Utilities are among the top picks for international investment group Cohen & Steers as it reshuffles its holdings to minimise the impact of global tariffs and bets on rising demand for power from data centres to cope with the artificial intelligence boom.

“Utilities tend to have very little impact from tariffs,” said Ben Morton, the New York-based head of global infrastructure for the $US88 billion ($136 billion) asset manager during a trip to Sydney to meet with local investors.

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Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a powerful tool that can be leveraged today to build scalable and sustainable passive income streams. In 2025, with AI becoming more accessible and sophisticated, the opportunities for automation and monetization are more significant than ever. Here’s a detailed guide on how to create passive income using AI.

1. AI-Powered Content Creation and Monetization

Content creation is one of the most accessible and effective ways to generate passive income with AI. The key is to use AI to handle the heavy lifting of production, allowing you to focus on strategy and quality control.

Blogging and SEO:

Automated Content Generation: Use AI writing tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, or a custom GPT to generate blog posts, articles, and guides on a massive scale. You can feed the AI a topic and a few keywords, and it can produce a well-structured draft in minutes.

SEO Optimization:AI tools can also help with keyword research, meta descriptions, and on-page SEO. This ensures your content is not only abundant but also optimized to rank highly on search engines, driving organic traffic and passive ad or affiliate revenue.

Affiliate Marketing:Integrate affiliate links into your AI-generated content. Once the blog post is live and attracting readers, it can generate commissions from product sales with no further effort from you.

Faceless YouTube Channels:

Scripting and Video Production: AI can write engaging scripts for videos in a specific niche (e.g., finance, history, or self-improvement).

Voiceovers and Visuals:Use AI-powered text-to-speech generators like ElevenLabs for professional-sounding voiceovers. Combine this with AI video generators or stock footage to create compelling videos without ever showing your face or recording a single line of dialogue.

Monetization: Once your channel is established, you can earn passive income through YouTube’s Partner Program (ad revenue) and by including affiliate links in your video descriptions.

Selling AI-Generated Digital Products:

E-books and Planners: Use AI to write e-books on niche topics, or create unique digital planners and journals. You can then sell these products on platforms like Etsy or Gumroad.

Print-on-Demand (POD): AI image generators like Midjourney or DALL-E can produce stunning and unique art. You can use these designs on t-shirts, mugs, and posters and sell them through POD services like Printful or Printify. The platform handles production and shipping, making it a completely passive income stream after the initial design and setup.

2. AI-Driven E-commerce and Dropshipping

AI can automate and optimize every step of an e-commerce business, from product selection to marketing.

Dropshipping with AI: AI tools can analyze market trends to help you identify winning products to sell. They can also generate product descriptions and marketing copy, and even automate ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Automated E-commerce Stores: Platforms like Shopify offer AI-powered store builders that can get you up and running in a day. You can use AI to manage inventory, forecast demand, and provide personalized product recommendations to customers, all of which contribute to a more passive operation.

3. AI-Powered Services and Automation for Businesses

You can sell AI-powered solutions to other businesses, creating a recurring revenue model.

Building Custom Chatbots:Many small to medium-sized businesses need chatbots for their websites to handle customer inquiries, book appointments, or qualify leads. You can use no-code AI tools to build and deploy these chatbots and charge businesses a monthly fee for the service and maintenance.

AI-Powered Social Media Management: Offer a subscription-based service where AI tools generate and schedule social media content for clients. The AI can analyze their target audience and industry trends to create relevant and engaging posts, all with minimal input from you once the system is configured.

AI Consulting and Workflow Automation: As more businesses adopt AI, they’ll need help integrating it into their workflows. You can offer consulting services to help companies identify opportunities for AI integration, build custom automation workflows using tools like Zapier or Make, and charge a premium for your expertise.

4. Leveraging AI for Financial Strategies

AI can also be applied to financial markets to generate passive income.

Algorithmic Trading: While this requires a higher level of expertise, AI and machine learning are used to develop trading bots that can analyze market data and execute trades automatically. These bots can be configured to operate based on your specific risk tolerance and investment goals.

Predictive Analytics for Investment: Use AI to analyze market trends and predict potential growth areas. While this isn’t a direct income stream, it can guide your investment decisions and lead to significant passive returns over time.

The key to creating passive income with AI in 2025 is to see AI as a powerful partner that handles repetitive, time-consuming tasks. By building a system where AI does the work, you can create and manage income streams that require very little active involvement, ultimately freeing up your time and generating wealth.