AI side hustles: AI tool referral programs and AI productivity notes

AI tool platforms in our directory (with what we know about their referral/affiliate programs) plus AI-related column posts. AI tools are productivity aids; whether a program is open and what it pays follows the official page at the time.

• AI storyboard agent: a Story2Board lead for indie film and ad makers

  Curated from a public long post by @FanShifu: a team with ByteDance background launched "Story2Board", an AI storyboard agent for indie directors and ad makers, focused on common pain points when using LLMs for storyboards (unstable output straight from scripts, no searchable film-storyboard corpus). This site keeps only the product direction and target audience as a lead and does not guarantee availability or business results; details and pricing follow the official site/original post at the time. Approach: suits indie directors, ad/short-film creators and content teams that need quick storyboard drafts. The core mechanism is using an LLM to break a script into shots, combined with storyboard references to improve visual consistency and control. Common sticking points are scripts written too vaguely, which makes output unstable, and unclear copyright and commercial licensing for reference frames.

• Hands-on Claude learning lead: a free long video building workflows step by step

  Curated from @denziideng: a shared/recommended hour-long video on using Claude (including how to learn from scratch and build automations), stressed as "not a paid course". For readers who want a structured start with Claude/Claude Code workflows. Judge the video platform, subtitles and quality yourself via the original link. Approach: suits beginners getting started with Claude / Claude Code and individual developers who want to build automations. The core mechanism is reproducing workflows step by step from a long video, then turning them into reusable notes. Common sticking points are outdated video content, watching without practicing, and accidentally exposing keys in recordings or code.

• Alibaba Cloud AI free trial lead: Model Studio (Bailian)/PAI credits need verifying

  Curated from @JMkernt: sharing Alibaba Cloud AI-related free trials (claims about Model Studio/Bailian LLM tokens, Tongyi-related credits, PAI vouchers and more). Exact figures and claim entry points follow Alibaba Cloud's free trial center at the time; read the billing and expiry rules before activating to avoid bills when a trial converts to paid. Approach: suits developers and small teams who want to try LLM APIs and machine-learning platforms at low cost. The core mechanism is claiming trial credits for products such as Model Studio and PAI in Alibaba Cloud's free trial center. Common sticking points are real-name verification requirements, hard-to-read credit rules, and trials automatically switching to pay-as-you-go when they expire.

Can AI tools make money directly?

AI tools mainly boost productivity. We list the tools and what we know about their referral programs. We promise no income. Rewards, commissions and withdrawal rules follow each platform's official terms at the time.

Are all AI referral programs open?

Not necessarily. Each entry states the program status we know; unverified items are marked. Check the official page before joining.

Do I need a paid subscription first?

Most tools have a free tier or trial; paid requirements follow the official terms. We don't recommend buying expensive plans just to "make money".