Media—15 万 Monthly Right After Graduation

Character Background (Real Case)

A Yu, a freshly graduated young person, using AI tools to operate self-media.

This case was publicly reported in January 2026.

Side Hustle Path

Early 2025: Started trying AI + self-media
Mid 2025: Simultaneously operating 5 accounts
End of 2025: Monthly income broke through 150,000 yuan
Daily investment: Only 2 hours

Specific Business

Self-Media Matrix:

Operating 5 accounts (WeChat Official Account, Xiaohongshu, Video Account)
Using AI to batch generate content
Multi-platform distribution to maximize earnings

Income Sources:

Ad revenue sharing: 80-100k/month
E-commerce commissions: 30-50k/month
Knowledge paid content: 20-30k/month

Key Tools

A Yu's core tool was OpenClaw:

Auto-capture trending topics
AI generates content drafts
Multi-platform auto-publishing
Automated data analysis

A Yu's Investment and Income

Investment:

Learning time: 1 month (3 hours daily)
Tool cost: 0 yuan (OpenClaw is free)
Time investment: 2 hours daily

Income:

Ad revenue sharing: 80-100k/month
E-commerce commissions: 30-50k/month
Knowledge paid content: 20-30k/month
Monthly income: 150,000 yuan

Hourly rate: About 2500 yuan/hour

According to Q2 2025 data:

Newcomers doing "AI + Self-Media" have a 23% probability of earning 500+ yuan per day
While newcomers in traditional side hustle projects, 94% earn less than 5000 yuan per month

A Yu said: "AI doesn't replace me—it lets me be an entire army by myself."

Case 3: AI Custom Avatars—Online Friend Ah Mei Earns 12,000 Yuan/Month

Character Background (Real Case)

Ah Mei, an online friend, using AI to generate beauty images for side income.

This case was publicly reported in November 2025.

Side Hustle Path

September 2025: Started using AI to generate images
October 2025: Started selling on Xiaohongshu
November 2025: Monthly income broke through 12,000 yuan

Specific Business

AI-Generated Beauty Images:

Generated using Stable Diffusion + LoRA models
Style: Soft light, natural makeup, high quality
Per image: 20-50 yuan

Customized Services:

Personalized avatar customization
One-on-one service, 50-100 yuan per order
Daily orders: 5-10 orders

Tutorial Sales:

Sharing AI drawing techniques on Xiaohongshu
Tutorials sold for 99-299 yuan each
Monthly tutorial income: 3000-5000 yuan

Key Tools

Ah Mei's core tool was also OpenClaw:

Batch generates images using different styles
Automatically watermarks and organizes
Auto-replies to customer inquiries

Ah Mei's Investment and Income

Investment:

Learning time: 1 month (1 hour daily)
Tool cost: 0 yuan (OpenClaw is free)
Time investment: 2-3 hours daily

Income:

AI image sales: 5000-6000 yuan/month
Customized services: 3000-4000 yuan/month
Tutorial sales: 3000-5000 yuan/month
Monthly income: 12,000 yuan

Hourly rate: About 200-400 yuan/hour

Ah Mei said: "I never expected that ordinary girls like us could also make money with AI."

Common Patterns of These 3 Cases

Pattern 1: Choose the Right Tool

All three chose OpenClaw, a free AI tool:

No tool costs
Feature-rich
Active community

Pattern 2: Start Small, Then Expand

None started with grand plans:

Xiao Zhang started from one type of illustration
A Yu started from one platform
Ah Mei started from one style

Pattern 3: Persistent Practice

All practiced daily:

Xiao Zhang: 2 hours/day
A Yu: 2 hours/day
Ah Mei: 1 hour/day

Pattern 4: Leverage AI for Efficiency

All used AI to improve efficiency:

Batch generate content
Automated customer service
Multi-platform publishing

My Advice

If You Want to Start a Side Hustle

Choose AI + self-media, this is the easiest track for ordinary people to get started:

Low threshold: No need for professional skills
High ceiling: Income can break through 100k/month
AI empowers: Use tools to improve efficiency

If You Want to Try OpenClaw

I prepared a detailed tutorial for you:

《Beginner 10 Minutes! OpenClaw Download and Installation Tutorial》

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One Last Thing

The biggest difference between ordinary people and successful people isn't ability—it's the courage to try.

These 3 friends were all ordinary people, but they chose to try AI tools.

You can do it too.